234 CEDRIC DENT WILL PRESENT FREE BLACK GOSPEL HISTORY LECTURE AND PERFORMANCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 25, 2007
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493

TAKE 6 MEMBER & MTSU MUSIC FACULTY MEMBER CEDRIC DENT WILL PRESENT
CEDRIC DENT WILL PRESENT FREE BLACK GOSPEL HISTORY LECTURE AND PERFORMANCE ON FEB. 6

(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU's Cedric Dent, music professor, will present black gospel history lecture as well as original piano performances in a free and open lecture/recital at 6 p.m. Feb. 6 in the T. Earl Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
“This presentation is quite unique in that I present the history of black gospel music in a relaxed setting, encouraging audience participation,” Dent said. “The idea is to create a call-and-response atmosphere that is common in the black church.”
Dent said the presentation will examine the development of black gospel music beginning with blacks’ manipulation of European-derived hymns while slaves in the United States. It will also show how the slaves’ creative use of African retentions in the 17th and 18th centuries not only influenced structural developments in the European-style hymn, but also led to the invention of the Negro spiritual.
"The lecture will trace the development of gospel music from the Negro spiritual through early gospel music to contemporary gospel music," Dent said.
Piano performances throughout the 60-minute lecture will support the discussion and address five centuries of cultural, religious and music history.
Dent, a native of Detroit, Mich., holds degrees from the University of Michigan, the University of Alabama and the University of Maryland. His research interests include the historic and harmonic development of black gospel music, and vocal jazz group arranging and performance. He has held lectures for several universities around the country.
Recognition for Dent’s creative endeavors includes two Grammy nominations, two Dove Award nominations and two Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) nominations.
As a baritone vocalist, arranger and producer, Dent is a member of Take 6, which has released 10 recordings for Warner Bros. Records. One Take 6 recording has reached platinum sales (1,000,000 units sold) and three others have garnered gold. With 10 Grammy honors to the group's credit, Take 6 also holds the distinct honor of being the most Grammy-nominated vocal group in history.
This lecture is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, visit www.mtsumusic.com or call 615-898-2493.


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