Tony Cummings charts the life and achievements of MAHALIA JACKSON.

Back in the States the gospel superstar undertook an amazing TV recording project, shooting 85 songs in one hair-raising two-week schedule. The resulting songs were shown daily as 'Mahalia Jackson Sings' coast to coast across America and proved immensely popular. The TV series went on to win the Silver Dove Award for "the work of quality doing the most good for international understanding." Mahalia won another award when she was awarded the first Gospel Grammy.

Mahalia received an invitation to visit John F Kennedy at the White House and a few days later was marching with Martin Luther King. She sang "Green Leaves Of Summer" at a Hollywood Bowl extravaganza. She was asked to to a TV show with Danny Kaye. But then, the day of the taping, tragedy struck -John F Kennedy was assassinated. At the TV taping, after singing "Deep River", Mahalia collapsed in Danny Kaye's arms. It was years before the gospel star would bring herself to sing the song again. Mahalia recorded a tribute single to Kennedy "In The Summer Of His Years". One reviewer gushed that Mahalia was "the preacher of the 20th century - the most acclaimed vocalist in the world."

But trouble was beginning to brew for Mahalia. She had fallen in love with a jazz flautist-cum-entrepreneur called Minters Galloway and began to sound out her friends with the idea of marrying her sleek beau. Everyone, ministers, agents, old friends and showbiz high-fliers, tried to warn Mahalia against marrying her 'Minnis'. But Mahalia was besotted. Ill health put her temporarily back in hospital. But then Mahalia married Minters. Her husband began to tour with Mahalia, playing flute in a warm up set before the gospel stars appearance. The marriage quickly ran into difficulties. Finally the couple were divorced in a court case of ugly publicity.

Mahalia, by now suffering frequent bouts of incapacitation from her 'sarcoid trouble' was devastated. Slowly but surely, however, she began to pick up the threads of her life.

In 1969 she recorded an Easter concert at the Philharmonic Hall, New York, one of her most devastating performances. She did a concert in Nassau with Sidney Portier acting as MC. And back in the States, Mahalia made plans to fly in to be with her friend Martin Luther King in Memphis. Then, at the last moment, the singer allowed her strong aversion to airplane travel to take over. She was watching TV with two friends when the news came through - Dr King had been shot.

At Martin Luther King's funeral Mahalia, obviously ill, almost collapsed. 10 days after the martyr's death, the singer took part in a stunning concert alongside the Staple Singers, Edwin Hawkins and James Cleveland. Laurraine Coreau described it: "Emotion was lapping in the house like a rising tide and now Mahalia - hair loose, face contorted with the agony, the ecstasy, began 'We Shall Overcome' The audience was into a shout. Women screaming. Mahalia was improvising, exultant. On the line 'We shall all be free' something pierced through her voice that exploded the teetering dam and the audience went up, out, over, onto the big stage in a shouting, crying mass. It was a jubilee. Mahalia was pitched high...'Weeee shall over - yes! - we'll overcome! Yes! Lord!'"

Such performances were taking their toll. Yet despite frequent bouts of pain and breathlessness Mahalia continued to work herself hard. She threw herself into organising an all-star rally at the Hollywood Bowl and got everyone from Jimmy Durante to Delia Reese to come and play for free. It raised tens of thousands of dollars for civil rights work. Amazingly, after the pain of their marriage and divorce, Mahalia began seeing Minters Galloway again. Rumours of reconciliation quickly spread.

Mahalia continued to record. 'A Mighty Fortress' (1968) and 'Mahalia Sings The Gospel Right Out Of The Church' (1969) were well-received albums, but now her material carried a large dose of contemporary 'message' songs of the "Put A Little Love In Your Heart" and "What The World Needs Now Is Love" ilk. Her business interests were now extensive and a chicken franchise with Mahalia Jackson eateries across the States looked set to bring her in a small fortune. The money from the franchise Mahalia planned to use to set up a Mahalia Temple in Chicago. For a dream to build a church/evangelistic outreach centre in her beloved Chicago had now become a passion for the singer.

Yet there were still major mountains to climb. She performed in Japan to such acclaim that she was given the unique opportunity to perform before the emperor. The wires of AP, UPI and Reuters took the news around the world. She followed this with a concert appearance in India where Prime Minister Mrs Gandhi became an adoring fan. Mahalia was booked to play Europe in the summer of 1971. Reluctantly, knowing that her health was deteriorating she stepped on to a plane to Europe.

At her first concert in Guntersloh, Switzerland she brought the stomping, clapping auditorium to a delirium of excitement and only left them after six encores. A similar thing occurred the next night in Frankfurt, then Berlin. But then in Munich, the gnawing pain in her chest was suddenly too much to bear. A frantic search for a doctor ended with Mahajia settling into a room at the US Army Hospital. For almost a month she stayed there. Finally, on 23 October the famed gospel singer, voted one of the most admired women in the world, was flown back to Chicago by the US Air Force. Briefly, back on her home territory she rallied, and was able to join in a business discussion or two from her hospital room as how to build her dreamed-of Temple. But then, at the hospital in Evergreen, Illinois, on 27 January 1972, Mahalia Jackson went home to be for eternity with the Lord she sang about so passionately.

She left behind a legacy that few enthusiasts of post-war Christian music will ever forget. Above all, she paved the way for thousands more in taking gospel music out of a church and into the concert hall. Let's thank God for Mahalia Jackson.

(This article first appeared in Vol 3, Issues 5 and 6 of New Christian Music.)