Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson (October 26, 1911 January 13, 1972) was an African American gospel singer, widely regarded as the best in the history of the genre. She grew up in the "Black Pearl" section of the Carrollton neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, Louisiana and began singing in a Baptist church. She moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1927 where she sang with The Johnson Brothers, one of the earliest professional gospel groups.