Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson – What The World Needs Now (1970/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · June 9, 2023 · Comments off

Mahalia Jackson, hailed as one of America’s greatest voices, working for Columbia Records, for whom she made 15 albums. The Columbia albums, often with the backing of strings and choirs, had a much tighter, less improvisational feel than her earlier recordings, which exuded a raw power. In 1970 she’s even released a pop arranged song collection, “What the World Needs Now”.

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Mahalia Jackson – Sweet Little Jesus Boy (1955/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · June 9, 2023 · Comments off

Widely regarded as the greatest gospel singer of all time, Mahalia Jacksom made her impact felt across several musical genres. Her appearances at the 1957 and 1958 Newport Jazz Festivals exposed her to audiences that had previously been unaware of her abilities, just as her weekly radio show (which began in 1954) had done earlier in the decade. By 1961 she was considered almost part of the musical mainstream, resulting in her singing at President Kennedy’s inaugural ball. This album was originally released in 1955, her first Christmas album, but would be reissued six years later to great success.

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Mahalia Jackson – Sings the Best – Loved Hymns of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · June 9, 2023 · Comments off

Mahalia Jackson (October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice,she was referred to as “The Queen of Gospel”.She became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and was heralded internationally as a singer and civil rights activist.She was described by entertainer Harry Belafonte 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.

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Mahalia Jackson – My Faith (1967/2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · June 9, 2023 · Comments off

Mahalia Jackson was an American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as “The Queen of Gospel”. “My Faith”, released on Columbia Records in 1967, featuring a selection of the finest Gospel songs.

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Mahalia Jackson – Mahalia Sings The Gospel Right Out Of The Church (1969/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

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Mahalia Jackson – Gospels, Spirituals, & Hymns (1991/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · June 9, 2023 · Comments off

If the bazillion packagings and repackagings of Mahalia Jackson’s music confound you and you don’t know where to start, this expertly compiled, carefully annotated double-disc box set is for you. Jackson wasn’t just gospel music’s first international superstar–she was among its earliest adherents and inventors. Working with the great composer and former blues singer Thomas A. Dorsey in the late 1930s, Jackson gave a distinctly blues-trained, jazzy sass and grace to Dorsey’s material and the other hymns and spirituals she sang. More than any other performer, she helped to define gospel music itself as a transcendent, rootsy, melismatic, and heady spiritual sound. Culled from her sides for Columbia in the 1950s and 1960s, some of the arrangements in the set are not ideal and may sound quite a bit dated, but that voice shines and soars and dives straight to the center of your heart. Whether backed by a simple organ or piano or with full studio accompaniment, Jackson’s booming, instantly recognizable contralto is indescribable, exciting, and forever a wonder to behold. And if you think that’s an exaggeration, you don’t own this record.

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Mahalia Jackson – Everytime I Feel the Spirit (1961/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · June 9, 2023 · Comments off

General critical consensus holds Mahalia Jackson as the greatest gospel singer ever to live; a major crossover success whose popularity extended across racial divides, she was gospel’s first superstar, and even decades after her death remains, for many listeners, a defining symbol of the music’s transcendent power. With her singularly expressive contralto, Jackson continues to inspire the generations of vocalists who follow in her wake; among the first spiritual performers to introduce elements of blues into her music, she infused gospel with a sensuality and freedom it had never before experienced, and her artistry rewrote the rules forever. Born in one of the poorest sections of New Orleans on October 16, 1911, Jackson made her debut in the children’s choir of the Plymouth Rock Baptist Church at the age of four, and within a few years was a prominent member of the Mt. Moriah Baptist’s junior choir. Raised next door to a sanctified church, she was heavily influenced by their brand of gospel, with its reliance on drums and percussion over piano; another major inspiration was the blues of Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey.

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Mahalia Jackson – Bless This House (1956/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

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Bless This House was released in 1956 and features Mahalia Jackson and the Falls-Jones Ensemble. This LP is a favorite of the gospel purists who feel alienated by Jackson’s collaborations with pop artists like Percy Faith and Harpo Marx. The songs on Bless This House feature great supporting performances by pianist Mildred Falls and organist Ralph Jones. Highlights include a jazzy, swinging “Let the Church Roll On,” a dark, bluesy “Trouble With the Word,” and energetic versions of “Down By the Riverside” and “It Don’t Cost Very Much.” Bless This House includes some of Jackson’s most serious offerings and reflects the influence of blues singers Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey on her vocal style. A great introduction to Jackson’s joyous, religious music and a good beginning for new listeners. ~~ AllMusic Review by JT Griffith

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