Albums by Mahalia Jackson
ALBUMI Sing Because I'm HappyMahalia Jackson
ALBUMI'm Going to Tell GodMahalia Jackson
ALBUMSings the Gospel Right Out of the ChurchMahalia Jackson
ALBUMWhat the World Needs NowMahalia Jackson
ALBUMChristmas with MahaliaMahalia Jackson
ALBUMA Mighty FortressMahalia Jackson
ALBUMSings the Best-Loved Hymns of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Mahalia Jackson
ALBUMMy FaithMahalia Jackson
ALBUMGarden of PrayerMahalia Jackson
ALBUMMahalia SingsMahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson's Popular Music Videos
By His Word (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, December 18, 1960)
Mahalia Jackson
Give Me That Old Time Religion (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, April 15, 1962)
Mahalia Jackson
Were You There When They Crucified My Lord? (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, April 15, 1962)
Mahalia Jackson
Sweet Little Jesus Boy (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, December 18, 1960)
Mahalia Jackson
Were You There? (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, April 17, 1960)
Mahalia Jackson
Artist Playlists
Mahalia Jackson Essentials
The first star of gospel is often considered the greatest of all time.
Artist Biography
Mahalia Jackson isn’t just the most important vocalist in the history of Black gospel music; she is a civil rights hero who broke down both musical and racial barriers. Her fame would help transform gospel into a globally recognized art form. Born in New Orleans in 1911—her grandparents were former slaves—Jackson soaked up the city’s rich music, both sacred and secular, before relocating to Chicago. When she signed with Apollo Records in 1946, there were few other soloists performing ecstatic gospel informed by blues. By the end of the ’60s, however, there wasn’t a gospel, soul, or rock singer who escaped the singer’s vocal innovations, particularly her use of melisma. Jackson’s catalog is littered with legacy moments, including the 1947 breakthrough “Move On Up a Little Higher” and 1958’s Black, Brown, & Beige, a boundary-breaking collaboration with Duke Ellington. But it’s her version of Thomas A. Dorsey’s “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” recorded for Columbia Records in 1956, that truly captures the liberation at the heart of her faith. She performed the song—Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite—at the reverend’s funeral in 1968. Jackson passed away four years later at age 60.
Hometown
New Orleans, LA, United States
Genre
Christian