And then, by the grace of Netflix, I found it – the perfect antidote. It wasn’t a romance; it was a six-part docu-series called Voices of Fire. “Hundreds of singers. Three auditions. One choir,” said the blurb. “Who’ll bring the range, and the change, to carry gospel to new heights?”
Sold.
Bishop Ezekiel Williams and Pharrell Williams in Voices of Fire. Photograph: Antony Platt/Netflix
Voices of Fire is the story of one pastor’s dream of creating the world’s greatest gospel choir, and his nephew’s capacity to make that happen. The pastor is Bishop Ezekiel Williams of Faith World Ministries, in Hampton Roads, Virginia. His nephew is singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, multi-Grammy and Oscar winner Pharrell Lanscilo Williams.
“The Black Church: This Is Our Story. This Is Our Song.” will air starting at 9 tonight on PBS. It’s a two-part, four-hour series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., that explores the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America.