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Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson. Gospel Singer. Born: Oct. 26, 1911 New Orleans Orleans Parish Louisiana, USA Death: Jan. 27, 1972 Evergreen Park Cook County Illinois, USA. Third of six children Born in poverty in a three-room "shot-gun" shack

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Mahalia Jackson

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  1. Mahalia Jackson Gospel Singer

  2. Born: Oct. 26, 1911New OrleansOrleans ParishLouisiana, USA • Death: Jan. 27, 1972Evergreen ParkCook CountyIllinois, USA

  3. Third of six children • Born in poverty in a three-room "shot-gun" shack • Shotgun houses consist of three to five rooms in a row with no hallways and have a narrow, rectangular structure. • Father: John A. Jackson, was a stevedore, barber and minister • Mother Charity Clark was a maid and laundress; she died when Mahalia was five Shotgun shack

  4. Early Life • Started singing at 4 years old in the Mount Moriah Baptist Church. • Brought up in a devout Christian family • Influenced by the secular sounds of blues artists like Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey

  5. Teen and older • Moved to Chicago as a teen to study nursing • Joined the Greater Salem Baptist Church and became a member of the Johnson Gospel Singers • Then started working with Thomas A. Dorsey, a gospel composer; the two performed around the U.S. • Had a number of jobs -- working as a laundress, beautician and flower shop owner • Wed Isaac Hockenhull in 1936, with the two later divorcing.

  6. Making it Big • Made some recordings in the 1930s • Major success with "Move On Up a Little Higher" in 1947 • sold millions of copies and became the highest selling gospel single in history. She • Made radio and television appearances and went on tour • Performed in Carnegie Hall on October 4, 1950 to a racially integrated audience. • 1952 tour in Europe • Had her own gospel program on the CBS television network in 1954 and scored a pop hit with "Rusty Old Halo."

  7. International Star • 1956: debut on The Ed Sullivan Show • 1958 appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, performing with Duke Ellington and his band. • 1959 Jackson appeared in the film Imitation of Life. • By the end of the decade, much of Jackson’s work featured crossover production styles; she was an international figure, with a performance itinerary that included singing at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration.

  8. Civil Rights Work • Active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement. She • Sang at the March on Washington at the request of her friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, performing “I Been ‘Buked and I Been Scorned.”

  9. March on Washington • August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., for a political rally known as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. • Organized by a number of civil rights and religious groups • Designed to shed light on the political and social challenges African Americans continued to face across the country. • March became a key moment in the growing struggle for civil rights in the United States • Culminated in Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream" speech, a spirited call for racial justice and equality.

  10. Later Years • King's death in 1968: sang at his funeral and then largely withdrew from public political activities. • 1969, she published her autobiography Movin’ On Up. • Hospitalizations for severe health problems • Final concert in 1971 in Munich, Germany • Died of a heart attack on January 27, 1972. • Remembered and loved for her impassioned delivery, her deep commitment to spirituality and her lasting inspiration to listeners of all faiths.

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