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"Move on Up a Little Higher" Changes the Gospel Game

Season 1 Episode 2 | 4m 47s

Until the 1940s, male quartets dominated gospel recordings. But, in 1947, Apollo Records, a small independent label decided to take a chance on Mahalia Jackson, an accomplished singer on the Chicago gospel scene. The success of "Move on Up a Little Higher" proved that Gospel music could be both spiritual and profitable.

Corporate support for GOSPEL was provided by Bank of America. Major funding support was provided by the Lilly Endowment Inc., Gilead Sciences, Inc., the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Emerson Collective and the Ford Foundation. Funding was also provided by members of The Inkwell Society and by public television viewers like you.
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Mahalia Jackson recorded on a major label for the first time in 1937, to mixed reviews.
Thomas Dorsey co-founds the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses in 1933.
The legendary Mahalia Jackson provided the soundtrack for the Civil Rights Movement.
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