Bruce Springsteen Archives hosts 'Move On Up' sing-off event to celebrate gospel music

Attention gospel singers from Asbury Park and Newark, the Bruce Springsteen Archives want to hear your song.

Church and community choirs, and praise teams, from the two cities are asked submit videos to the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University. Six entries will be selected to participate in a “sing-off” to determine the winner on Saturday, June 8, at the university.

The free event is called "Move On Up," and the aim is to celebrate gospel choirs and praise teams. The winning choir or praise team will receive a $10,000 prize to be used to improve any aspect of its ensemble. The runner-up will receive a $5,000 prize.

“We’re excited to kick off this inaugural program devoted to celebrating gospel, one of America’s richest vocal music forms,” said Eileen Chapman, director of the Springsteen Archives in a statement. “While largely started in the Black church, gospel music runs deep into the foundation of secular music. Its roots can be heard in R&B, soul, rock & roll and the blues.”

Only two cities are eligible to compete this year as the program is in its infancy, according to organizers.

“Next year we’ll add other cities, and the year after that still more so that eventually every gospel choir and praise team in the state will be able to participate,” Chapman said.

Springsteen's songs have had a spiritual thread throughout his career, and he's been associated with several gospel choirs. The Boss performed with a choir at the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and he's currently on tour with the five-member E Street Choir, part of the E Street Band.

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Michelle Moore of Long Branch is member of the E Street Choir. Her background includes singing with the Alliance Singers, based at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Red Bank.

“Move On Up is just the first of numerous programs the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music will create to explore and celebrate gospel and the many contributions of Black Americans to American music,” Chapman said. “Making sure this great American music form gets the attention it deserves is one of our top priorities.”

Visit the Springsteen Archives at springsteenarchives.org for more information.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Springsteen Archives hosts Move On Up to celebrate gospel music