Gospel music originated as a sub-genre of soul music, combining styles of gospel and R&B. Gospel music was widely accepted by white communities due to its religious lyrics. However, when singer Sam Cooke began singing secular music instead of gospel, he faced heavy criticism from the gospel community as secular music was seen as non-religious. Sam Cooke is considered a pioneer of soul music and helped transform black church music into mainstream pop music, inspiring many artists who came after him such as Stevie Wonder and James Brown.