Jackson, Mahalia

remarkable African-American GOSPEL singer; b. New Orleans, Oct. 26, 1911; d. Evergreen Park,Ill., Jan. 27, 1972. The daughter of a minister, Jackson sang in her father's church at an early age. At 16 she went to Chicago, where she worked as a maid while singing in the choir of the Greater Salem Baptist Church.

Jackson began touring with the Johnson Gospel Singers in 1932. She revealed an innate talent for expressive hymn singing and soon was in demand for conventions and political meetings. She steadfastly refused to appear in nightclubs. Her 1947 recording Move On Up a Little Higher brought her renown as the "Gospel Queen." She appeared in a series of concerts at N.Y.'s CARNEGIE HALL from 1950 to 1956, and in 1952 made her first European tour, which was a triumphant success.

Jackson sang at President Kennedy's inauguration in 1961 and at the civil rights march on Washington, D.C., in 1963. A strong believer in Civil Rights, she sang at many rallies in support of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and gave an emotional performance at his funeral service, following his assassination in 1968. She made her last tour of Europe in 1971. A year later, she died of heart failure.