Doris Akers
| Doris Akers | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Doris Mae Akers |
| Born |
May 21, 1923 Brookfield, Missouri, U.S. |
| Origin | United States |
| Died | July 26, 1995 (aged 72) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Genres | Gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, arranger, recording artist |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1945–1995 |
| Labels | Score, Superb, Songs of the Cross, Imperial, RCA Victor, Christian Faith, Manna Records, Praise, Worship |
| Associated acts | Simmons-Akers Singers, Sky Pilot Choir |
Doris Mae Akers (May 21, 1923 – July 26, 1995) was an American Gospel music composer, arranger and singer. Known for her work with the Sky Pilot Choir, she was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
Doris Akers was born in Brookfield, Missouri to parents Floyd and Pearl Akers. She had nine siblings; Edward, Floyd, Evelyn, Marian, Donald, Nellie, Bernice, Harley, and Charles. The family moved to nearby Kirksville when she was five years old. She learned to play the piano by ear at age six and wrote her first song, "Keep the Fire Burning in Me," when she was ten years old. During the 1930s she formed a group with her siblings, Edward, Marian and Donald, who went by the name of "Dot and The Swingsters".
In 1945, at the age of 22, Akers moved to Los Angeles. She was recruited by Sallie Martin in 1946 as a pianist and vocalist for The Sallie Martin Singers. Martin was famous for touring nationally with Professor Thomas Dorsey to sell gospel sheet music and this collaboration early in her career gave Akers insight into the business end of the music industry. Two years later she left The Sallie Martin Singers and began her own group. In 1947, she published her first song with Martin & Morris, entitled "I Want A Double Portion Of God's Love".
In 1948, she teamed up with Dorothy Simmons and Hattie Hawkins and formed the Simmons-Akers Trio. They released many recordings on several labels: Score, Superb, Super, Songs of the Cross, Imperial Records, RCA Victor and label Specialty Records. Doris formed the "Simmons and Akers Music House" in 1948 to market and preserve some of her original religious compositions which grew out of her religious faith.
In the mid-fifties, Akers began an association with Manna Music, founded by Tim Spencer of the Sons of the Pioneers. In early 1957, Akers recorded her first solo album called, "Sing Praises Unto The Lord" (RCA Victor 1481). The album featured many of her early compositions such as, "I Found Something", "Lead On (Lord Jesus)", and "Jesus Is The Name". She was backed by her group the Simmons Akers Gospel Singers.
According to ASCAP documentation, in 1958, along with her friend Mahalia Jackson, Doris co-wrote the song, "Lord, Don't Move the Mountain", which sold over a million records. This composition also became a hit for another gospel superstar, Inez Andrews, over a decade later.
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