“How has the influence of gospel quartets on other genres of music evolved? Can you provide an example of a non-gospel artist or group clearly influenced by quartet styling?”
The 1920s and 1930s
Gospel quartets first shaped American music in the 1920s and 1930s when jubilee singers blended tight four-part harmony with call and response lead swaps. Street-corner groups in the 1950s, singing what became known as doo wop, copied those arrangements and the rolling bass that anchored every verse. In the 1960s Motown turned the same blueprint into polished soul, adding choreography yet keeping the emotional punch of quartet singing. Today you can still hear the style in modern R and B vocal groups and even in pop a cappella ensembles.
A clear case is the Temptations. They began by rehearsing spirituals from the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Swan Silvertones, then carried the rotating leads, block-chord backing, and dramatic spoken interludes into hits like “My Girl.” Their success shows how quartet technique moved from church choir lofts to the top of the pop charts while staying true to its harmonic roots.
Ali Benmoussa, CEO, Tickethold