Ashley Cleveland earns Grammy nomination for album inspired by Baylor gospel music project

Earlier this month, singer/songwriter Ashley Cleveland was nominated for the “Best Traditional Gospel Album” Grammy for her latest release, “God Don’t Never Change.” The album is a celebration of vintage black gospel songs that Cleveland says was inspired by Baylor’s Black Gospel Music Restoration Project.

Cleveland says she and her husband, guitarist Kenny Greenberg, independently heard Baylor professor Robert Darden on NPR talking about the project, which aims to preserve and catalogue black gospel music from the 1940s-1980s before it disappears. Cleveland and Greenberg each knew immediately that her next album should honor such songs, and so they dug in to find out more about the work going on at Baylor.

In October, the Prichard Family Foundation established the Lev H. Prichard III Traditional Black Music Restoration Endowed Fund at Baylor to expand the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project. To honor the Prichard family for their gift, Baylor welcomed Cleveland to campus for a concert. Below are video highlights from the concert, including Cleveland’s explanation of her interest in the work going on at Baylor and her renditions of a couple of black gospel songs. (Part one is below; also see parts two, three and four.)

Sic ’em, Prichard family and Ashley Cleveland, for your contributions to this effort!