In Sound and Spirit - Dr. W. James Abbington Jr. and 25 Years of the African American Church Music Series

In 2001, based on the foundation of the ground-breaking African American Heritage Hymnal, Dr. W. James Abbington Jr. began a journey that would create a legacy. His vision and leadership developed the African American Church Music Series, lifting up the work of Black composers, arrangers and authors through the breadth of sacred music from Black traditions: spirituals, traditional and modern gospel, hymn arrangements, anthems, keyboard literature, and an array of scholarly books.  This volume celebrates the first twenty-five years of that series as well as the life of the man who birthed, grew, and nurtured it. Despite his unexpected passing in 2025, Dr. Abbington’s legacy lives on through the musicians and scholars he mentored and the music he tended with so much love and care. One of those musician-scholars, Dr. Brandon A. Boyd, now ushers in a new era as the series grows and expands under the name Abbington African American Sacred Music Series.  Enjoy this look back through photos, complete listings of published works, reflections, and of course, beloved music as we welcome in the next 25 years of Black sacred music.