Willie Mae Ford Smith
Encyclopedia
Willie Mae Ford also known as Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith, was an American
gospel
singer.
, she moved to Memphis, Tennessee
as a child. She was raised in the Baptist church and began singing with her sisters, Mary, Geneva, Lucille, and Emma, in a family group known as "The Ford Sisters" after the family moved to St. Louis. The group, and Willie Mae in particular, achieved wider fame after an appearance at the 1922 National Baptist Convention.
she was one of the early associates of Thomas A. Dorsey
and an innovator in gospel style, introducing the "song and sermonette" style that other singers, such as Shirley Caesar
and Edna Gallmon Cooke
made popular.
She married in 1929 and, shortly after that, began traveling in musical revivals. Dorsey heard her in 1931 and asked to help him found the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, his organization devoted to spreading gospel music by training singers, choirs and composers. Smith became the principal singing teacher for the NCGCC as head of its Soloists' Bureau in 1936. Among her students were Brother Joe May, who gave her the affectionate name "Mother". Teaming with Roberta Martin
, Smith demonstrated how to make even familiar hymns such as "Jesus Loves Me" into deeper personal statements by slurs, note bending and other personalized adornments.
Smith was also a major figure within the Baptist Church as the Director of its Education Department of the National Baptist Convention before she became a member of a Pentecostal denomination. She considered herself a preacher and imbued her singing and sermonettes with an evangelical fervor. She was noted for her finesse, control and subtlety, but could also, like her protégé Brother Joe May, belt out hymns.
As generous as she was in teaching others, she also developed a fine sensitivity to slights from others who did not appreciate her firm sincerity or thought she could be cheated. She also developed a rivalry with Sallie Martin
that lasted for as long as they lived; the movie Say Amen, Somebody!, filmed when both of them were in their seventies, showed that the fires had only gone down, not out.
She had two natural children, Billie and Jackie, and an adopted daughter who was also her accompanist, Bertha.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer.
Early years
Born in Rolling Fork, MississippiRolling Fork, Mississippi
Rolling Fork is a city in Sharkey County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,486 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Sharkey County.-Geography:Rolling Fork is located at ....
, she moved to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
as a child. She was raised in the Baptist church and began singing with her sisters, Mary, Geneva, Lucille, and Emma, in a family group known as "The Ford Sisters" after the family moved to St. Louis. The group, and Willie Mae in particular, achieved wider fame after an appearance at the 1922 National Baptist Convention.
Musical career
Based in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
she was one of the early associates of Thomas A. Dorsey
Thomas A. Dorsey
Thomas Andrew Dorsey was known as "the father of black gospel music" and was at one time so closely associated with the field that songs written in the new style were sometimes known as "dorseys." Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom.As formulated by Dorsey,...
and an innovator in gospel style, introducing the "song and sermonette" style that other singers, such as Shirley Caesar
Shirley Caesar
Shirley Ann Caesar is an American Gospel music singer, songwriter and recording artist whose career has spanned six decades...
and Edna Gallmon Cooke
Edna Gallmon Cooke
Madame Edna Gallmon Cooke was a renowned gospel singer and recording artist from 1949 until her death in 1967. Personal information about Ms. Cooke is scarce and most of her biographical details have been gleaned from the liner notes of her various albums. Ms...
made popular.
She married in 1929 and, shortly after that, began traveling in musical revivals. Dorsey heard her in 1931 and asked to help him found the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, his organization devoted to spreading gospel music by training singers, choirs and composers. Smith became the principal singing teacher for the NCGCC as head of its Soloists' Bureau in 1936. Among her students were Brother Joe May, who gave her the affectionate name "Mother". Teaming with Roberta Martin
Roberta Martin
Roberta Martin was an American gospel composer, singer, pianist, arranger and choral organizer, helped launch the careers of many other gospel artists through her group, The Roberta Martin Singers.-Early years:...
, Smith demonstrated how to make even familiar hymns such as "Jesus Loves Me" into deeper personal statements by slurs, note bending and other personalized adornments.
Smith was also a major figure within the Baptist Church as the Director of its Education Department of the National Baptist Convention before she became a member of a Pentecostal denomination. She considered herself a preacher and imbued her singing and sermonettes with an evangelical fervor. She was noted for her finesse, control and subtlety, but could also, like her protégé Brother Joe May, belt out hymns.
As generous as she was in teaching others, she also developed a fine sensitivity to slights from others who did not appreciate her firm sincerity or thought she could be cheated. She also developed a rivalry with Sallie Martin
Sallie Martin
Sallie Martin was a gospel singer nicknamed "the mother of gospel music" for her efforts to popularize the songs of Thomas A. Dorsey and her influence on other artists. Raised as a Baptist in Pittfield, Georgia, she joined the Pentecostal movement as a young woman...
that lasted for as long as they lived; the movie Say Amen, Somebody!, filmed when both of them were in their seventies, showed that the fires had only gone down, not out.
She had two natural children, Billie and Jackie, and an adopted daughter who was also her accompanist, Bertha.
External links
Further reading
- Boyer, Horace Clarence,How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel Elliott and Clark, 1995, ISBN 0-252-06877-7.
- Heilbut, Tony, The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times Limelight Editions, 1997, ISBN 0-87910-034-6.