|
Mahalia Jackson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 26,
1911. Mahalia is known as the Queen of the Gospel Song.
She was brought up in a strict Baptist family and as a child she was
only allowed to sing in the Church Choir. However, Mahalia was
strongly influenced by Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and other rhythm and
blues artists.
In 1927 at the age of 16, Mahalia moved
to Chicago. She became a member of the Greater Salem Baptist
Church Choir and soon afterwards became the choir's soloist.
Mahalia embarked on a cross-country
gospel tour in the early thirties and gained national attention with
songs such as, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands and
I Can Put My Trust in Jesus. She produced her first
recording, God Gonna Separate the Wheat From the Tares
in 1937 for the Decca label. Her early recordings were not big
sellers, but Mahalia continued to be successful in her live
appearances. She didn't record again until 1945, this time for Apollo
Records. Her first recordings with Apollo were not successful
and the label came close to letting her go. In 1948, her first big
hit, Move on Up a Little Higher was released. It became
the most popular Gospel song ever recorded. Mahalia recorded 8 songs
that hit Gold including, I Believe, Just over the
Hill, When I Wake up in Glory, and Just a
Little While to Stay Here.
Mahalia refused to sing songs that were
not religious and she would not play in nightclubs or any other place
she considered inappropriate for God's praise. She did sing on both
radio and television, however and played to sold out crowds in annual
concerts at Carnegie Hall. She was also very popular overseas. Her
version of Silent Night was one of the all time best sellers in
Denmark.
Starting in 1954, Mahalia hosted a
Gospel radio show for CBS and in 1957, she performed at the Newport
Jazz Festival. Mahalia sang at President Kennedy's inauguration in
1961. Mahalia was also active in the Civil Rights Movement from 1955
on, often performing at Martin Luther King rallies. She sang Precious
Lord, Take My Hand at his funeral in 1968.
Mahalia Jackson gave her last
performance in October 1971. She died of heart failure in Evergreen
Park, Illinois on January 27, 1972.
Sources:
Encyclopedia
Britannica
Encyclopedia
Africana
|
