MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Inspired Response from Black Gospel Artists

45 RPM records in Baylor’s Black Gospel Music Archive show how artists responded creatively to Dr. King’s iconic message

January 16, 2025
Martin Luther King quote inscription "I Have a Dream" on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on The National Mall.

From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. (Credit: Pgiam / Collection: iStock Unreleased)


 

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As Americans celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on MLK Day, many spend time reflecting on his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28, 1963.

For Black gospel artists recording in the years after 1963, King’s speech was not only a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement but became fertile ground for creative expression.

“Dr. King’s speech that day has rightfully become one of the best-known speeches in American history, its words inspiring the lives of activists, preachers, scholars and the general public for the better part of six decades,” said Eric Ames, local historian and adjunct professor of museum studies at Baylor University.

Black gospel artists created songs that sampled portions of the speech’s recorded audio, drew inspiration from King’s words or supported the Civil Rights Movement. Many of these recordings – including the four highlighted below – are available to listen to as part of Baylor’s Black Gospel Music Preservation Project (BGMPP). It’s one of the initiatives within Baylor’s Black Gospel Archive (BGA) that encompasses the Baylor Libraries’ numerous programs, projects, archival collections and resources that identify, collect, preserve and make accessible Black sacred materials. 

In addition to the BGMPP, the archive includes the Black Gospel Archive & Listening Center, the Black Gospel Music Royce-Darden Digital Collection and the Black Gospel Preachers Project.

MLK-inspired recordings from Baylor's Black Gospel Music Archive

A 45 RPM record with a purple label

I Have a Dream” recorded audio of King’s speech, 1963 on Gordy Records 45 RPM disc

The B-Side recording contains nearly four minutes’ worth of King’s speech and ends with raucous applause after his immortal lines, “Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

 

A 45 RPM record with a blue label

"Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King” by Rev. Franklin Fondel, ca. 1969 on Cross & Crown Records 45 RPM disc

The Rev. Franklin Fondel recorded these tracks with his Fondel Gospel Singers in the aftermath of King’s assassination on April 4, 1968. Plaintively spoken over an accompanying organ track, Rev. Fondel rhymes about King’s life achievements and his impact on the work of the Civil Rights Movement, noting that King’s love “was the key that opened freedom’s door; no other man could have done more.”

A 45 RPM record with a cream-colored label

I Believe Martin Luther King Made It Home” by The All-Star Gospel Singers, ca. 1969 on EM-Jay Records 45 RPM disc

This bluesy tribute to Dr. King by the All-Star Gospel Singers features layered vocals, an upright bass and electric guitar and a simple vocal refrain: “I believe Martin Luther King made it home, yes I do.”

 

A 45 RPM record with a purple, blue and yellow label

“In Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King” by Claude Jeter, 1968 on HOB Records 45 RPM disc

Recorded in the immediate aftermath of King’s death, Jeter’s spoken-word tribute to King’s life and work is set over accompaniment by electric bass, piano and organ.

 

 

Expanding the Black Gospel Archive

Baylor University was recently awarded a $2.48 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative (RCII) to support a major expansion of the Black Gospel Archive. One of the largest foundation gifts to support Baylor Libraries, the grant will underwrite an expansion of the Black Gospel Archive and Listening Center, create a four-year concert series and hire staff positions beginning in 2025, in addition to several other important projects aimed at furthering the goals of the BGA.

Man looking at records in a music archive
Baylor University's Black Gospel Archive & Listening Center is home for the University Libraries' projects dedicated to research and preservation in Black sacred materials.  (Robert Rogers/Baylor University)

Music from Baylor’s BGMPP also has been included in a permanent exhibit featuring African American musical history at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. The Musical Crossroads interactive exhibit features these key recordings from the BGMPP:

For more information about Baylor University's publicly accessible Black sacred materials, including recordings, visit the Black Gospel Archive website.                                                        

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Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu