An uplifting musical journey through the timeless hits of Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and Stevie Wonder, the show also sees the choir sings gospel and Christmas carols.
As the press release has it, a performance by the Harlem Gospel Choir, the world’s most famous gospel stars, is “more than just a concert: it’s an unforgettable experience, defined by soul-stirring vocals, electrifying energy, and the dignity of sharing the stage with global icons. The Harlem Gospel Choir delivers not only music, but a deeply moving spiritual experience that touches the heart’s deepest emotions.”
Classic soul and gospel are very much part of the daily soundtrack of my wife’s and my life, and we’re looking forward to the show.
Growing up in the United Kingdom in the late ’60s and ’70s, Motown and soul music were always on the radio and featured heavily in “Top of the Pops,” the chart-oriented TV show my parents, brothers and I watched religiously every week.
British fans have always been fierce and discerning champions of Black music. The first Motown tour of the United Kingdom in 1965, which included The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Martha and the Vandellas, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, was a revelation to fans and artists alike. Fans couldn’t believe how great the musicians were. The performers, used to institutional racism back home, were stunned by the warmth of the welcome they received.
The music of the Beatles and Rolling Stones, the U.K.’s two greatest musical exports, was shaped by Motown. Ever since, British artists from George Michael to Amy Winehouse have been inspired by the label. To my everlasting shame, I only became a convert to Motown in my early 20s, courtesy of a roommate who had a fantastic collection of the label’s greats performers on vinyl.
At the time, I didn’t know just how much gospel music infused Motown. All the acts on that first tour of the United Kingdom would have grown up singing in church. While Motown might have been sweeter than the soul music made by labels such as Stax, Atlantic, and Chess to make it more palatable for a teenage white American audience, it was often driven by the intense emotion of gospel as well as the technique of gospel legends like Sam Cooke. Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” album, voted the greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, is in essence a religious piece of work.
Today, gospel music continues to influence popular music. The thriving neo-soul genre, hip-hop, rap and trap, reggae and electronic dance music all have gospel offshoots. Check out Greg Belson’s Divine Chord Gospel Show on the excellent Mixcloud platform if you’re ready for a deep dive into gospel.
The name “Harlem” is not an affectation to give the choir authenticity. “Allen Bailey, our founder, was born in Harlem and grew up in Lincoln Projects, located at 134th Street and Madison Avenue in Harlem,” manager Anna Bailey tells me. “He wanted to honor his cultural heritage and bring the music of the black churches in Harlem to the world.”
Fittingly, Allen Bailey got the idea for the choir at a lunch in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1986 at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club. Bailey began his career at just 13, working with the great doo-wop act Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers (think “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”). Apparently, Lymon told young Bailey to “advance the tours and collect the money.”
Using those organizational smarts, Bailey was the entertainment coordinator for the epic Mohammed Ali and George Foreman “Rumble in the Jungle” 1974 heavyweight title battle. He was a promotional director and advance man for, among others, Lionel Richie and the Commodores, Prince, and Michael Jackson. He assisted in the production of the U.S. charity fundraising single “We Are the World” and co-directed the Harlem Jazz Festival. Bailey passed away in 2018; Anna is his widow.
This year sees the 20th anniversary of the choir’s formation. It has performed alongside heavyweight artists such as Bono, Diana Ross, violinist Andre Rieu, Damon Albarn and Pharrell Williams, for presidents, popes and the UN General Assembly, and recorded with Keith Richards and the Chieftains.
Today, “bringing people and nations together and giving back” is the theme of every performance by the choir, which has logged more than two million travel miles touring the world.
European audiences are different to those the Harlem Gospel Choir plays for back home. According to Bailey, they’re “very conservative and polite. We have to encourage them to clap their hands and stomp their feet when we perform. We remind them they don’t have to be polite.” To make sure its audience gets involved, the Harlem Gospel Choir doesn’t wear robes.
“We don’t have a choir director standing with their back to the audience. We have choreography. Every performance, we invite some of the audience to join us on stage,” Bailey says. “Some of our most memorable shows also happen in Europe. For example, every year we perform at Rome Gospel Fest in the Para della Musica. The audience are avid gospel fans. Many come every year. The energy in the room is electric. It makes working on Christmas Day incredibly rewarding on a deeply personal level.”
The choir has played in Budapest several times, Bailey says. “Budapest audiences are warm and welcoming. A lot of young people come to our concerts, so the energy in the room is very infectious and lively. We’re really looking forward to being in your beautiful city and thrilled we’ll have a day off to explore it again.”
The Harlem Gospel Choir: Magic of Motown Tour 2025 will be staged at the Papp László Budapest Sportaréna in Budapest’s District XIV on Tuesday, Nov. 18, starting at 7:30 p.m.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of October 31, 2025.
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