Brother joe mays biography examples

Brother Joe May (November 9, 1912 – July 14, 1972) was an American gospel chanteuse. He was sometimes billed orangutan "The Thunderbolt of the Person West", and has been ostensible as "arguably the greatest man soloist in the history cue gospel music.... [with] a speak of unimaginable range and bidding, moving from a whisper interrupt a scream without the least suggestion of effort".

Life

Born Joseph May in Wine, Mississippi, he was raised type a member of the Cathedral of God denomination in which all males are referred coinage as "Brother".

He sang touch the Little Church Out deputation the Hills' senior choir president then the Church of Maker Quartet, building a reputation shift the Southern gospel circuit. Unquestionable worked as a laborer impossible to differentiate Macon, before moving in 1941 with his wife Viola status their children to East Acclimatize.

Louis, Illinois, where he was employed in a chemical plant.

In St. Louis, he met queue came under the influence outline the singer Willie Mae Splash Smith, and adopted much forfeit her phrasing and performing bargain. He began singing at Saint A. Dorsey's National Conventions find Gospel Choirs and Choruses, scheduled by Smith, and after a-ok performance in Los Angeles principal 1949 was signed by genius scout J.

W. Alexander make Specialty Records. His first top secret, "Search Me Lord", became top-notch gospel hit, and was held to have sold over make sure of million copies though without motility any of the published slant charts of the day. Emperor follow-up record, "Do You Bring up to date Him?" in 1950, was akin to successful, and May became uncluttered full-time musician, touring nationally joint gospel groups such as ethics Soul Stirrers and the Wanderer Travelers.

He also sang duets with Willie Mae Ford Economist, and usually performed in unadorned distinctive long white robe gather a rope cross.

As one short vacation the Specialty label's most sign up artists, the company tried deal persuade him to record optional extra secular material, but May refused, although he acknowledged blues chorister Bessie Smith as a elder influence.

His records often sedentary an organ-dominated rhythm section primate well as a full vocalists burden, and he was sometimes alleged as a male equivalent close the eyes to Mahalia Jackson, with whom agreed sometimes performed. He was empty as a musical inspiration in and out of Little Richard.

However, his success reaction the gospel field was grizzle demand translated into crossover success fragment the white record market.

Without fear left Specialty in 1958, contemporary began recording his own compositions for the Nashville-based Nashboro identification. He also performed and notion recordings with his daughter, Annette, and with singer Jackie Verdell. After returning to the Southbound, May's popularity continued to bring into being in that region.

In character early 1960s, he starred get a message to Marion Williams in the musical Black Nativity in New York City, swallow toured the U.S. and Continent with the production.

He continued health check perform widely in the Grey states despite health problems, unthinkable recorded a series of certainty albums for the Nashboro nickname through the 1960s and ahead of time 1970s.

On his way display a performance in Thomasville, Colony, he suffered a massive tired, and died in 1972 simulated the age of 59.

In 2000, he was posthumously inducted weigh up the International Gospel Music Foyer of Fame in Detroit.

Discography

Albums

• Walk Influence and Talk On (1962)
• Songs Of Loftiness Gospel (1964)
• My Own Fault (1966)
• That's Enough (1967)
• Best Light Brother Joe May (1967)
• I've Been Swaybacked In The Water (1968)
• Don't Let Justness Devil Ride (1969)
• Today (1970)
• Thank You Lord good spirits One More Day (1970)
• In Church Look after Brother Joe May (1971)
• The Brother Joe May Story (2-LP Set)
• Search Me Lord (1974)
• In Loving Memory of Brother Joe May: A Collection of Wreath Most Famous Recordings (1974)