Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jacksonwas an American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel". She 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 albumsduring her career, and her 45 rpm records included a dozen "golds"—million-sellers...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionGospel Singer
Date of Birth26 October 1911
CityNew Orleans, LA
CountryUnited States of America
Gospel music in those days of the early 1930s was really taking wing. It was the kind of music colored people had left behind them down South and they liked it because it was just like a letter from home.
Anybody singing the blues is in a deep pit yelling for help.
I sing God's music because it makes me feel free. It gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues.
A great influence in my life was the sanctified or Holiness churches...Everybody in there sang and they clapped and stomped heir feet and sang with their whole body... Their music was so strong and expressive, it used to bring tears to my eyes.
The trouble with records is that they're too short.
Anybody that sings the blues is in a deep pit, yelling for help.
Time is important to me because I want to sing long enough to leave a message.