Sultry, soulful vocalist, lyricist, composer, actor, and activist Oleta Adams was born in Seattle, Washington, on May 4, 1953, and began piano lessons at seven. When she was 11, her family moved to Yakima, Washington, where she sang in the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church choir, … Read MoreOleta Adams (1953- )
Contemporary Gospel Music legend Yolanda Yvette Adams was born on August 27, 1961, in Houston, Texas, to Major Adams and Carolyn Jean Adams, a schoolteacher. Adams earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Texas Southern University in 1985. Adams and Troy Mason were … Read MoreYolanda Yvette Adams (1961- )
Pianist/ R&B singer Betty Everett was born on November 23, 1939, in Greenwood, Mississippi. Her early education began in 1945 at the Rosenwald Day School in Leflore County, Mississippi. At the age of 9, Everett was already playing the piano and singing gospel music in … Read MoreBetty Everett (1939-2001)
The Winans, an R&B contemporary African American crossover gospel quartet, was created from the musical Winans family of Detroit, Michigan. They were discovered by the legendary Gospel composer Andraé Crouch, who signed them to Light Records in 1981. The quartet comprised brothers Marvin Lawrence Winans … Read MoreThe Winans (1981-2000)
The Golden Crown Quartet was established in Norfolk, Virginia in 1919. The ensemble comprised baritone Samuel Benton, tenor Wilson Taylor, tenor James Holley and bass Maynard Bennett although very little is known about their backgrounds. Unlike the vast majority of African American religious artists in … Read MoreGolden Crown Quartet (1919-1955)
The Golden Gate Quartet was formed in 1934 in Norfolk, Virginia, as the Golden Gate Jubilee Singers by four teenage students at Booker T. Washington High School. The founders were bass Orlandus Wilson who was born on August 27, 1917, in South Norfolk, arranger/ baritone … Read MoreThe Golden Gate Quartet (1934- )
A cappella doo-wop, gospel sextet Take 6 was formed on the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Seventh Day Adventist campus of Oakwood University in 1980 in Huntsville, Alabama. The ensemble’s repertoire includes jazz, doo-wop, Contemporary R&B, Negro Spirituals, and Classical European genres of … Read MoreTake 6 (1980- )
The Dixie Hummingbirds, a gospel music group, was formed in 1928 in Greenville, South Carolina, by lyricist/vocalist/guitarist James B. Davis, (born June 6, 1916, in Greenville), when he was 12. He was assisted by Barney Parks (born August 17, 1916) and Claude A. Jeter (born … Read MoreDixie Hummingbirds (1928- )
The Mighty Clouds of Joy who often performed as Joe Ligon & The Mighty Clouds of Joy, was a gospel quartet established in Los Angeles, California in 1955. The founding members were Willie Joe Ligon (October 11, 1936), Johnny Martin (February 2, 1941), Bass Guitarist … Read MoreThe Mighty Clouds of Joy (1955-2012)
Mary Mary has emerged as the most successful gospel duo of the 21st Century. In 1998, sisters and Erica Monique Atkins Campbell, born April 29, 1972, and Trecina Evette Atkins Campbell, born May 1, 1974, in Inglewood, California, formed the Urban/contemporary gospel duo “Mary Mary,” … Read MoreMary Mary (1988- )
