Sallie Martin: Mother of Gospel Music, by Kay Norton
Thomas A. Dorsey is universally acknowledged as the father of gospel music. Music professor Kay Norton (Arizona State University) makes a good case for Sallie Martin as its mother. Martin walked alongside Dorsey as a performer and entrepreneur (gospel music was already a business a century ago). Her acumen in music publishing has long been recognized, yet, to some extent, her contributions have been minimized.
Her era’s sexism can be blamed, but her caustic approach colored many accounts of her life. Norton concedes Martin’s “overbearing personality,” explaining it as the not unexpected reaction by an ambitious Black woman confronted by barriers on all sides. Martin could be self-effacing as well as supremely confident in her abilities and sometimes delivered her jibes with humor. Comparing her uncertain vocal range to the Cadillac power of Mahalia Jackson, she said: “I’m just a Model T Ford, but I make it over the hill without shifting gears, and that is what counts.”
Get Mother of Gospel on Amazon here.
Paid link
