SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Jackson Gospel Singers

Right up there with Stax, Atlantic Records of New York was probably the most soulful label of all time – with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Picket and a hundred more. So you’d probably guess that Atlantic’s short-lived “gospel” series from the 1950s was pretty good ... and it was!

A great example? The all-female Jackson Gospel Singers from New Orleans. In addition to the usual array of strong lead singers, the Jacksons had a secret weapon: Mary Thames Coleman, one of the world’s few female bass singers. The Jacksons sang old school gospel, heavy on the harmonies, with just a touch of doo-wop, always under-pinned by Coleman’s pumping bass lines. “I Can’t Walk This Highway” from 1954 displays the Jackson Gospel Singers at their fiery best.

MUSIC: The Jackson Gospel Singers 45, “I Can’t Walk This Highway” (July 27, 2025) 2:51 minutes

I’m Robert Darden … “Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments” is produced by KWBU and the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries.

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