Download Free Mahalia Jackson * Songs

Mahalia Jackson music biography continued...

performed in front of the Kings and Queens of almost every country in Europe and special appearances for the Presidents of The United States, her fame and title was certainly well earned. From her performance at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy to her dedication to the cause of Dr. Martin Luther King, from Carnegie Hall to the Newport Jazz Festival, Mahalia Jackson was the Queen Of Gospel.
Born in New Orleans in 1911, she was introduced to many varieties of musical styles during her youth from blues to ragtime. Growing up next to the Holliness Church and attending the Mount Moriah Baptist Church with her family, the sounds of the sacred music blended in with those of Mardi Gras and the good time bars and clubs that surrounded the black community of New Orleans. Around the age of sixteen she moved to the bustling streets of Chicago and joined the Greater Salem Baptist Church and became a member of the choir. She enrolled at Madame C.J.Walkers Beauty Institute and studied to become a beautician. She opened her own beauty shop and continued to hone her craft as a gospel singer by joining the Johnson Gospel Singers. She married in 1936
to Isaac Hockenhull. A highly skilled business man who recognized the value of his wife's powerful voice and tried to persuade her to sing the blues and show tunes of the time. Realizing that there was money to be made outside the gospel world , Isaac arraigned for an audition with the major label Decca Records who tried in vain to sign her but she steadfast refused to sing the 'devils music". Mahalia had met the noted gospel composer Thomas A. Dorsey in 1929 and he became her musical advisor and pianist for her from 1937 to 1946. During this time she would make his music known around the world with her interpretations of his songs like "Precious Lord Take My Hand" and "There Will Be Peace In The Valley". She toured the churches and conventions of the day, honing her style and building an immense popularity within the black community. In 1947 she became the soloist for the National Baptist Convention and had begun a recording career. Her version of "Move On Up A Little Higher" sold over two million copies and helped lead the way for the rising popularity of black gospel, music around the world. As the decade of the 1950s gave rise to the invention of te1evision, Mahalia was soon in demand to star in her own weekly gospel show and her talents were now being viewed by a national audience of both black and white America. Signing with Columbia Records in 1954, the stark sounds of Mahalia being accompanied by a piano or church organ were now supplemented by lush orchestra arrangements and her repertoire expanded to include more spirituals with upbeat rhythms. Appearances at such highly acclaimed venues as Carnegie Hall added to the prestige that Mahalia Jackson was indeed the Worlds Greatest Gospel Singer. As the 1960s came upon us she became a loyal supporter of the causes for racial equality and a life long friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, performing at his March On Washington in 1963. She would also perform at his funeral with a beautiful rendition of his favorite song "Precious Lord". Having toured the world several times during her career to standing ovations from the high and mighty of royalty around the globe, her accomplishments are many and her place in the history of recorded music is secure as the greatest of all the gospel singers. Her influence on others that have become major stars in the music world reads like a "who's who" of artists. Aretha Franklin, Della Reese and the Reverend James Cleveland to name a few. She was a favorite guest on popular television shows like Ed Sullivan's and her recordings sold in the millions. She was given the Grammy Award For Lifetime Achievement in 1972, Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1997 as a pioneer in the world of rock. In her opinion "Rock and Roll was born out of the gospel roots of the church" and she was recognized for her early influence on the rock & rollers like Little Richard and the r & b artists who helped make the rock & roll scene happen.
In 1998 the U.S Postal Service honored Mahalia with a postage stamp bearing her likeness. Mahalia Jackson died in 1972 from heart failure and is buried in her home state of Louisiana in the town of Metairie's Providence Memorial Park.