Parade of Quartets Collection

The collection consists of hundreds of hours of footage from Parade of Quartets, a gospel program aired on WJBF-TV in Augusta, Georgia. This collection documents decades of regional gospel music performances, religious practices, and political activities, and represents possibly the largest collection of gospel performance footage at any North American library. The collection is a rare example of a sustained African American media presence on a southern television affiliate. From 1954 to the present, WJBF-TV in Augusta, Georgia has broadcast the gospel music program Parade of Quartets, forming the backbone of the region's African American gospel music tradition for nearly sixty years. Hundreds of well-known Black gospel musicians such as Shirley Caesar, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Dixie Hummingbirds, James Brown, and the Swanee Quintet have appeared on the program over the years. In the last few decades, the program's content has expanded to include appearances by both local and national African American political leaders.

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