That responsibility is at the heart of Sweet, Sweet Spirit, his collaborative album with legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter. Released through Motown Gospel and Blue Note Records, the project brings two major Black American art forms into one sacred conversation. Carter’s bass becomes a voice of its own, while Dillard and New G bring precision, power and a clear sense of purpose.

In addition, the album’s opening track, “Open My Eyes,” reached No. 1 on the Mediabase Gospel Airplay chart. The achievement extends Dillard’s legacy into another important season.

During an exclusive phone interview with Avehre and Amethyst for THE HYPE MAGAZINE’s milestone 150th issue, Dillard reflected on the city that shaped him. He also discussed the musical history he refuses to let disappear and the gratitude behind 38 years of music, ministry and New G.

Chicago Made the Choirmaster

THE HYPE MAGAZINE: Chicago has played an important role in your journey. Looking back, how did growing up in the city shape your musical gifts and the leader you are today?

RICKY DILLARD: Chicago is the home of gospel. You have the father of gospel, Thomas A. Dorsey, and the mother, Sallie Martin. Then there is Reverend James Cleveland, Albertina Walker and The Caravans, Reverend Clay Evans, Reverend Milton Brunson and Pastor Charles G. Hayes. I could go down the line.

Those musical people were present in our communities, and they supported one another. For example, you could go over to Fellowship and see Albertina Walker in the audience, or you could hear the Fellowship Choir. Even if you did not go to a particular church, they had radio broadcasts that would be on the air on Sundays.

Chicago was one of those music centers where the creators often performed and came into local communities to minister. Therefore, I learned from those performances and from the service they gave to us.

As a teenager, I joined Reverend Milton Brunson’s Thompson Community Singers as a tenor. I had all those years of learning and studying, if not close up, then from a distance. That shaped my drive, my vision and my dream. As a result, I could see myself doing it too.

Music was also in my house. My mother was in the choir, and she took me to church. My grandmother took me to prayer meetings, teachers’ meetings and everything else. In other words, I was a church boy who grew up around church and music.

Learning how to organize and structure it, while seeing it up close, helped make me the Choirmaster I am today.

Protecting the Foundation

THE HYPE MAGAZINE: You have spent decades honoring gospel tradition while continuing to push creative boundaries. With Sweet, Sweet Spirit, you and Ron Carter bring gospel and jazz together. How did you connect that history to the sound of today?

RICKY DILLARD: When I received the call from Motown Gospel and Blue Note Records, the leaders of the labels asked me about collaborating with Ron. He had seen me out here on the trail and felt I was the person he wanted to work with on a gospel album. Naturally, I was very honored.

Later, I went to Ron’s home to sit with some of the music he had begun putting together. The project came from a vision he had for his mother. When she became ill, he wanted her to listen to the hymns she loved while she was recovering. She eventually passed on. However, he wanted to continue that vision and create an album filled with hymns.

I had to figure out how to bridge Mr. Carter’s years of life with my years of life. Therefore, I thought about what happened in our earlier years and how we could reimagine it for 2026.

Lessons From Jubilee Showcase

There was a television program in Chicago called Jubilee Showcase. Sid Ordower was its host and executive producer. As a boy, I would wake up every Sunday morning and see young gospel singers on that platform.

We saw a young James Cleveland, Edwin Hawkins and Shirley Caesar. We also saw The Staple Singers, The Norfleet Brothers, Reverend Milton Brunson and Reverend Maceo Woods. I could go on and on.

It was one of the most incredible shows. So, I took my mind back to that program, the music that was sung and the way those artists approached it. That music carried us for decades.

I thought, let us ground the music there and walk it into 2026. Let us begin with what came before and make sure we end with what is happening now.

That is how I approach most of my music. First, I keep the foundation of what I learned from Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, Reverend James Cleveland and Thomas Whitfield. Then, I add what we hear today.

Above all, I want to make sure our culture remains in the music. We keep getting away from it. It continues to become filled with something that is not us, and we know us. After all, we have been the foundation for artists from James Brown to Michael Jackson and so many others.

I want to make sure that none of the people I learned from are erased. That includes those who are still present with us today.

Thirty-Eight Years of New G

THE HYPE MAGAZINE: As you prepared to celebrate 38 years with New G in Chicago and Milwaukee, what made those performances especially meaningful? What did you want people to carry away from them?

RICKY DILLARD: I am a Chicago boy, and the Chicago Gospel Music Festival has been a staple in our city. Of course, Chicago is the home of gospel.

I have walked a 38-year journey to that stage. To be asked and welcomed back by Chicago and its leaders overwhelmed my heart. So, I thought we should put a little sugar on it and celebrate our anniversary in the park with Chicago, our gospel community and the city where we started.

I had not been to Milwaukee with New G in a long time. Because of that, I said, “Let us go to Milwaukee, pop up on them and celebrate 38 years there too.”

Most importantly, we were going to thank the Lord for this journey. It has not always been easy. Although it has been rough in some areas, it was not always rough. God gave us the glory.

Along the way, we have enjoyed the love of people who recognize what we contributed to gospel music through our albums, television appearances and ministry.

Ultimately, we were coming together for a reunion with Chicago and Milwaukee. We wanted to celebrate everything God has done over these 38 years.

The Sound Carries Forward

For Ricky Dillard, legacy is not something to admire from a distance. Instead, it is a responsibility to remember who built the foundation, protect what makes the music ours and leave the door open for the next generation.

The Chicago church boy who once woke up on Sunday mornings to study the pioneers on Jubilee Showcase has become one of the leading figures another generation now watches, studies and follows.

Thirty-eight years into his journey with New G, Dillard is still giving the choir somewhere to stand. The sound continues to grow, but under the Choirmaster’s direction, it will always remember where it came from.

The post Ricky Dillard Keeps the Culture in the Music appeared first on The Hype Magazine.