Mahalia Jackson

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Mahalia Jackson ( October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972 ) was an American gospel singer, widely regarded as the best in the history of the genre. She grew up in the “Black Pearl” section of the Carrollton neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, and began singing in a Baptist church. In 1927 she moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she sang with The Johnson Brothers, one of the earliest professional gospel groups.

The Johnson Brothers broke up in the mid-1930s, and Jackson began her solo career, recording for Decca in 1937. The result, “God’s Gonna Separate the Wheat from the Tares”, was only a moderate success, but Jackson became a popular concert draw. She experienced a recording hiatus until 1946 when she signed with Apollo Records, releasing several singles that are now highly regarded, though sales were sluggish at the time. “Move on up a Little Higher” (1948) became a huge success, however, and stores could not stock enough of it to meet demand. Jackson rocketed to fame in the U.S. and soon after in Europe. “I Can Put My Trust in Jesus” won a prize from the French Academy, and “Silent Night” was one of the best-selling singles in the history of Norway. She began a radio series on CBS and signed to Columbia Records in 1954. With her mainstream success came an inevitable backlash from gospel purists who felt she had watered down her sound for popular accessibility.

Tagged as:

gospel, female vocalists, soul, jazz, jazz vocal
See more…

1	Amazing Grace full track	33
2	Silent Night, Holy Night full track	32
3	Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho full track	25
3	Didn't It Rain full track	25
5	His Eye Is on the Sparrow full track	24
6	Go Tell It on the Mountain full track	23
7	Trouble of the World full track	22
8	Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen full track	19
9	In The Upper Room full track	17
10	I Will Move on Up a Little Higher full track	14
10	We Shall Overcome full track	14
12	How I Got Over full track	13
12	Walk In Jerusalem full track	13
14	I'm on My Way full track	12
15	Silent Night full track	11

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soulxlutherking wrote:
last week

I' am Atea,but I love to gospel...=)

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tekkie69 wrote:
last month

What a powerhouse, thank u M. J.

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Sr_RoX wrote:
last month

I love Jesus ... s2

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HampusForever wrote:
last month

Eh, I love the feeling of the music but seeing the comments here, "I love god!" makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

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MireQ wrote:
May 2009

Hallelujah! I love God! And I love the voice given to Mrs. Jackson!

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LoverofGospel wrote:
May 2009

Just did a research paper on her for my African American History class......I see why she was called the "The Queen of Gospel" beautiful voice.....

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Silverfox616 wrote:
April 2009

Loved her voice, grew up singing her songs that would give me such joy.

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staytooned wrote:
March 2009

The ground of sound, she defined the true meaning of God, goddess, and diamonds. Her voice is undeniable.

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loveonesweetone wrote:
March 2009

My Grandmother love this woman!

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imprecisely wrote:
October 2008

the woman was a force of nature. a voice like that can't be duplicated anytime soon.

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SGwinn wrote:
September 2008

I just started a group for Mahalia Jackson fans. Come and join.

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maulofsound wrote:
August 2008

i dunno about "i believe", but you can certainly download her albums.

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crf341 wrote:
June 2008

Anybody know if its possible to get the album 'I believe' on CD or digitally? My LP is wearing out and I adore the song 'trouble' but officially it doesn't seem to exist...

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SYL2Oh wrote:
April 2008

A Gospel revisited!

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bainer wrote:
February 2008

i sing because my soul is happy, i sing because my soul is free!

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2Serenity wrote:
January 2008

January 27, 1972 - Mahalia passed but her spirit lives on. Her voice has always been a favorite in my family for generations. I pray we can keep her memory alive. Please listen to some Mahalia Jackson today! {{hugz}}

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TeenageWildlife wrote:
December 2007

god she's a diamond

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theapril-sea wrote:
November 2007

her voice is the best not only in gospel music.in blues too.she is the goddess)

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Fatty3 wrote:
June 2007

gosh what a voice...I love keep your hands on the plow. plainly amazing

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angelireland wrote:
May 2007

I just love mahalia too so long since i heard some. I love amazing grace and we shall over come.thanks 2 serenity for reminding me of her. Whew I am getting nostalgic now!

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