This hymnal is comprised of 550 hymns which are considered the core repertoire of many churches. To these were added 300 titles of all genres appropriate for congregational worship, including contemporary, folk, gospel, New English Renaissance, and high church hymns.

Beginning with the arrival of the first Africans in the English colonies, Eileen Southern weaves a fascinating narrative of intense musical activity. As singers, players, and composers, black American musicians are fully chronicled in this landmark book. Now in the third edition, the author has brought the entire text up to date and has added a wealth of new material covering the latest developments in gospel, blues, jazz, classical, crossover, Broadway, and rap as they relate to African American music.