Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to story telling -- in prose and in poetry, in art and in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is the story of Oct. 26th
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It is the 299th day of the year, leaving 66 days remaining in 2022.
On this date in 1911, the singer Mahalia Jackson was born.
Her clear voice often used melisma, which required her to change notes several times while holding a single syllable. She would improvise on many a tune, often stretching out a song two to three times longer than normal.
The granddaughter of enslaved people, Jackson was mostly self taught through her church in New Orleans. As a teenager, she moved to Chicago, becoming part of the Johnson Singers, a gospel group. During these years, she was influenced by the blues singer Bessie Smith.
Indeed, Jackson mostly refused to sing any song that was non-religious or not biblically inspired.
She gained national attention with the release of her song, Move On Up a Little Higher, a gospel tune that sold more than 2 million copies. She was soon touring across the United States, as well as in Europe, and began to appear regularly on radio and television.
She sang the national anthem at the Inaugural Ball for President John F. Kennedy in 1961. She was active in the Civil Rights movement, and fired up the crowd with her voice at the 1963 March on Washington.
During the 1960s, she often sang to sold-out audiences in Carnegie Hall, and several of her albums sold more than 1 million copies. She was popular in Europe as well -- her version of Silent Night was a best seller in Denmark.
Jackson died in 1972.
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