Jackson, Mahalia

Jackson, Mahalia 16 October 1911 (1912?); New Orleans, LA – 27 January 1972; Evergreen Park, IL Mahalia Jackson , dubbed the “Queen of Gospel Music,” is generally regarded as the most influential figure in American gospel music. Jackson was born in New Orleans and moved with her family to Chicago as a teenager. She began singing in Baptist churches located in both cities, notably Chicago’s Greater Salem Baptist Church with the Prince Johnson Gospel Singers in the 1920s. Although Jackson…