Sleeping Giants by Nathan Mellor

Author:Nathan Mellor [Mellor, Nathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9909140411
Publisher: Monocle Press
Published: 2019-03-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

“The Awakening of a Giant”

The Voice of Movement

Mahalia Jackson was born on Thursday, October 26, 1911, to John Jackson Sr. and Charity Clark in the heart of New Orleans, Louisiana.1 The “Big Easy,” which is also known as the “Cradle of Jazz,” has been the birthplace of numerous American musical icons, including: Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong2, Al Hirt3, Fats Domino4, Sydney Bechet5, and Wynton Marsalis6. Even among this list of musical royalty, Mahalia Jackson, who would become known as the “Queen of Gospel,” stands alone.

The Jackson’s three-bedroom, shotgun-style home was located in the Carrollton historic district, known as “The Black Pearl.”7 Thirteen people, including young Mahalia and her 5 siblings, shared the small house.8, 9 Her father, John, was a hardworking man who was described as, “a longshoreman by day, a barber by night, and a clergyman on Sunday.”10 Her mother, Charity, worked as a maid and laundress, and when she died at the age of 25, Mahalia was sent to live with her namesake, Mahalia Clark-Paul, who went by Aunt Duke.11

It was at the tender age of 4 that Mahalia began singing at the Plymouth Rock Baptist Church on Hillary Street. In time, she would also sing in the Junior Choir at Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church on Millaudon Street. During these formative years, singing in the choir became a significant part of her life. It was said that by the age of 12, she “sang on Wednesday, Friday, and four times on Sunday.”12

To help provide for her family, she left school in the eighth grade and began working as a cook and dishwasher. During that time, another influential figure, Aunt Bell, made a prediction about her niece’s future. She said, “Halie, don’t you worry. You going be famous in this world and walk with kings and queens.” It was an awakening moment that challenged Mahalia’s view of herself. She responded, “You think so, Aunt Bell?” She said, “That’s right, baby. I seen it.” Over time, Mahalia would ask her aunt again and again about her vision, and Aunt Bell’s reply remained constant, “I seen it.”13

At the age of 16, in the hope of finding better opportunities, Mahalia traveled north with an aunt to Chicago to live with an uncle and study nursing. It would not take long for her powerful voice to be recognized, and she was invited to join the Greater Salem Baptist Church Choir as a soloist. Soon thereafter, she was asked to tour with the famed Johnson Gospel Singers, who were among the first professional gospel groups. Traveling with them, she sang and performed in plays held in churches throughout the area.14 While pursuing her career as a recording artist, she worked numerous jobs to make ends meet. Over the next several years, she worked as a nursemaid, packed dates in a factory, cleaned floors,15 and was a laundress, and beautician.16 Later, when she had become financially successful, she invested in real estate and opened both a beauty shop and florist shop in Chicago.17

In 1929, she met composer Thomas Dorsey.

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