The Gospel of Mahalia

Like so many people of her time, Mahalia Jackson's grandparents were born into slavery, where they labored in Louisiana rice fields and cotton plantations. As is often the case, her start in life was humble, growing up in one of the poorest neighborhoods of New Orleans. She was born October 26, 1911, to John and Charity Jackson. John was a Baptist minister, who also made a living as a barber and a dockworker. Her mother Charity, brought in money by hiring out as a domestic and doing laundry.

Her mother died when she was only five years old. She was then raised by her extended family, without the presence of her father. The household consisted of her aunt Mahalia "Duke" Paul, for whom she was named, her brother Roosevelt who was called Peter, several aunts, and some cousins.

No doubt, being raised next door to a Holiness Church and the rich musical diversity, heard in the streets of New Orleans, had a powerful influence on Mahalia Jackson's unique singing delivery. She had powerful voice seasoned with heartfelt emotion. Although Aunt Duke, did not permit secular music to be played in the house, one of the cousins would play Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey when the opportunity presented itself.

Various biographical accounts note that Mahalia dropped out of school between the fourth and eighth grades to work, and help bring money into the household.

At the age of five, she had become a member of the Plymouth Rock Baptist Church children's choir and a few years later, she joined the Mount Moriah Baptist's junior choir. At Mount Moriah Baptist, Miss Jackson sang on Wednesdays and Fridays and four times on Sundays. By her mid-teens, it seems her musical path was set.

A New Start

An autobiography written with Evan McLeod Wylie in 1966, titled "Movin' On Up", says that at sixteen years of age in 1928, Mahalia moved from New Orleans to Chicago. There she took up residence with her aunt, Hannah Robinson. During this period, she began singing with the Greater Salem Baptist Church choir, while attending beautician school and doing domestic work to support herself. She also joined the Johnson Singers, a gospel quartet that included the three sons of Greater Salem Baptist's minister. This quartet was one of the first successful touring gospel groups, performing at various churches throughout the area for the next seven years, prior to being dissolved.

In 1936 Mahalia was married to Isaac Hockenhull, a graduate of Fisk University and the Tuskegee Institute, being ten years her senior.The marriage ended in divorce in 1941, because of his continued insistence that she sing secular music and because of his addiction to betting on the horses. Prior to the divorce however, Isaac after persistent urging, persuaded Mahalia to audition for the Works Project Administration (WPA) Federal Theater production of "Hot Mikado", by Gilbert and Sullivan. Hockenhull admonished her that it was not right throwing her voice away hollering in church. During her reluctant audition, she sang the old spiritual song, "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child." Although she did win the audition, she turned down the offer made by Decca Records to sing the blues.

Record Contracts

Mahalia collaborated and toured with composer Thomas A. Dorsey (considered the "King of Gospel") singing at churches and gospel tents for five years(1936-1941), with their musical relationship enduring for fourteen years. Her popularity and success grew dramatically during this period.

In 1937 she signed with Decca records, however her music did not do as well as expected causing Decca to opt out of the contract.

She signed another contract with Apollo Records (1946-1954), then later signed with Columbia Records (1954-1967).

Although well on her way to becoming successful, Mahalia still attracted a few detractors. Many of the larger and so-called more sophisticated churches of the north, felt that Mahalia Jackson's rendititions were retrogressive and referenced past indignities and old African roots that they preferred to forget. There is no denying though, that success speaks for itself.

Accomplishments

The record that sky-rocketed Mahalia Jackson's career was "Move On Up A Little Higher", recorded in 1948 at Apollo Records. This record sold eight million copies. In France she won the French Academy's Grand Prix du Disque for "Let the Power of the Holy Ghost Fall on Me". When she sang "Silent Night", on Denmark's national radio station twenty thousand requests for copies besieged the station. This same song would also become one of the best selling singles in Norway's history.

Mahalia first toured Europe in 1952, where in Paris, she was called "The Angel of Peace". She also toured Europe in 1962 and from 1963-1964, singing to sold out and standing room only audiences. Other tours included Africa, Japan, and India in 1970, meeting Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Japanese royal family.

She recieved six Grammy Awards, a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and in 1998 a postage stamp issued in her memory. She was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. All in all, she recorded thirty-five albums (most for Columbia Records) and a dozen "gold" (million seller) singles.

Civil Rights

During her career, Mahalia Jackson was a strong supporter of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Mayor Richard Daley. She was featured at the 1963 March on Washington, where she sang "How I Got Over" and "I've Been 'Buked and I've Been Scorned".

Final Curtain

Mahalia Jackson's last television appearance was on the Flip Wilson Show in 1971, the same year Columbia Records released her final album. Her final performance was in Munich, Germany in September of 1971, at the end of which she collapsed on stage.She died four months later at her home in Evergreen Park (located in Illinois), from heart failure and complications arising from diabetes. Memorial sevices were held in both Chicago and New Orleans. In Chicago, Aretha Franklin closed the service with her rendition of "Precious Lord", while in New Orleans Lou Rawls sang "Just A Closer Walk With Thee".