By Mark Rhoads
Although she was born in New Orleans and did not move to Chicago until she was 16, the Windy City area became her home for the rest of her life. Mahalia Jackson was probably the best loved and most famous Gospel singer of the 20th Century with fans all over the world. She was a member of the Salem Baptist Church in Chicago for 45 years while she recorded many great albums for Decca, Appollo, and Capitol Records. Among her most popular albums was one recorded with Percy Faith at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival that became a smash hit on regular, not just Gospel, charts. She died in January 1972 at her home in Evergreen Park at the age of 61. Mayor Richard J. Daley joined 6,000 mourners at her funeral service held in the Airie Crown Theater at McCormick Place. Mahalia Jackson was both a great artist and a fine human being and another reason to celebrate the rich heritage of Illinois history.
