SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - "No Cross, No Crown" by Brooklyn All Stars

When legendary bass singer Thomas Spann died in August 2023 at the fine old age of 98, it brought a fitting coda to one of gospel’s most enduring – and under-rated – gospel groups, the Brooklyn All Stars. Spann joined the All Stars shortly after their founding in the late 1940s. Discovered and managed by New York’s best known DJ and promoter, Joe Bostic, the group ruled the city and toured relentlessly, opening for the biggest quartets in gospel music.

In fact, from 1971-1978, they were gospel’s #1 artists and received two gold records and a number of awards in the process. The Brooklyn All Stars’ best-known song is this one, “No Cross, No Crown,” a marvel of doo-wop harmonies and gospel fervor.

I’m Robert Darden … “Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments” is produced by KWBU and the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries.

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