Episode 6: Oh Happy Day with hosts Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp and Siobhan Boyd-Nelson

Two centuries, two continents, two radically different visions of joy—how did an 18th-century British non-conformist hymn become a 1969 gospel-pop crossover hit?

Ben and Siobhan explore the remarkable transformation of "Oh Happy Day" across time, culture, and genre. We trace the song from Philip Doodridge's 18th-century British non-conformist hymn to Edwin Hawkins' groundbreaking 1969 arrangement that bridged gospel and pop music. How did the different settings, identities, and experiences of these composers shape both the lyrics and the music? What does it mean when a song of faith crosses from white British dissent to Black American gospel and what gets preserved, transformed, or lost in translation?

In this episode:

• Philip Doodridge's original 18th-century hymn and non-conformist context
• Edwin Hawkins' 1969 arrangement and its gospel-to-pop crossover success
• How the composers' different identities and settings reshaped the song
• The lyrical and musical transformations across two centuries
• What happens when hymns cross cultural, racial, and genre boundaries

Runtime: ~65 minutes