Jan 26, 2023
St. Louis, of course, has had its share of musical legends. In Rock-n-Roll, of course, there's Chuck Berry among others. In Hip Hop, there's Nelly, and others. Lesser know, though, is a Gospel hero in Willie Mae Ford Smith. Just press play to hear the whole story. ------
Click on search links to see if there are episodes with related content: Andrew Wanko, Black History, Music, Arts and Entertainment,
Podcast Transcript: I’m
Andrew Wanko, Public Historian of the Missouri Historical Society,
and Here’s History on 88-one, KDHX. ———
When you hear the word “gospel,” does a particular city spring to mind? Maybe Detroit, New Orleans, or Memphis? Well next time think of St. Louis. St. Louis has long been a gospel hotbed, and a presence on the scene for decades was Willie Mae Ford Smith. ———-
Born in 1906, Willie Mae Ford Smith started singing in St. Louis gospel choirs as a teen, becoming a powerhouse soloist in an era when it was still uncommon to hear women’s voices alone. In 1939 she began leading the prestigious Soloists Bureau of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs gaining fame as one of gospel music’s top vocal teachers. She taught students not just how to make their singing dramatic, but also how to create a paced atmosphere with body movements, beginning with one’s approach to the church pulpit. Among her countless students were Mahalia Jackson, Clara Ward, and Dinah Washington. ———
In the 1950s, Willie Mae Ford Smith was ordained a minister at St. Louis’s Lively Stone Apostolic Church. With her booming voice, flowing robes, and oversized glasses, she embodied the ideal gospel balance of loving warmth and towering power. She never sang a hymn straight ahead - she added to it, slowed it down, and threw in sermonettes, wiping sweat from her forehead through joy-filled performances. Fellow St. Louis gospel legend Zella Jackson Price called her voice a “building wrecker.” ———
Willie Mae Ford Smith’s first album didn’t come out until she was 69 years old, and a 1972 appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival marked her first wider exposure to audiences outside the gospel world. In the 1982 gospel documentary film Say Amen Somebody, she tells director George Neirenberg “I may have cracks in my voice as wide as the banks of the Mississippi, but the old Mississippi River keeps on flowing.” In 1988, Willie Mae Ford Smith was presented the Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the highest honor in the country for folk and traditional arts. She passed away at age 89 in St. Louis. ———
Here’s history is a joint production of the Missouri Historical Society and KDHX. I’m Andrew Wanko and this is 88.1 KDHX St. Louis. ———