| |
Marie Knight's vocal talents were recognized early on. When
she was five years old, Marie-who was born in Sanford, Florida,
but raised in Newark, New Jersey-sang the gospel number "Doing
All the Good We Can" at her parents' church, where the congregants
marveled at her poise. A member of the youth choir, she was
soon elevated to soloist and taught herself to play piano. "I
used to go to the church in the daytime and just hit one note
at a time, to hear that sound," she recalled. "It was a joy
to me, to put those notes together on the piano, just one key
at a time."
That joy soon became a professional calling for Marie, who by
her early twenties had gained experience touring the national
gospel circuit with evangelist Frances Robinson; she even recorded
a few early sides with the quartet The Sunset Four. In 1946,
she met Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the nationally famous gospel
singer-guitarist, who recognized something special in Marie's
compelling contralto and her elegant stage presence.
The two became gospel's preeminent duo of the 1940s, recording
hits for Decca Records, including "Didn't It Rain," "Up Above
My Head," and the gorgeous "Beams of Heaven." By the late 1940s,
Marie and Rosetta had split to pursue separate musical projects-Marie
to do solo gospel work on Decca. The two women reunited frequently
on stage during the 1950s, however. In addition to singing before
thousands of gospel fans in Washington, DC in 1950, and touring
with up-and-coming gospel vocalist Wynona Carr in 1954, Marie
and Rosetta impressed the critics with their sophisticated performances
at top New York City jazz clubs in 1955.
In the 1960s, Marie cultivated a rhythm-and-blues career, touring
with the likes of Brooke Benton, the Drifters, and Clyde McPhatter.
After a hiatus, she re-emerged in the mid-1970s to record gospel
music; today, Marie Knight is a minister at Gates of Prayer
Church in New York, founded by the late Dolly Lewis.
In January 2002, on a cold, bright Saturday morning, Marie entered
a recording studio to pay tribute to her old singing partner,
Rosetta Tharpe, doing a solo version of their old hit "Didn't
It Rain." [Listen the fruits of that session on Shout, Sister,
Shout! (MC-0050).] That session-and Marie's continuing vitality
as a singer and performer-led to her present collaboration with
producer Mark Carpentieri.
Marie's new recording is the Gospel songs of Rev. Gary Davis
titled Let Us Get Together (MC-0058). Larry Campbell (Dixie
Hummingbirds, Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, Elvis Costello) is playing
all the stringed instruments. That release will came out June
26, 2007. It marked Marie's first full-length recording in over
20 years.
Her voice has changed since the earliest days of youth recitals
in Newark, but Marie Knight's gift-the one recognized early
on by her church-remains undiminished by time.
|
