Bill Moss | Gospel singer, 76

Bill Moss, 76, founder of the gospel group the Celestials and father of current hit gospel singer-songwriters J Moss and Bill Moss Jr., died of emphysema on Monday in a Detroit-area hospital.

The Celestials brought to the stage a melodic and soul-moving style that helped contemporary gospel music evolve.

Mr. Moss was part of a family of gospel music greats that included his sister, Mattie Moss Clark, and her daughters, the Clark Sisters. He also started the musical careers of his sons.

The 2004 inductee into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame formed the Celestials in Detroit in the 1960s with his wife, evangelist Essie Moss. The group, which later included the couple's daughters, performed at such venues as the Apollo Theater in New York.

Mr. Moss last performed in March in Nashville, before emphysema forced him into the hospital, his daughter Verlinda Moss said.

He was born in Selma, Ala., and sang as a child in a church led by his mother, the Rev. Mattie Moss.

Among the albums by Bill Moss and the Celestials were The Way We Sing, May the Peace of God Be With You and I Ain't Gonna Sing No Rock and Roll. - AP