DETROIT: Bill Moss, founder of the famed gospel group The Celestials and father of current hit gospel singer-songwriters J Moss and Bill Moss Jr., has died. He was 76.
Bill Moss died Monday in a Detroit-area hospital following a bout with emphysema.
When The Celestials took the stage they brought a unique, melodic and soul-moving style that helped in the evolution of contemporary gospel music.
"We would be on shows with the Staple Singers, Mighty Clouds of Joy and other groups, and I would hear people saying: 'We're not coming behind Bill Moss and The Celestials,'" his daughter, Verlinda Moss, said Friday.
He was part of a family of gospel music greats that included his sister, Mattie Moss Clark, and her daughters, the Clark Sisters. He also started the music careers of his sons.
The 2004 inductee into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame formed The Celestials in Detroit in the 1960s with his wife, evangelist Essie Moss. The group, which later included the couple's daughters, performed at such venues as the Apollo Theater in Harlem and the MET in Philadelphia.
The Celestials also shared stages with the Rev. James Cleveland and Edwin Hawkins.
Bill Moss last performed in March in Nashville, Tennessee, before emphysema forced him into the hospital, Verlinda Moss said.
"Dad was singing in the hospital even when he was short of breath," she said. "He had us crying as he sang in the bed. He never wanted to give up."
Bill Moss was born in 1931 in Selma, Alabama, and sang as a child in a church led by his mother, the Rev. Mattie Moss.
Verlinda Moss said he served in the Korean War before moving to Boston.
"He did a lot of singing there," she said. "The concept for The Celestials started in Boston, but the evolution of the group didn't happen until he moved to Detroit and married Mom."
The Celestials were nominated for a Grammy for "Turn It Over to Jesus." The group also had hits with "Everything is Going to be Alright" and "The Way We Use to Have Church."
"Dad had a unique style of gospel music," said Verlinda Moss, who continues to perform with The Celestials. "He wasn't quartet. He wasn't choir. He was the first to come on the (gospel) scene with the electric piano and electric drums."
Bill Moss is survived by his wife, eight children, a stepson, a sister and 13 grandchildren.
-- International Herald Tribune (IHT)
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Bill Moss died Monday in a Detroit-area hospital following a bout with emphysema.
When The Celestials took the stage they brought a unique, melodic and soul-moving style that helped in the evolution of contemporary gospel music.
"We would be on shows with the Staple Singers, Mighty Clouds of Joy and other groups, and I would hear people saying: 'We're not coming behind Bill Moss and The Celestials,'" his daughter, Verlinda Moss, said Friday.
He was part of a family of gospel music greats that included his sister, Mattie Moss Clark, and her daughters, the Clark Sisters. He also started the music careers of his sons.
The 2004 inductee into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame formed The Celestials in Detroit in the 1960s with his wife, evangelist Essie Moss. The group, which later included the couple's daughters, performed at such venues as the Apollo Theater in Harlem and the MET in Philadelphia.
The Celestials also shared stages with the Rev. James Cleveland and Edwin Hawkins.
Bill Moss last performed in March in Nashville, Tennessee, before emphysema forced him into the hospital, Verlinda Moss said.
"Dad was singing in the hospital even when he was short of breath," she said. "He had us crying as he sang in the bed. He never wanted to give up."
Bill Moss was born in 1931 in Selma, Alabama, and sang as a child in a church led by his mother, the Rev. Mattie Moss.
Verlinda Moss said he served in the Korean War before moving to Boston.
"He did a lot of singing there," she said. "The concept for The Celestials started in Boston, but the evolution of the group didn't happen until he moved to Detroit and married Mom."
The Celestials were nominated for a Grammy for "Turn It Over to Jesus." The group also had hits with "Everything is Going to be Alright" and "The Way We Use to Have Church."
"Dad had a unique style of gospel music," said Verlinda Moss, who continues to perform with The Celestials. "He wasn't quartet. He wasn't choir. He was the first to come on the (gospel) scene with the electric piano and electric drums."
Bill Moss is survived by his wife, eight children, a stepson, a sister and 13 grandchildren.
-- International Herald Tribune (IHT)
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