From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sat Oct 26, 2002  2:07 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Mahalia Jackson

MAHALIA JACKSON (By Shaun Mather)

Born 26 October 1911, New Orleans, Louisiana
Died 27 January 1972, Chicago, Illinois

Regarded as the greatest ever gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson also made a
massive subconscious impact on rock 'n' roll. Most '50s r'n'b, rock 'n' roll
and soul singers cite gospel as an influence during their upbringing and
she was top of the pile. Her strong voice was infected with religious fervour
and was copied by many a singer over the years. None other than Elvis
Presley was a great fan and would have loved to have recorded with her.
She was born into poverty in a run down section of New Orleans and spent her
childhood singing with choirs in the local Baptist churches. She was also
aware of the sounds coming from a nearby church which used drums and pianos
to augment the religious sound. Mixed with her love of early blues pioneers
Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, she moved to Chicago in 1927 and began to
perform her own brand of powerful gospel.
She started singing with the Johnson Brothers but didn't make her recording
debut until 1937 (Decca). It was another decade before she recorded again,
this time for Apollo, who she stayed with for eight years. She became a
superstar and appealed to gospel, blues and jazz fans. She began hosting
her own weekly radio series on CBS, the first national program to feature
her style of gospel. It bought her to the attention of a white audience and
she soon became a crossover star, signing with Columbia in 1954.
She made a triumphant appearance at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival but
her ever growing popularity saw her move farther away from her musical roots.
Mahalia sang at John F. Kennedy's Presidential inauguration and during the
1960s became a confidant and supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King, singing
"Precious Lord" at his funeral. During the early '70s she suffered a series
of heart attacks and lost over a hundred pounds in weight before her death.

The best biography is: Laurraine Goreau, Just Mahalia Baby : The Mahalia
Jackson Story. Waco, TX : Word Books, 1975. (Paperback edition : Gretna,
LA : Pelican, 1982.)
Recommended listening:
16 Most Requested Songs (Sony/Columbia)
Gospels, Spirituals and Hymns (Sony, 2 CD-set)
How I Got Over It (Westside, 3 CD-set). Apollo recordings.