Collaborative Information Behavior: Storefront Church Gospel Communities of Musical Practice

How does gospel music truly thrive—not in the high-tech spectacle of Chicago’s megachurches, but in the humble, tightly packed storefront sanctuaries that quietly shaped a city’s sound?

Alicea Peyton, PhD—scholar, gospel musician, and cultural observer—offers an incisive, compassionate exploration of Chicago’s gospel tradition. Drawing on the Communities of Musical Practice (CoMP) framework and Wenger’s foundational theories, Peyton traces how collaboration, creativity, and healing come alive in these intimate spaces, where faith and artistry are inseparable.

While today’s megachurches fill arenas with choirs and modern production, Peyton’s work uncovers a vital truth: Chicago’s Golden Era of Gospel Music was ushered in through the unrestricted, experimental energy of the storefront church. Here, musicians—unfettered by convention—created the soulful, innovative sounds that became gospel’s foundation. Much of what fills the air in today’s grand sanctuaries originated in those small rooms, passed down through generations and reshaped along the way.

Through rigorous case study and thematic analysis, Peyton highlights how strong leadership, a shared repertoire, and unified goals knit these communities together, and how group practice cultivates not just musical skill, but resilience and unity. In these spaces, musical knowledge is not simply shared—it’s embodied, transforming every rehearsal and service into a communal act of artistry, improvisation, and collective growth.

At a moment when the spectacle of megachurches risks overshadowing the roots of gospel, Peyton’s work calls readers to remember and honor the storefront church movement. These sanctuaries are living archives of Black Chicago’s creativity, faith, and musical legacy—a testament to how the city’s heartbeat still echoes through every note sung, from the storefront to the stadium.