This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's ...

Debra James Tucker knows enough about gospel music to fill multiple hymnals, but no song can top “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” “I sing because I’m happy / I sing because I’m free,” the chorus, written ...

I have always drawn strength from old Southern gospel hymns. I was reared in the stone house that once belonged to my grandparents, and it stood beside that little country chapel my mama so loved. If ...