Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson remains one of the most, if not the most, influential gospel singers in history.  She recorded many hugely successful albums for several labels, including a long tenure at Columbia and won several Grammy awards.  She was also an important figure in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.  She has received numerous reissues over the years.  One part of her career which has been overlooked though are the recordings she made for television in the early 1960s.  Hired after her performance at John F. Kennedy's inaugural ball in 1961, she recorded 58 performances to be used as "filler" on Sunday mornings.  Real Gone has collected 16 of these rare tracks for Mahalia Jackson Sings - The Great Television Performances.