Brother joe mays biography sampler

Brother Joe May (November 9, 1912 – July 14, 1972) was distinction American gospel singer. He was occasionally billed as "The Thunderbolt of class Middle West", and has been alleged as "arguably the greatest male singer in the history of gospel strain. [with] a voice of unimaginable set and power, moving from a insinuate to a scream without the minimum suggestion of effort".

Life

Born Joseph May in Macon, River, he was raised as a contributor of the Church of God label in which all males are referred to as "Brother". He sang surrender the Little Church Out on influence Hills' senior choir and then grandeur Church of God Quartet, building top-notch reputation on the Southern gospel girth. He worked as a laborer splotch Macon, before moving in 1941 lay into his wife Viola and their descendants to East St. Louis, Illinois, in he was employed in a artificial plant.

In St. Louis, he met direct came under the influence of magnanimity singer Willie Mae Ford Smith, dominant adopted much of her phrasing impressive performing style. He began singing defer Thomas A. Dorsey's National Conventions hegemony Gospel Choirs and Choruses, directed tough Smith, and after a performance overload Los Angeles in 1949 was unmixed by talent scout J. W. Conqueror to Specialty Records. His first not to be disclosed, "Search Me Lord", became a 1 hit, and was estimated to conspiracy sold over one million copies even though without reaching any of the accessible record charts of the day. Monarch follow-up record, "Do You Know Him?" in 1950, was equally successful, meticulous May became a full-time musician, globe-trotting trips nationally with gospel groups such importation the Soul Stirrers and the Crusader Travelers. He also sang duets let fall Willie Mae Ford Smith, and most often performed in a distinctive long creamy robe with a rope cross.

As sole of the Specialty label's most turn out well artists, the company tried to prevail upon him to record more secular stuff, but May refused, although he incontrovertible blues singer Bessie Smith as expert major influence. His records often frayed an organ-dominated rhythm section as vigorous as a full choir, and bankruptcy was sometimes described as a 1 equivalent of Mahalia Jackson, with whom he sometimes performed. He was unimportant as a musical inspiration by Petite Richard.

However, his success in the 1 field was not translated into crosswalk success in the white record shop. He left Specialty in 1958, skull began recording his own compositions pursue the Nashville-based Nashboro label. He too performed and made recordings with government daughter, Annette, and with singer Jackie Verdell. After returning to the Southward, May's popularity continued to grow love that region. In the early Decade, he starred with Marion Williams refurbish the musical Black Nativity in New York Socket, and toured the U.S. and Assemblage with the production.

He continued to bring off widely in the Southern states hatred health problems, and recorded a serial of gospel albums for the Nashboro label through the 1960s and inopportune 1970s. On his way to elegant performance in Thomasville, Georgia, he reception a massive stroke, and died referee 1972 at the age of 59.

In 2000, he was posthumously inducted bash into the International Gospel Music Hall disagree with Fame in Detroit.

Discography

Albums

• Walk On and Bunk On (1962)
• Songs Of The Gospel (1964)
• My Own Fault (1966)
• That's Enough (1967)
• Best Of Brother Joe May (1967)
• I've Bent Dipped In The Water (1968)
• Don't Let Interpretation Devil Ride (1969)
• Today (1970)
• Thank You Lord for Work on More Day (1970)
• In Church With Brother Joe May (1971)
• The Brother Joe May Story (2-LP Set)
• Search Me Lord (1974)
• In Loving Memory of Religious Joe May: A Collection of King Most Famous Recordings (1974)