•Doris Mae Akers Self taught musician, singer, songwriter, music publisher, choral director and recording artist; was born in 1923. She wrote her first song at the age of 12. Over the span of her career, it is noted that she wrote over 500 songs. She was affectionally known as “Miss Gospel Music”.

•Doris first became well known for her work with one of the first racially integrated singing aggregations Sky Pilot Choir in Los Angeles, CA. That is where she met and sang with Sallie Martin and the Sallie Martin Singers, then on to the Simmons-Akers Singers. She worked with and co-wrote “Lord Don’t Move The Mountain” with Mahalia Jackson.

•Doris had her own solo career where she would produce an Album each year. In 1987 the National Organization of Black Catholics named their official hymnal after her 1955 composition “Lead Me, Guide Me.”

•She has been honored by the Smithsonian Institute, Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame (both in TN) & honored by NAACP

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•Nate Martin& Singing In God’s Name (S.I.G.N.) began in 2016 in the “Birthplace of Gospel Music” Chicago, IL and quickly became loved in throughout the city for their youthfulness, energy and passion for God.

•In 2017 they released their first single entitled “Nothing Too Hard”, when Nate was only 16 years old. In 2018 they held their first recording at The Powerhouse Chicago (Pastored by Archbishop William Hudson III& Pastor Andria Hudson) which was released the following year with the album entitled “SIGN Language”. And in 2020 the group received an Eddy Award for Album of the Year!

•Nate Martin & S.I.G.N. recently returned from a 3-week European Tour through Norway & Italy in January 2023.

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•Edward & Edgar O’Neal – Known as The O’Neal Twins The twins were born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1938 and at the encouragement of their family Pastor Elder James Ward Senior began singing. Once they began “seriously” singing they were often guests at churches throughout St. Louis, MO and local cities in Illinois. Later encouraged by the late James Cleveland to make a living at singing the O’Neal Twins increased their appearances and recordings. Throughout their careers as recording artists, they had over a dozen duo albums and appeared on about 20 recordings in all.

•In the beginning there was a struggle with singing and playing instruments to becoming one of the most produced, powerful duo team of recording history. From their first appearance on “TV Gospel Time” in 1965 they appeared on many other Television shows and received many awards and inducted into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Detroit, Michigan.

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•Sallie Martin, Kenneth Morris & Martin and Morris Music Studio

•Sallie Martin a gospel singer, business woman and Co-Founder of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses. She sang and partnered with Thomas A. Dorsey to spread the Gospel songs he’d written and sold sheet music after concerts.

•Kenneth Morrissongwriter, composer and arranger was a musician at First Church of Deliverance in Chicago, IL. He promoted Gospel Music and composed over 300 songs.

•Martin & Morris Music Studio Sallie was partnered with Kenneth by Rev. Clarence Cobb to expand and grow the church choir. That partnership grew the largest Gospel Music publishing companies which spanned over 50 years.

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•Professor Alex Bradford a musician, composer, director, recording & Gospel music theater artist. He first appeared on a vaudeville stage at the age of 4 and in his teen, years started his own radio show. Alex received the title “Professor” because while in college he assisted in teaching music classes to other students. He started his recording journey in the 1950’s

•Alex started a few singing groups which bared his name and was a successful recording artist with a few albums. His greater success came later as he was one of the first Black artists to perform a Gospel show in the Netherlands. He was imitated by Rock ‘N Roll & Reagree singers and influenced soul singers. In some circles people thought of him as creating the Mass Choir Movement. That recognition could have followed the 1960 recording with the New York Abyssinian Baptist Gospel Choir consisting of a 120-voice choir which was under Professor Alex Bradford’s direction.

•In 1959, Alex Bradford and the Alex Bradford Singers sold over one million copies of was titled “Walking With The King.” They subsequently recorded several more albums to add to their discography. Alex not only toured with his own singers, he travelled overseas with Mahaila Jackson, Madeline Bell, Henrietta Waddy and many others.

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•Edwin Hawkins was a musician, songwriter, multi award winning recording artist, composer and arranger. He was one of the originators of the Urban Contemporary Gospel sound. Founder of the Edwin Hawkins Singers & Edwin Hawkins Music & Arts Seminar.

•Edwin was one of 8 children born in Oakland, California who as a child the family sang every Sunday at many churches in the area. At the age of 7 he became the pianist for the family group and by the age of 17 began travelling as a musician for other ministries.

•Edwin and Betty Watson co-founded the Northern California State Youth Choir in 1967 and for a fund raiser recorded a 2-track record which included Edwin’s arrangement of the Hymn “Oh Happy Day”. That arrangement launched the career of Edwin, the Youth choir and the beginning of the Edwin Hawkins Singers to worldwide acclaim.

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•Brother Joe May, Known as the "THUNDERBOLT OF THE MIDDLE WEST! "He was a vocalist who was compared to have similar vocal prowess as Ms. Mahailia Jackson. He was under the influence of Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith after he and his family relocated from Macon Mississippi to East St. Louis Illinois to work in a chemical plant.

•He was noted as “the greatest Gospel singer of all time” which is where the title of Thunderbolt derived. Brother May had a voice of unimaginable range and power. He would take a song from a whisper to a scream without the slightest suggestion of effort.

•Brother Joe may began singing at Thomas A. Dorsey’s National Conventions of Gospel Choirs and Choruses directed by Mother Willie Mae Ford. In 1949 he began his solo career after signing with Specialty Records and went on to record multiple albums. He was asked multiple times to do secular recordings. He, however, would have nothing to do with secular music even though he was cited as a musical inspiration by Little Richard.

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Resource information for this episode came from several websites, album linier notes and videos found on YouTube.

•Gwendolyn Rosetta Capps Lightner, was a Gospel pianist, choir director and arranger. She was born in Brookport IL – which is 400 miles South of Chicago. She studied piano with the focus on being a concert pianist. Continuing to be involved in Classical music studies in college following her graduation she moved to Chicago in the early 1940’s.

•Gwendolyn began her interest in Gospel music and through that she met many of Chicago’s prominent gospel musicians like Kenneth Morris, Sallie Martin, Roberta Martin and Mahalia Jackson; whom she played for many on many of Mahalia’s tours and travels.

•While Gwendolyn was a member of Emma L. Jackson Singers during 1946-47she eventually moved to Los Angeles, CA where she was very instrumental in bringing the Chicago Style Gospel Music Playing and singing. One of the major singing aggregations of over 100 voices was St. Paul Baptist Church’s Echosof Eden Choir. She was hired by the Pastor along with James Earl Hines to give the choir a “Mid-West” sound.

•Gwendolyn learned the Gospel Bounce way of playing from Kenneth Morris of Chicago and added her own flare of playing and teaching throughout the Los Angeles region.

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Black Nativity, a gospel song-play based on a script by Langston Hughes originally titled, Wasn't That a Mighty Day, with music arranged by the show's stars, Marion Williams and Alex Bradford, was produced by Michael Santangelo and Barbara Griner. The show used two gospel singing groups: The Stars of Faith and the Bradford Singers and also starred Princess Stewart. It was directed by Vinnete Carroll and opened for a limited run on Broadway at the 41st St. Theatre in December 1961 to critical and popular acclaim.

The original name for the Song-Play was "Wasn't It A Mighty Day?"  Langston Hughes was a well-known agnostic, however wrote about Black culture and practices.  He knew that in the Black culture the history of gospel and music was strong.  Langston combined Black  spirituality and religious traditions to demonstrate the Christmas Story from a Black person's view.  Using those tools combined he wanted to share the story of the birth of Jesus presenting in musically and using a gospel choir to portray the story.

Much of the research done for this show was captured from various websites such as The New York Public Library, Dramatic Publishing Co. and A Study series presented by Congo Square Theater (Chicago, IL) documentation.

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•What’s new is a Let’s Talk: Gospel Music Gold Radio Show on WMRM-DB Internet Radio station which comes on Saturday Mornings at 9:00AM CST

•Nicholas Brandon Miller received an associate’s Degree in Music at El Camino / Compton College in the Spring of 2016. Presently, Nicholas is a Music Education Major at Cal. State Dominguez Hills University and will graduate in the spring of 2022.

•He is a Gospel Music recording artist who sings, plays guitar and is an outstanding drummer. He is a BMI songwriter who records and produces music for B+ Music in Carson, CA

•Nicholas released his first recording “My Redeemer” in 2013; which was one of the most played Gospel songs on the world-famous KTYM radio station in Los Angeles, CA. He has had many other successful releases which includes “I Get Joy” and “Falling In Love With Jesus.”

•Nicholas had performed with Pharrell Williams and appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel and Queen Latifa Television shows. His list of appearances go on as making a force in pressing forth in Gospel Music.

•Please send me an email sharing your thoughts about this podcast segment also if you have any suggestions of future guests you would like to hear on the show. Send an email to [email protected]

•What’s new is a Let’s Talk: Gospel Music Gold Radio Show on WMRM-DB Internet Radio station which comes on Saturday Mornings at 9:00AM CST