Just Andraé

A new book showcases a pivotal figure on contemporary music

When I was 15 years old, my father, a part-time United Methodist pastor, worked at a Southern Gospel radio station. One day, he brought home two albums which the station had received but could not play due to its strict format. One was a sampler of Christian rock from various artists, and the other was “This Is Another Day,” by Andraé Crouch and the Disciples.

I enjoyed both albums, and liked the idea of using contemporary music to express Christian belief. But at 15, and with no musical talent or expertise, I was in no position to appreciate what an amazing talent Andraé Crouch was and how different, in many ways, he was from the various artists on the sampler album.

Many years later, as an adult, I was for years a contributor to The Wittenburg Door, the great magazine of religious satire. For most of that time, Bob Darden was the magazine’s editor, and my contact point. I spoke to him on the phone numerous times but never met him in person. The Door wasn’t either of our primary jobs; I was a small-town journalist and he was a professor at Baylor.

Over the years, Bob has become one of America’s leading experts on black gospel music. In 2024, PBS ran “Gospel,” a documentary about black gospel music hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Bob was one…