Isn't Her Grace Amazing!: The Women Who Changed Gospel Music – Portraits of Overlooked Heroines Who Shaped Sacred Sound and Inspired Generations

by Cheryl Wills

A unique tribute to often overlooked women who have left an indelible mark on Gospel Music—powerful talents who overcame racism and sexism to define the genre, establish its sound, and set the standard for good sangin’ for generations.

Nothing in the world soothes the soul better than Gospel music. From the foot-stomping, hand-clapping melodies of yesterday to the head-bobbing, bass-thumping hits of today, Gospel music ignites the spirit and delivers the inspiration that takes us from the rough side of the mountain to the peak of God’s love and grace. That feeling of joy, peace, love, and contentment is amplified when it’s ringing through the voice of a sister who can SANG, Cheryl Wills reminds us. The remedy for a tough day at work can be alleviated with Mary Mary’s uplifting jam Shackles, the answer to your heart’s desires can be found in the harmonies of The Clark Sisters Name It, Claim It, and if you need a reminder of God’s love, there is nothing more timeless that Aretha Franklin’s stirring rendition of Amazing Grace.

Some talented performers, like Sister Rosetta Tharpe have faded from history, while singers like Yolanda Adams are at the top of her game. During the twentieth century, Willie Mae Ford spent most of her life encouraging and uplifting Christians both in church and on stage and composed more than 100 Gospel songs, yet it was men like her co-writer, Thomas A. Dorsey, who received the accolades and fame. Many women in the Gospel music industry go unnoticed, unpaid, and under-appreciated for their contributions, yet it is these women who are often the bedrock for songwriting, arranging, directing, and developing singers. 

Cheryl Wills, the granddaughter of a Gospel singer, at last shines a spotlight on these spectacular women of song. The only book of its kind, Isn’t Her Grace Amazing! showcase the talents, gifts, and skills of women in the Gospel music industry. It celebrates these heroines, chronicles their journeys from the choir loft to the world’s largest stages, and reveals how they revolutionized this sacred music that is beloved worldwide. From the matriarchs of this movement to today’s chart-topping divas, Wills offers in-depth portraits of twenty-five amazing women of Gospel music—based on interviews and extensive research—behind-the-scenes stories of favorite gospel hits, and illuminates what makes each of them shine. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, History

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2022

About the author

Cheryl Wills is a New York City-based television reporter and author.

Reviews

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isn't Her Grace Amazing! by Cheryl Wills covers 25 Black female gospel singers or groups who spanned the 20th and 21st Centuries. Wills begins her book with Mahalia Jackson and ends it with Yolanda Adams, it is broken into five sections and five artists/groups are covered in each section. Wills writes short bios and includes many pictures of each singer/group that covers their gospel beginnings and inspirations and the trajectory of their careers. This book made me aware of singers that I was unfamiliar with such as Dorothy Love Coates, Marion Williams, and Willie Mae Ford Smith, who trained and mentored Mahalia Jackson. It was fascinating to see which female singers mentored and influence the younger ones that Wills writes about, Mahalia Jackson was a persistent mentor for many of the women covered in this book. Wills also shows which gospel singers' techniques influenced secular singers like Ray Charles, James Brown, and Little Richard. There is even a section on the female gospel singers who crossed over into secular music. Gospel music lovers will enjoy this book. It is a great introduction to these women and hopefully, it encourages readers to go listen to their music, watch them on video, and read more about them.

[LeeTravelGoddess · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and last of all… 25 stars!

I could barely finish this book before scurrying over to iTunes to see who I could find. Say what you want about her but Pastor Shirley Caesar is my musical substructure; before the Music Theory, Private Voice, Recitals and all that other… it was me and Shirley singing about the Goodness of JESUS. AND THEN throw the incomparable Diva Supreme Miss Mariah Carey atop Pastor Caesar plus a sprinkling of a few others and voilà, a songbird!! Music is one of the most sacred parts of me and so I cherish books like this. I was so honored to learn so much about the female pioneers of Gospel and I’m on the hunt for the doc mentioned herein “Say Amen, Somebody” cause why not?!?! Overall a fantastical quick read… I’ll definitely read it again AND acquire a copy for my library. It’s necessary reading and listenings to be found upon completing it. I would be remiss if I didn’t say anything about Dr. Mattie Moss Clark— A PILLAR, to not only bless us with the Clark Sisters but to teach THEM to become legends in their own right; talk about a legacy! Their arrangement of “Name It, Claim It” from the Gospel 1982 movie is still UNMATCHED- Twinkie’s tenor anchor (at least I think it’s Twinkie) is… Is… soul stirring!!! I go back to that recording too often cause there is a reminder for me that my GOD does not change.

Now that was a dedication Madam Cheryl Wills— your granny would be so proud!!! THANK YOU for a magnificent book as it is another beautiful way of JESUS saying, I love you Lee 💚✨🙌🏽😍.

[Jeri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I had heard an interview on NPR with the author. I am in awe of these women and there devotion to their craft and GOD. I have looked for their music on Pandora and found some of it. What a blessing. Even though each woman had her “greatest” hits listed and several albums named, I would love to see a discography for each performer. Well done, Ms. Wills! Thank you for sharing.

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed this completely on a whim because it was available at the library and I wanted to keep reading stuff for Black History Month in the US. I know absolutely nothing about gospel music, at all. Couldn't really explain it to you except I associate it with the church but could not tell you any of the names, songs, music, any of the traditions or much else. All I got is it is my understanding that many famous Black singers often got their practice in church choirs. So here we are.

The author takes us through a profile of various women (who range from the well-known such as Aretha Franklin to names that I assume you'd only know if you were a scholar or well-versed in this field, etc.) with a bit on their backgrounds, their connections to the church and gospel music, a little about their careers, etc. Some of it is not surprising (obviously there's a lot of talk about the church, duh), and some of it is frustrating: the barriers, the sexism, the misogynoir, the racism, etc.

Some of the profiles are fairly brief (like a page or two at most, if you count the pictures) and some, like Franklin, take up more space, and understandably so. This is not meant to be comprehensive in scope or for any of these women, but rather a very brief overview of each.

Overall I enjoyed it. Again, I come from a place of just about zero knowledge, so I cannot say if this could have been better or what was missing, etc. I suppose more robust discographies might have been useful, more resources about these women or their communities, etc. might have been good but this is a relatively minor thing and as I said, I do not believe this is meant to be comprensive.

I would say I am not the audience for this but I did like picking it up anyway. Good for scholars of Black women, Black women in the church, the musical influence of gospel music, church histories, etc. and would definitely recommend it if only to broaden the scope (even if you only look at someone like Aretha Franklin, it's clear gospel music had a greater impact on the wider musical genre as a whole).

Borrowed from the library and as a lay person that was very much the best option. Do recommend it as a resource if you have some sort of particular interest but may be best to thumb through it before deciding if you do need it.

[Alicia (PrettyBrownEyeReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short nonfiction book covering female gospel artists. The author pays tribute to pioneers of the genre who battled challenges because of race and gender. She also recognizes the innovations modern gospel singers have made to gospel music. The list of artists highlighted is extensive and includes names such as Shirley Caesar, The Caravans, Albetina Walker, Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson, Yolanda Adams, and Mary Mary. The book only gives a brief glimpse of the artists’ backgrounds. It does give the reader enough to become intrigued and want to research the artists’ works and history. I listened to the audiobook which was read by Tracey Leigh. Her narration added a celebratory feel to the rich history contained in the book.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isn't Her Grace Amazing is a work of art as they say. It offers stories, interviews, background info, and lots of pictures of the lives and journeys of many African American women gospel artists. This would make a great gift for my grandma!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio. I had heard of some of these women, but not very many. I wished the audio had included some music snippets but I guess the rights would’ve been expensive. I’ll search them out on my own so it’s not a big deal.