Reflection on the Life of Gospel Singer Mahalia Jackson
by Dr. Liya Petrides, Music Director
Soon it will be done
Trouble of the world
Soon it will be done
Trouble! of the world
Going home! to live! with God!
 
No more! weapin and wailing
No more! weapin and wailing
No more! weapin and wailing
Going home! to live! with my Lord!
 
So sang the inimitable Mahalia Jackson in the 1959 film “Imitation of Life.” The story-line of the movie centers on the lives of two women and their daughters, and two different variations on the Parable of the Prodigal Son story from the Bible – determined by the two different Americas that the women live in – Lora is white while Annie is black. When they first meet, they are both single mothers raising young daughters – Annie finds Lora’s little daughter who’s lost at the beach. Lora, who is well-to-do, takes Annie and her daughter, Sarah Jane, in, and the two women and their daughters become family. Years pass and the girls grow up. Even though Sarah Jane is light-skinned and easily “passes” for a white person, she can’t seem to escape her origins so long as everyone knows whose daughter she is. Following a painful break-up with a white boyfriend, Sarah Jane decides to leave her mother and go her own way. She chooses a more care-free “white” life over the love of her mother, the choice she eventually regrets deeply. The “prodigal daughter” returns year later, but only to find her mother dying of a broken heart. The song Troubles of the World is sung at Annie’s funeral as Sarah Jane screams “I killed my mother.”
           
Mahalia Jackson, whose heart-rending, high-tragedy rendition of the Gospel hymn almost over-shadows the movie, was arguably the greatest American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as the “Queen of Gospel." She was one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and a civil rights activist. Harry Belafonte described Jackson as "the single most powerful black woman in the United States." She recorded about 30 albums (mostly for Columbia Records) during her career, and her 45 RPM records included a dozen "golds"—million-sellers.

When talking about singing the Gospel music, she said: "I sing God's music because it makes me feel free. It gives me hope. With the blues, when you finish, you still have the blues."

Her dedication to Gospel repertoire cost Mahalia her marriage, as she could not bear her husband’s insistence on her singing the secular repertoire.

Her commitment to Civil Rights movement nearly cost her life. In 1963, despite death threats, Jackson joined Martin Luther King Jr. on the March on Washington. At a rally, she sang for the 250 000 audience, same audience who heard the “I Have a Dream” delivered from the mouth of King. There, Jackson said that she hoped her music could "break down some of the hate and fear that divide the white and black people in this country."

A child of a preacher and a maid, Mahalia was born into the household of 13 plus a dog, all living in a three-room dwelling. Nevertheless, Mahalia went on to have an illustrious singing career in the U.S. and abroad. In Paris, she was called, 'Angel of Peace. " In 1950, she became the first Gospel singer to sing at Carnegie Hall.

A little-known fact is that the famous hymn “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” was first sung by Jackson, and was a product of her collaboration with composer Thomas A. Dorsey, known as the “Father of Gospel Music.” The song became her signature piece, before it was further popularized by Elvis Presley.
 
We need Mahalia today, her big heart, her big-as-the-sea contralto voice, her steadfast faith in her Lord – all that still lives in her many recordings since she passed on in 1972. May her music heal all the troubles of our very troubled world. Please listen to this amazing performance HERE.
 
Thank you to your continued interest and feedback on our Reflections on Sacred Music. It is always great to hear from you about what piece of music inspired you and you felt was “sacred.” Please share your experiences by sending me an email at music.director@stc-sta.org.