Description

Singer Mahalia Jackson created a worldwide audience for gospel music with her soul-stirring performances and immensely popular recordings. Although influenced in her youth by blues legend Bessie Smith, Jackson was unwavering in her commitment to gospel, and excluded blues and jazz from her repertoire. Church choirs served as the first showcase for her talent, but her majestic voice soon marked her for a solo career. Touring widely throughout the 1930s, Jackson thrilled audiences as she performed gospel favorites in storefront churches, tent shows, and revival meetings. Her breakthrough came in 1947, when her recording of "Move On Up a Little Higher" sold more than one million copies, confirming her as the "Gospel Queen." A fervent voice for civil rights, Jackson performed numerous benefit concerts in support of the movement and was a favorite of Martin Luther King Jr.

Record Contributed By

National Portrait Gallery

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution