The Genius Gap
In Southern Gospel, there are some performers so brilliant that the average fan just doesn’t get it.
Every genre has these performers–these Channing Eletons and Stan Whitmires, these musicians and vocalists whom the reviewers claim don’t receive their fair share of attention. These are the “critic’s favorites,” the performers that make the Averyfinelines of the world sit up and pay attention.
There is a flip side, of course. Other performers do so well at relating to the average fans that they don’t need to be geniuses. The musical elite often don’t care for their unpolished music, but the fans love it.
Of course, there are also the rare few–the geniuses, the legends–who are both brilliant and somehow manage to convey that brilliance into a stage presence with that extra something that makes the fans come back for more.
While I may be able to pop back in to moderate comments (please pardon any moderation delays), I’ll be out most of the rest of the day at a conference in St. Louis, so here’s a question to discuss amongst yourselves until I have a chance to pop back in: Which SG performers fall into each category, and why?
