Country music has always included gospel music. Here is an album of country gospel music.
https://www.pandora.com/artist/various-artists/country-gospel-greats/ALZZzvqv5jv5jt6
And here is one of the most beautiful songs. It was a slave song included in a collection of songs and published in Slave Songs of the United States in 1867. Pretty much forgotten it was revived in the movie, "Oh,Brother, Where Art Thou?"