Famous people's places / Detroit – East Side
St. Paul Church of God in Christ
An east-side Detroit Pentecostal church where gospel choir director Thomas Whitfield recorded his first live album in the early 1980s.
01 / The story of this place
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St. Paul Church of God in Christ has served Detroit's east side for decades as a Pentecostal congregation within the Church of God in Christ denomination. In the early 1980s, gospel choir director and composer Thomas Whitfield brought his ensemble here to record their first live album, capturing the kind of high-energy, choir-driven gospel sound that Whitfield helped make a Detroit signature. Whitfield went on to become one of the most influential arrangers in modern gospel music, working with artists such as Aretha Franklin, and this recording marked an early milestone in that career. The church continues to hold services on Sheridan Street today.
- Church of God in Christ congregation on Sheridan Street
- Thomas Whitfield recorded his choir's first live album here
- Recording made in the early 1980s
- Whitfield later arranged for Aretha Franklin and other gospel stars
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 1
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Thomas Whitfield 1954–1992 · gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, choir director
Recorded here
His choir's first live album was recorded at this Detroit church.
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Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
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