What’s amazing is that I am actually pulling off – knock on wood – quitting smoking. My Mom will be the Happiest Girl on the Planet, along with my other friends who could never reconcile my physical output and a habit so grotesque. Day 7 beckons ths morning with a sunny disposition and only the usual few thousand demons, waiting for me to slip up. In a way, I am most certainly rejoicing but I have had such a muted personal reponse to this all based on past failures. This is fairly tough.

With that borne in mind and this desk and computer one of the primary spots for my cigarette Jones, I have decided to spend a bit less time computing. The positive side of it is that I can supply some music easily enough and enjoy doing it. I’ll need to get normal soon I guess.

This is Mahalia Jackson, friends. I was of course surprised to learn how few modern people know of Mahalia – I have a now-19 year old daughter and I hang with some pretty young folks in general. They are not really sure who she is. I hope this helps. Mahalia Jackson is the reason Gospel Music even exists. I am positive the genre was made for her alone – the single most dominating singer of her generation.

Like Pearl Baily, Nina Simone, Dinah Washington and even Billie Holliday, Mahalia Jackson represents another era entirely of the stunningly-gifted Black Female Musician in an era where there sheer ability alone was their only path to any notoriety whatsoever. Well, as you can see, Mahalia brings alot to the table in this regard.

This clip effectively ends around the 4 and a half minute mark, but I think they included all the rest just to illustrate how Mahalia Jackson could electrify a crowd. You will agree this usually-disciplined European crowd is the definition of “electrified”. But there’s no music after that, just the wonderful grand lady of song – an irreplaceable musical personality – doing some of her trademark appeal to Peace and Love, God bless her. This, my friends, is SOUL.

Mahalia Jackson: