Thomas A. Dorsey (1932) → Mahalia Jackson (1956)
Gospel
Composed after Dorsey lost his wife and child, fusing blues harmony and rolling piano with sacred devotion — the monument where strict church hymnody became modern gospel forever.
Recordings by Mahalia Jackson and others made it the standard of gospel’s golden age — the vocal lineage soul and R&B would inherit.
From original to redefined
The irreversible fusion of blues and hymnody defined modern Black gospel.
Secular blues harmony irreversibly entered church hymnody
Established the vocal style prototype for soul and R&B
Notte e giorno faticar (Diabelli Variations, Op. 120: Var. 22)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1787) → Ludwig van Beethoven (Peter Serkin) (1823)
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel
George Frideric Handel (1733) → Johannes Brahms (1861)
Diabelli Variations
Anton Diabelli (1819) → Ludwig van Beethoven (1823)
Variatio 30: Quodlibet (Redefining Folk Songs)
German Folk Tradition (1700) → Johann Sebastian Bach (1741)
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Johann Sebastian Bach (1741) → Glenn Gould (1955)
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
Bob Dylan (1965) → Linda Ronstadt (1998)
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Bob Dylan (1967) → Linda Ronstadt (1969)
Daddy, You Been on My Mind
Bob Dylan (1964) → Joan Baez (1965)
Baby, You've Been on My Mind
Bob Dylan (1964) → Linda Ronstadt (1969)
Solitaire
Neil Sedaka (1972) → Carpenters (1975)
Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
Hank Williams (1952) → Carpenters (1973)
Sing
The Cast of Sesame Street (1971) → Carpenters (1973)
Tennessee Waltz
Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys (1948) → Patti Page (1950)
洒落男 (A Gay Caballero)
Frank Crumit (1928) → 二村定一 (1928)
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?
Pete Seeger (1960) → Peter, Paul and Mary (1962)
This Masquerade
Leon Russell (1972) → Carpenters (1973)
Please Mr. Postman
The Marvelettes (1961) → Carpenters (1974)
A Song for You
Leon Russell (1970) → Carpenters (1972)
Summer (Vivaldi's Four Seasons)
Antonio Vivaldi (1725) → The Great Kat (1990)
This Night
Ludwig van Beethoven (1799) → Billy Joel (1983)
Rain and Tears
Johann Pachelbel (1680) → Aphrodite's Child (1968)
Kanashii Sake
北見沢惇 (1960) → 美空ひばり (1966)
Ticket to Ride
The Beatles (1965) → Carpenters (1969)
(They Long to Be) Close to You
Richard Chamberlain (1963) → Carpenters (1970)
Superstar
Delaney & Bonnie (1969) → Carpenters (1971)
Io che non vivo (senza te)
Pino Donaggio (1965) → Dusty Springfield (1966)
The Windmills of Your Mind
Noel Harrison (1968) → Dusty Springfield (1969)
Rock and Roll Music
Chuck Berry (1957) → The Beatles (1964)
Back in the U.S.A.
Chuck Berry (1959) → Linda Ronstadt (1978)
Somewhere Out There
Phillip Glasser & Betsy Cathcart (1986) → Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram (1986)
Silver Threads and Golden Needles
Wanda Jackson (1956) → Linda Ronstadt (1973)
Love Me Tender
Elvis Presley (1956) → Linda Ronstadt (1978)
I Never Will Marry
The Carter Family (1933) → Linda Ronstadt (1977)
A Change Is Gonna Come
Sam Cooke (1964) → Otis Redding (1965)
The Coo Coo Bird
Clarence Ashley (1929) → Big Brother and the Holding Company (1966)
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125
Ludwig van Beethoven (1824) → New Symphony Orchestra (now NHK Symphony Orchestra) / Japanese civic choirs (1947)
Lady Jane
Jean Ritchie (1963) → The Rolling Stones (1966)
A Case of You
Jean Ritchie (1952) → Joni Mitchell (1971)
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
The Band (1969) → Joan Baez (1971)
Masters of War
Bob Dylan (1963) → Eddie Vedder & Mike McCready (1993)
Cold Sweat
James Brown (1967) → James Brown (1967)
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
James Brown (1965) → James Brown (1965)
Work Song
Nat Adderley (1960) → Nat Adderley (1960)
Please, Please, Please
James Brown & The Famous Flames (1956) → James Brown & The Famous Flames (1956)
Oklahoma Mixer
Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers (1926) → Japan Folk Dance Federation / Columbia Folk Orchestra (1961)
The Ballad of John Henry
Fiddlin' John Carson (1924) → Johnny Cash (1962)
St. Louis Blues
W. C. Handy (1914) → Bessie Smith feat. Louis Armstrong (1925)
Auld Lang Syne
Robert Burns (1788) → Chikai Inagaki / Ministry of Education Music Survey (1881)
After the Ball
Charles K. Harris (1891) → Norma Terris (Show Boat Original Cast) (1927)
Million Roses
Aija Kukule & Līga Kreicberga (1981) → Tokiko Kato (1987)
I'll Overcome Some Day
Charles Albert Tindley (1901) → Joan Baez (1963)
Blowin' in the Wind
Bob Dylan (1963) → Joan Baez (1963)
Los Laureles
José López (Traditional Ranchera) (1957) → Linda Ronstadt (1987)
Miguel Aceves Mejía / Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (1957) → Miguel Aceves Mejía / Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (1957)
Passion Flower
The Fraternity Brothers (1957) → The Peanuts (1959)
Diana
Paul Anka (1957) → Masaaki Hirao (1958)
Marunouchi Ondo
Fumikichi Fujimoto / Issei Mishima (1932) → Katsutarō Kouta / Issei Mishima (1933)
What's New
Bing Crosby (1939) → Linda Ronstadt (1983)
Will You Love Me Tomorrow
The Shirelles (1960) → Carole King (1971)
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
Aretha Franklin (1967) → Carole King (1971)
Ain't That a Shame
Fats Domino (1955) → Cheap Trick (1978)
Original Jelly Roll Blues
Jelly Roll Morton (1915) → Jelly Roll Morton (1915)
Bamboula (Danse des Nègres), Op. 2
Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1848) → Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1848)
Long Tall Sally
Little Richard (1956) → The Beatles (1964)
Heart Like a Wheel
McKendree Spring (1972) → Linda Ronstadt (1974)
Stand by Me
Charles Albert Tindley (1905) → Ben E. King (1961)
The House of the Rising Sun
Clarence Ashley & Gwen Foster (1933) → Joan Baez (1960)
港町十三番地 (Minato-machi 13-ban-chi)
美空ひばり (Misora Hibari) (1957) → 美空ひばり (Misora Hibari) (1957)
東京ブギウギ (Tokyo Boogie Woogie)
笠置シヅ子 (Shizuko Kasagi) (1947) → 美空ひばり (Misora Hibari) (1948)
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
The Andrews Sisters (1941) → The Andrews Sisters (1941)
La Charreada
Traditional Mexican Huapango (1987) → Linda Ronstadt (1987)
I Saw Her Standing There
The Beatles (1963) → The Beatles (1963)
Twist and Shout
The Isley Brothers (1962) → The Beatles (1963)
I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man
Muddy Waters (1954) → Muddy Waters (1954)
酒は涙か溜息か
藤山一郎 (1931) → 藤山一郎 (1931)
東京行進曲
佐藤千夜子 (1929) → 佐藤千夜子 (1929)
My Blue Heaven
Gene Austin (1927) → Fats Domino (1956)
カチューシャの唄
松井須磨子 (1914) → 松井須磨子 (1914)
I Will Always Love You
Dolly Parton (1974) → Linda Ronstadt (1975)
Rollin' Stone
Muddy Waters (1950) → The Rolling Stones (1962)
Different Drum
The Greenbriar Boys (1966) → The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt (1967)
Mr. Tambourine Man
Bob Dylan (1965) → The Byrds (1965)
Eight Days a Week
The Beatles (1964) → The Beatles (1964)
Bob Dylan (1965) → Bob Dylan (1965)
Hungarian Csárdás & Dances (Traditional Roma Melodies)
Eduard Reményi (Violin) (1853) → Eduard Reményi (Violin) (1853)
Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98: III. Allegro giocoso
Johannes Brahms (1885) → Rick Wakeman / Yes (1971)
Choo Choo Ch' Boogie
Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (1946) → Asleep at the Wheel (1975)
Roll 'Em Pete
Big Joe Turner & Pete Johnson (1938) → Big Joe Turner (1954)
Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
Pinetop Smith (1928) → Pinetop Smith (1928)
Jumpin' at the Woodside
Count Basie and His Orchestra (1938) → Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (1939)
Take My Hand, Precious Lord
It's Tight Like That
Georgia Tom & Tampa Red (1928) → Clara Smith (1929)
Stand by Me (When the Storms of Life Are Raging)
Charles Albert Tindley (1905) → Andrew Remillard (2020)
Ooo Baby Baby
The Miracles (1965) → Linda Ronstadt (1978)
Shima Uta
THE BOOM / Kazufumi Miyazawa (1992) → Alfredo Casero (2001)
Holde Schöne, hör' diese Töne
Franz von Suppé (1879) → Rikizo Taya / Asakusa Opera (1919)
Hab' ich nur Deine Liebe
Franz von Suppé (1879) → Rikizo Taya / Aiyū Kobayashi (1919)
Take It Easy
Eagles (1972) → Eagles (1972)
Hickory Wind
The Byrds (1968) → The Byrds (1968)
Folsom Prison Blues
Johnny Cash (1955) → Johnny Cash (1955)
Blue Suede Shoes
Carl Perkins (1956) → Carl Perkins (1956)
That'll Be the Day
The Crickets (1957) → Linda Ronstadt (1976)
Tutti Frutti
Little Richard (1955) → Elvis Presley (1956)
Crazy
Patsy Cline (1961) → Patsy Cline (1961)
I Walk the Line
Johnny Cash (1956) → Johnny Cash (1956)
My Grandfather's Clock
Henry Clay Work (1876) → Ken Hirai (2002)
You Send Me
Sam Cooke (1957) → Aretha Franklin (1968)
I Got a Woman
Ray Charles (1954) → Elvis Presley (1956)
Living on Easy Street
Big Bill Broonzy (1938) → Ray Charles (1954)
Caldonia
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five (1945) → Bill Haley & His Comets (1959)
It Must Be Jesus
The Southern Tones (1954) → Ray Charles (1954)
Christ Is All (The World to Me)
The Soul Stirrers (1951) → Ray Charles (1954)
Hound Dog
Big Mama Thornton (1952) → Elvis Presley (1956)
Maybellene
Chuck Berry (1955) → Johnny Rivers (1964)
Shake, Rattle and Roll
Big Joe Turner (1954) → Bill Haley & His Comets (1954)
Ida Red
Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys (1938) → Chuck Berry (1955)
Sweet Home Chicago
Robert Johnson (1936) → The Blues Brothers (1980)
Cross Road Blues
Robert Johnson (1936) → Cream (1968)
High Water Everywhere
Charley Patton (1929) → Charley Patton (1929)
Pony Blues
Charley Patton (1929) → Howlin' Wolf (1952)
Crazy Blues
Mamie Smith & Her Jazz Hounds (1920) → Tuba Skinny (2014)
Livery Stable Blues
Original Dixieland Jass Band (1917) → Original Dixieland Jass Band (1917)
Maple Leaf Rag
Scott Joplin (1899) → Scott Joplin (1899)
Good God Almighty (Field Holler)
Lightning Washington & Prisoners (1933) → C.B. Cook & Prisoners at Parchman Farm (1947)
Duga — Cordes Anciennes
Sidiki Diabaté & Djelimady Sissoko (1970) → Toumani Diabaté & Ballaké Sissoko (1999)
Lovesick Blues
Hank Williams (1949) → Linda Ronstadt (1970)
Match Box Blues
Blind Lemon Jefferson (1927) → Carl Perkins (1957)
Wildwood Flower
The Carter Family (1928) → Johnny Cash (1965)
Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues
Jim Jackson (1927) → Janis Joplin (1963)
Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)
Jimmie Rodgers (1927) → Johnny Cash & Merle Haggard (1970)
I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)
Hank Williams (1951) → Linda Ronstadt (1974)
Sukiyaki (Ue o Muite Arukō)
Kyu Sakamoto (1961) → A Taste of Honey (1981)
Dedicated to the One I Love
The Shirelles (1959) → The Mamas & the Papas (1967)
What'd I Say
Ray Charles (1959) → Etta James (1966)
That's All Right
Arthur Crudup (1946) → Elvis Presley (1954)
Blue Moon of Kentucky
Bill Monroe (1946) → Elvis Presley (1954)
How Do I Make You
Billy Thermal (1979) → Linda Ronstadt (1980)
It's So Easy!
The Crickets (1958) → Linda Ronstadt (1977)
When Will I Be Loved
The Everly Brothers (1960) → Linda Ronstadt (1975)
Heat Wave
Martha and the Vandellas (1963) → Linda Ronstadt (1975)
Blue Bayou
Roy Orbison (1963) → Linda Ronstadt (1977)
Desperado
Eagles (1973) → Linda Ronstadt (1973)
You're No Good
Betty Everett (1963) → Linda Ronstadt (1974)