The American Soul & Rock & Roll Choir comes to Tucson Thursday. The group's producer described it as a musical "Chicken Soup for the Soul."

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Soulful, blues-infused gospel is part of modern rock 'n' roll's DNA.

If you don't believe that, give a listen to the year-old American Soul & Rock & Roll Choir, whose shows are reminiscent in some ways of a tent revival. Arrangements of iconic songs such as "Higher Love" and "Spirit in the Sky" retrace rock's roots right back to those Sunday morning church pews and folks singing with possessed conviction.

"It wouldn't be rock music without gospel," says veteran producer, songwriter and arranger Darrell Brown, the Scottsdale native who created the show with Dan Beck, a veteran music executive. "It's the connection between Saturday night and Sunday morning."

Brown next week takes American Soul on the road for its maiden tour. The first stop — and the choir's first full-fledged show — is in Tucson on Thursday, followed by a show in Chandler next Friday.

"Little by little, this thing is being birthed and is having a life, and it's extremely exciting," Brown said.

The 10-member choir fuses rock, gospel and soul with classic songs such as "Gotta Serve Somebody," "I Want to Know What Love Is" and "People Get Ready," backed by a Memphis-soul rhythm section that promoters describe as "sizzling."

The group's roster includes Cindy Mizelle, Neal Coomer, Cedric Sesley and Joanna Cotten, powerful studio and backup vocalists. Ty Herndon, veteran country crooner, is also in the ensemble.

"This is very, very spiritual," Herndon said during a break in rehearsals Tuesday. "It's taking them down a road where they feel like they've been to church when they leave. That's where I'm at today, and I wanted to experience something different and new."

Herndon said American Soul returns him to his musical roots in many ways. He got his start singing in the stage shows at Nashville's Opryland before landing his major label record deal in the early 1990s.

"I was a part of big production shows and I have a heart for it," he said.

Herndon is arguably the most recognizable name in the cast, but the singer, who scored country hits in the mid-1990s with "Living in a Moment" and "It Must Be Love," said he and his fellow singers checked their egos at the door. The show is not about any specific singer; it's a mix of solo, duet and ensemble performances with narration sprinkled throughout to set the time and place.

"It's all about the song, the person singing it, the moment. It's a voice musical," Herndon, 46, explained. "If we turned all the lights out and we sat on stools and sang the songs, the audience wouldn't leave. It's that kind of show."

Brown added: "This is an experience that you'll come away feeling happy about. It's 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' in the musical way." Brown has written songs for Mavis Staples, Dolly Parton, Michael McDonald, Berlin, Wilson Phillips, Take 6, Kenny Loggins, LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban.

The Arizona shows open American Soul's 2 1/2-week West Coast trek, to be followed in February with a Florida run. In May, the group will appear in a PBS special before continuing the tour through the summer.