Few crooners influenced gospel music as we know it quite like the incomparable singer Mahalia Jackson. Jackson is known today as the Queen of Gospel Music. Considering the heft of her extended discography and her influence during the Civil Rights Movement, it’s difficult to disagree with that label. She was an icon that inspired the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and others, and she was born on this very day, October 26, 1911.
Let’s celebrate the legacy of Mahalia Jackson by looking at her incredible career as one of gospel’s most famous singers.
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The Life and Career of Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson was born on October 26, 1911, in New Orleans, Louisiana. She grew up in the Sixteenth Ward in difficult circumstances, including bowed legs that affected her physically throughout her childhood and the death of her mother at the age of only five. She grew up a devout Baptist and began singing at church from a young age.
Jackson had to work from a young age. She was forced to drop out of school at the age of 10 to help care for her siblings while under the care of her abusive aunt. Eventually, she was taken into the care of other relatives and moved to Chicago.
Chicago was where the rise of gospel music began to take over the airwaves, and where Mahalia’s career began. Throughout her career, Jackson recorded more than 30 records, the first of which was a humble, label-less record in 1931. Her career took off by the late 1930s, and she was signed to labels such as Decca, Apollo, and Columbia. She continued to perform well into the 1970s before her passing. She is best known for songs like “Move On Up a Little Higher”, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”, “I Believe”, and others.
Mahalia Jackson Inspired Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jackson was also a civil rights activist, one who inspired the legendary “I Have A Dream” speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. As King began his famous speech, Jackson, who was in attendance, shouted, “Tell ‘em about the dream, Martin, tell ‘em about the dream!” After her words met his ears, King set aside his speech notes and dove into what would become one of the most famous speeches in American history.
King described her voice as one that “comes along once in a millennium.”
Jackson attended King’s funeral, following his assassination in 1968, and would retire from political work shortly after. She received international accolades for her work in gospel music and civil rights.
Mahalia Jackson passed away on January 27, 1972, at the age of 60, in Evergreen Park, Illinois. Jackson had been struggling with heart problems and diabetes before her death. More than 50,000 mourners and fans paid their respects when she passed. And if you listen to modern-day gospel singers, you’ll always hear a touch of her influence, like she’s still with us.
Photo by Don Cravens/Getty Images
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