Filmmakers talk upcoming 4-hour 'Gospel' series on PBS

A new four-hour docuseries airing on PBS next week takes a deep dive into the history of Black spirituality and music.

"Gospel" was produced and directed by Stacey L. Holman and Shayla Harris and is hosted by writer and executive producer Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and explores the fascinating history of gospel music and key figures in its evolution. One of those figures is the great Mahalia Jackson, now credited as one of the most influential singers of all time.

"In hour one, we learn her backstory, but then in hour two … we dig a little bit deeper about her impact and her influence from the civil rights movement," says Holman. "Her relationship with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., how she used her pocketbook to help fund the movement."

Gospel premieres Monday, Feb. 12 and Tuesday, Feb. 13 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on PBS, and a companion concert is set to air at 9 p.m. Friday. To hear more from the filmmakers about the project, click the video player in this article.