Dr. Monica R. Butler
Founder, Gospel Music Hall of Fame
Dr. Butler shared her vision in a live interview with Missouri Public Radio (St Louis on the Air) in February 2022 before launching the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
According to Dr. Butler, ” The Gospel Music Hall of Fame (GMHOF) is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich legacy of gospel music while inspiring future generations. Through education centers, performance halls, and historical exhibits, GMHOF honors the genre’s pioneers and fosters the development of emerging talents. Its comprehensive approach includes state-of-the-art recording studios, wellness initiatives, and community-focused spaces, making it a cultural cornerstone for gospel music’s past, present, and future.
Gospel International columnist Janette Auguar published the article “A Spiritual Connection with Dr. Monica R. Butler” in the June 2025 issue of Gospel International Magazine.
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When God gives a vision or an assignment, it is always bigger than us, but it is just His size, and He gets all the glory for bringing it to fruition. Yet we honor the yielded vessels He uses to accomplish His purpose. I have the absolute privilege to “connect” with His called and chosen vessels of honor, and this month, it is the beautiful, intellectual, and purposed, Dr. Monica R. Butler, founder of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (GMHOF). While every other discipline and genre of music salutes its heritage in a structural monumental way, we would be remiss to disregard Gospel music, the very foundation of it all. Enter Dr. Monica R. Butler.
When asked what first stirred her heart to establish the GMHOF, Dr. Butler took me back to her exposure during a television taping in 1982 when her mother sang with the famous O’Neal Twins and the Interfaith Choir. The obvious attraction was the documentary, “Say Amen, Somebody”, but she was instead enamored by the behind-the-scenes production of it all. This sparked her journey as a television and film producer which landed her shows like Bobby Jones Gospel, Jurassic World, The Butler, John Wick, Jack Reacher and others. She became an advocate for media productions and helped to pass The Film Tax Credit in Missouri.
As time passed, Dr. Butler realized that the 1982 production merely scratched the surface of our rich Gospel heritage, and she wanted to produce part two. She was not met with a green light from producers, but, her faith and tenacity fueled her to move forward.
In the midst of her determination to bring exposure to the people who fuel our souls through Gospel music, she realized the lack of a resourceful place to glean our stories, our history and our people who sang and preached and publicized the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Believing that she ‘can do all things through Christ who strengthens her’, Dr. Monica R. Butler set out to accomplish this mission: “The Gospel Music Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich legacy of gospel music while inspiring future generations. Through education centers, performance halls, and historical exhibits, GMHOF honors the genre’s pioneers and fosters the development of emerging talents. Its comprehensive approach includes state-of-the-art recording studios, wellness initiatives, and community-focused spaces, making it a cultural cornerstone for gospel music’s past, present, and future”. Remarkable!!
Dr. Butler said, “Six or seven years ago, I put a little snowball at the top of the hill and just started rolling it down, and it has snowballed into something so big and so great”. She described this edifice, built to house His-story, as long overdue. “That passion in me is where it all came from, and here we are today, opening up chapters across the country”. The London UK chapter of The GMHOF opened in October, and her excitement about that accomplishment illuminated our conversation. Dr. Monica R. Butler exemplified this month’s theme: “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive it” (Mt. 21:22).
Currently, there is a tangible place, envisioned by Dr. Butler, to preserve the legacy of the likes of Thomas A. Dorsey, the pioneering composer, pianist, and singer who penned “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” following the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. The three remarkable Barrett Sisters can be remembered for their career which spanned over 40 years with albums including “Jesus Loves Me”, “I’ll Fly Away” and “What A Wonderful World”, Willie Mae Ford Smith, Zella Jackson Price, The O’Neal Twins (Edgar and Edward) and so many others whose work left an indelible mark.
The Board has specific guidelines when considering inductees. She said, “My mission is also to recognize those who work behind the scenes as I did for years, producing Bobby Jones Gospel and working with the Gospel Celebration. I made sure it was in order before someone went on stage!” She expressed how much of a joy it is to recognize the unrecognized jewels like Al Walsh, who promoted gospel with gospel concerts across the country, our publisher of Gospel International Magazine, Dr. Joyce Logan, who has been revolutionary since 1993, and so many others.
Highlights from the 2024 Gospel Music Hall of Fame Induction Gala