Kathy Gaines was one of the original members of the Northern California State Youth Choir. She speaks of her family’s migration from the rural South to The West - first Berkeley, then Oakland, California. Encouraged to sing at an early age, Kathy performed without shyness or reservation. Kathy explores the rich music history and legacy of hymnals in the black church and the evolution of gospel music. She recalls the “first families”of music in the Bay Area, women leaders of the COGIC, and the standard of excellence that was set in gospel music during this unprecedented time.

Highlights:

When a bus full of church members breaks down, Kathy’s mother suggests she entertain them with a song. Kathy performs her first solo at church, “Jesus Loves Me”;

Kathy joins the Northern California Youth State Choir. Children from different COGIC churches come together to represent the Northern California district in a way never represented before; and 

The choir finds ways to overcome the unique challenges of travel for black folks in the 1960s.

In the next episode, the conversation continues, with Kathy Gaines.