The President and First Lady invited music legends and top contemporary artists to the White House as part of its “In Performance at the White House” series. The event paid tribute to the fundamental role gospel music has played in the American musical tradition and the important artists and repertoire that have marked its vibrant history.
The program included performances by Bishop Rance Allen, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Aretha Franklin, Rodney Crowell, Rhiannon Giddens, Emmylou Harris, Darlene Love, Lyle Lovett, Tamela Mann, the Morgan State University Choir, and Michelle Williams — with T Bone Burnett as executive music director and Billy Maxwell as music director.
Click play to see the full performance below:
(Skip to the 53:00 mark for the beginning of the event)