Born: October 6, 1911, New Orleans, LA

Education: McDonough School No. 24, grade 8; Scott Institute of Beauty Culture, Chicago, 1927

Died: January 27, 1972, Chicago, IL

One observer called Jackson “the greatest gospel singer ever to live,” with the “stage presence and spiritual intensity” of a blues singer.

Growing up poor, migrating to Chicago, and singing in Baptist church choirs shaped Jackson's path to fame. Her discography includes thirty albums, some still best-sellers, but many of her early records are forgotten. The first was “God's Gonna Separate the Wheat from the Tares” (1937). After recording “Move on Up a Little Higher” (1948), “the best-selling gospel record of all time,” she became an international diva with a “cult following.” Some reviewers said that she reminded audiences of the great blueswoman Bessie Smith. “I Can Put My Trust in Jesus” (1952) earned her a French Academy Award for artistic achievement and a sold-out European tour. She hosted her own CBS-TV show (1954–55), which enjoyed a large crossover audience; recorded the hit single “Rusty Old Halo” (1954); and appeared on the Dinah Shore and Ed Sullivan TV shows. She played the role of the funeral soloist in the noted film Imitation of Life (1959) and sang for both President John F. Kennedy's inauguration and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral. Many music critics applauded her 1971 farewell concert in Germany as a triumph.