“I was there when all my favourites came up. My alltime favourite was a gospel singer…what was her name? Oh yeah, Mahalia Jackson. Oh I love her.”
– Charles Bradley (Johannasvisions, 2012)Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope.
~Mahalia JacksonI close my eyes when I sing so I can feel the song better.
~Mahalia Jackson
Amazing Graze:
From Wikipedia:
| Birth name | Mahala Jackson |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Halie Jackson |
| Born | October 26, 1911 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | January 27, 1972 (aged 60) Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Gospel |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Voice |
| Years active | 1927–1971 |
| Labels | Decca Coral, Apollo & Columbia |
| Associated acts | Albertina Walker, Aretha Franklin Dorothy Norwood, Della Reese & Cissy Houston |
Mahalia Jackson (October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as “The Queen of Gospel”. Jackson became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and was heralded internationally as a singer and civil rights activist. She was described by entertainer Harry Belafonte as “the single most powerful black woman in the United States”. She recorded about 30 albums (mostly for Columbia Records) during her career, and her 45 rpm records included a dozen “golds”—million-sellers.
From allmusic.com – Jason Ankeny;
General critical consensus holds Mahalia Jackson as the greatest gospel singer ever to live; a major crossover success whose popularity extended across racial divides, she was gospel’s first superstar, and even decades after her death remains, for many listeners, a defining symbol of the music’s transcendent power. With her singularly expressive contralto, Jackson continues to inspire the generations of vocalists who follow in her wake; among the first spiritual performers to introduce elements of blues into her music, she infused gospel with a sensuality and freedom it had never before experienced, and her artistry rewrote the rules forever .. read more @ allmusic.com
How I Got Over:
Album of the day:
Live at Newport 1958 (1958):
-Egil & Hallgeir