Some composers arranged Negro spirituals in a new way, which was similar to the European classical music. The Black Renaissance had some influence on the way of singing and interpreting Negro spirituals. First, the historical meaning of these songs was put forward. Then, singers were pushed to be more educated. Educators thought that Negro spirituals are musical pieces.
From 1915 through 1925, many African American singers performed either at church or on stage, or even in movies, then Negro spirituals were traditional songs. However, in late 1930s, Sister Rosetta Tharpe sung gospel songs in a nightclub. This marked the start of singing Gospel songs in many kinds of places: churches, theaters, concert halls. Ministers, like James Cleveland, made tours with their choruses, in the United States and abroad.
New groups were formed, such as the Highway QC's (QC : Quincy College), and sung harmonized Negro spirituals. Constant improvement of negro spirituals gave birth to another type of Christian songs. These were inspired by the Bible (mainly the Gospel) and related to the daily life. .
Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993) was the first who composed such new songs. He called them Gospel songs, but some people called them "Dorseys" . More than any other individual, Thomas A. Dorsey is gospel and his story is the story of gospel. He is considered as being the Father of Gospel music. Gospel songs were more popular in Northern towns, like Chicago. Dorsey was a consummate musician and as a young man accompanied some of the most famous blues singers of all time-specifically, Bessie Smith (1894-1937) and Ma Rainey (1886-1939). He also arranged and composed blues tunes.
Dorsey attended a National Baptist Convention and it was at one of these meetings in Philadelphia that Dorsey first heard the compositions of Charles A. Tindley (1851-1933, composer of "We'll Understand It Better By and By" and "Leave It There" among others.
