School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

Mahalia Jackson

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Mahalia Jackson was born in New Orleans in 1911, in a poor family that was still closely tied to the legacy of slavery: both her grandparents had been born into slavery. The church became her home. As a teenager she moved to Chicago, where she sang with the Johnson Singers, one of the first gospel groups. She was not a trained singer. She taught herself everything and drew inspiration from the composer Thomas Dorsey and from the blues singer Bessie Smith, whose way of singing she applied to old Protestant hymns.

Music and breakthrough

Her breakthrough came in the late 1940s with Move On Up a Little Higher. The record sold two million copies and reached number two in the Billboard charts, something never seen before for gospel. She then toured Europe as the first gospel singer to do so, sang for presidents and in 1963 appeared at the March on Washington, as a loyal supporter of Martin Luther King. She turned down offers to record secular music.

Influence

She had a powerful contralto and sang with great freedom in melody and rhythm, full of commitment and emotion. Thanks to her success, many other soloists and gospel groups got the chance to perform and record. Pop music also felt her influence: she is seen as an inspiration for the vocal style of rhythm and blues, soul and rock and roll.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Move On Up a Little Higher and notice how Jackson keeps stretching and bending the melody a little instead of singing it rigidly. Can you hear how her voice has both power and lightness?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: ArtistsSpirituals and gospel