A professor, scholar, editor, and exemplary musician, Dr. W. James “Jimmie” Abbington considered sacred music an essential part of the Black church. He believed traditional hymns and spirituals are “theology in song,” not mere accessories to worship.
Recently named the inaugural professor of Black sacred music at Duke University Divinity School, Dr. Abbington often performed for esteemed audiences; his keyboard work and conducting were fixtures at major church gatherings and music symposia nationwide.
A towering figure whose work greatly influenced the litany of the Black church, Dr. Abbington died Sept. 27 in Georgia. He was 65.
‘A Joyful Presence’
Rev. Cynthia Hale, senior pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Ga., was among the many friends and colleagues who paid tribute to Abbington and his work.
“Jimmie understood that our songs are history and testimony,” Hale said. “He reminded us that to sing them is to remember who we are.”
Edgardo Colón-Emeric, dean of Duke Divinity School, said Dr. Abbington “was a joyful presence and a master teacher who leaves behind an extraordinary legacy that will reverberate for years to come.”
Knowing him “has been one of the richest blessings, both musically and personally,” Colon-Emeric said.
Passion for Music, Higher Education
A Morehouse College graduate with advanced degrees in music from the University of Michigan, Abbington spent his career in the classroom, the concert hall, and the choir loft, and had a reputation that preceded him.
Jimmie understood that our songs are history and testimony. He reminded us that to sing them is to remember who we are.
Rev. Cynthia Hale, Ray of Hope Christian Church, Decatur, Ga
“I knew of this iconic musician, scholar, pedagogue, and brilliant churchman long before we met 25 years ago,” says Dr. Marco K. Merrick, founding director of the Community Concert Choir of Baltimore. “From the very beginning, his passion for music excellence, the Black church tradition, and higher education was and remains profound in everything he did.”
Merrick says he and Abbington spent more than two decades collaborating on music workshops, music conventions, and conferences around the country. At new music seminars and recording sessions in Baltimore, Merrick says, he and Abbington “garnered the largest registrations and audiences anywhere in the country.”
“His friendship and inimitable humor have impacted me indelibly,” Merick says. “Along with the myriad sons and daughters he fostered on his seemingly brief journey, I hope to perpetuate his memory and musicianship for generations to come.”
Legacy of Accomplishment
Merrick says by many standards, Abbington’s life was short, but he accomplished and contributed what others could not in three lifetimes.
Abbington was esteemed for scholarship that treated African American sacred music as both art and theology. He authored the hymn, “Let Mount Zion Rejoice,” and edited “Readings in African American Church Music and Worship,” an anthology of essays about Black church music that is considered a standard reference work.
He served as associate editor of the “African American Heritage Hymnal” and contributed to “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism,” an ecumenical collection of hymns designed to bridge traditions. He was also executive editor of the African American Church Music Series published by GIA Publishing.
At Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, where he taught from 2005 until 2022, he challenged students to understand music as theology in song.
A Worship Leader
Abbington is best known for his work with the Hampton University Ministers’ and Musicians’ Conference and as the national music director for the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the NAACP. In 2015, he was named a Fellow of the Hymn Society of the United States and Canada, making him only the second Black musician to receive this honor.
His advocacy extended to preserving the works of overlooked Black composers and ensuring their music remained part of the church’s living tradition.
Though his death came just as he was preparing for a new chapter at Duke, colleagues and students say his legacy is firmly established.
“Dr. Abbington showed us that music is not background to worship but its heartbeat,” Colón-Emeric said. “That heartbeat will continue wherever his songs are sung.”
Services are scheduled for Oct. 4 at Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta. The family has requested donations to the church’s music scholarship fund in lieu of flowers.
