If there’s any group that can answer that question, it’s the Dixie Hummingbirds. Formed in 1928 in Greenville, South Carolina, the “iron men of gospel” have been spreading the word and “raising the roof” for over seventy years, profoundly influencing popular music along the way.

After moving to Philadelphia in 1942, the Birds gained notoriety when lead vocalist Ira Tucker, Sr. broke from gospel tradition and began imitating the explosive antics of rural preachers, hip-slapping and running ...