Music
Born in 1922, Charles Mingus was one of the most powerful forces in modern jazz. He took up the bass at the age of 16, studied piano and music theory, and got his first gig with Buddy Collette. By 1942 he had worked with Louis Armstrong and he formed his own band in 1944. It was the ’50s that saw him emerge as a leading innovator in the avant-garde jazz movement. A great student of jazz, he used his broad knowledge to shape his compositions..mixing it with his childhood. Mingus said: “This was based on a form of music I heard as a kid. My mother used to go to church on Wednesday night. There was always clapping of hands and shouting. Methodist or Holiness Church. Holiness was a little louder, in order to stir up the spirits, the dead spirits.” In the ’60s, he experimented with large bands, but by 1977, MS had taken his body. He died in 1979.
Music
An outstanding and groundbreaking jazz vocalist, she was also the first African American woman to win a Grammy award.
Music
1911-1972
Mahalia Jackson, the “Queen of Gospel Music,” lett a legacy of gospel recordings and performances that remain unmatched to this day.
She grew up in New Orleans, and although she was familiar with the records of Bessie Smith and other blues singers, her father, who was a preacher, allowed only religious music to be played at home. Jackson made her first record in 1934, and eleven years later she achieved national fame with “Move On Up a Little Higher,” which sold a million copies. In 1950 she made her first appearance at Carnegie Hall.
Jackson has been credited with popularizing the gospel sound with her unforgettable recordings Precious Lord, Bless This Household, and Let the Church Roll On. She won Grammy Awards for her albums Great Songs of Love and Faith and Make a Joyful Noise.
