Albertina Walker
| Albertina Walker | |
|---|---|
Walker in 2001.
|
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Queen of Gospel Music |
| Born |
August 29, 1929 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | October 8, 2010 (aged 81) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | Gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Composer, Producer, Actress |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1941–2010 |
| Labels |
Malaco Records Savoy Records Benson Records Word Records A&M RecordsScepter Records Hob Records |
| Associated acts |
Sisters of Glory Robert Anderson James Cleveland The Caravans Mahalia Jackson Inez Andrews Shirley Caesar Dorothy Norwood O'landa Draper |
| Website | albertinawalker.org |
Albertina Walker (August 29, 1929 – October 8, 2010) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, actress, and humanitarian. She was popularly referred to as the "Queen of Gospel Music".
Walker was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ruben and Camille Coleman Walker. Her mother was born in Houston County, Georgia, and her father in Bibb County, Georgia. They moved to Chicago between 1917-1920 where they lived out their lives. Albertina had four siblings born in Bibb County and four born in Chicago. Albertina began singing in the youth choir at the West Point Baptist Church at an early age, and joined several Gospel groups thereafter, including Pete Williams Singers, The Willie Webb Singers and the Robert Anderson Singers. Albertina was greatly influenced by Mahalia Jackson, her friend and confidante, whom Jackson took on the road when Albertina was just a teenager. "Mahalia used to kid me. She'd say, 'Girl, you need to go sing by yourself,'" recalled Walker in a 2010 Washington Post interview. Albertina Walker did just that. In 1951, she formed the group called The Caravans. She was popularly referred to as the "Queen of Gospel Music", initially by such notables as the late Reverend James Cleveland and Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr, for her outstanding achievements within the genre after the death of Mahalia Jackson in 1972.
In the early 1950s Walker founded her own Gospel music group The Caravans, enlisting fellow singers from The Robert Anderson Singers (Ora Lee Hopkins, Elyse Yancey and Nellie Grace Daniels). The Caravans' membership has included: James Cleveland, Bessie Griffin, Shirley Caesar, Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews, Loleatta Holloway, John McNeil, Cassietta George, and Delores Washington. Her discovery of these artists resulted in the nickname "Star Maker". Walker retired The Caravans in the late 1960s, performing as a solo artist.
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