- Collection:
- Laurraine Goreau Interviews and Recordings
- Title:
- LG039 Interview: Mahalia Jackson
- Contributor to Resource:
- Goreau, Laurraine
Jackson, Mahalia, 1911-1972 - Publisher:
- New Orleans, La. : Tulane University Digital Library
- Date of Original:
- 1971-04-08
- Subject:
- Blues (Music)
Gospel music
Jazz
Reincarnation
Church music
Popular music
Music trade - Location:
- Africa, 7.1881, 21.09375
Japan, 35.68536, 139.75309 - Medium:
- sound recordings
- Type:
- Sound
- Format:
- audio/mpeg
- Description:
- Side 1: Interview with Mahalia Jackson on 1971-04-08 during her Japan-India tour, in her hotel room in Tokyo, Japan, receiving first radio and news of tour. Side 2: Continued interview from Side 1. Formal press conference in the Utani Ballroom, describing Jackson's happiest moment. Abstract for Jackson: [00:43–33:52] Mahalia Jackson interviewed by Goreau inside her hotel room in Tokyo, while on her Japan-India tour, surrounded by reporters and photographers. Jackson talks about traveling, performing in Africa and receiving an award, and her wishes to sightsee in Japan. She discusses her feelings about performing in Japan on Easter Sunday – 09:32. She answers a reporter's question about the differences between gospel and the blues (including thoughts on reincarnation) – 13:23. Regarding a reporter's question about Jackson's thoughts on popular music of the time, she replies, "The young people (are) doing their thing now . . . (while doing a) marvelous job." She adds, "You've got to be yourself," before addressing why she thinks young artists are "misunderstood" – 25:14. She addresses one reporter's question about why she "has never (sung) at nightclubs" by discussing her personal "sacrifice" and sharing memories about hearing jazz and musicians such as King Oliver and Bunk Johnson, who she saw as a child. She added that people "always wanted me to sing that type of music" – 30:24. [00:00 – 33:51] The interview continues briefly on LG039Goreau_Side2. A formal press conference in the Utani Ballroom in Japan begins at 07:13. Jackson corrects a question about her being influenced by blues singers saying "I was influenced by the church, not by blues singers" – 13:18. She went on to explain how the rumor in the press started, due to a reporter's comparing singer Bessie Smith with Jackson – 14:00. She describes her happiest moment as one of being in solitude, in finding "favor in the sight of the Lord" – 32:10.
This recording was digitized in 2017 by George Blood, LP.
specialcollections@tulane.edu
LG039 Interview: Mahalia Jackson, Laurriane Goreau collection, HJA-059, Tulane University Special Collections, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA. - Metadata URL:
- https://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/islandora/object/tulane:122659
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- Copyright to portions of this collection has been transferred to Tulane University Special Collections. Tulane University can grant permission to publish for materials to which it holds the copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or owner’s heir for permission to publish where Tulane University Special Collections does not hold the copyright. For permission to publish collections material to which TUSC holds intellectual property rights, please contact Research Services at specialcollections@tulane.edu.
- Extent:
- 1 cassette (1 hr., 7 min., 43 sec.)
- Contributing Institution:
- Amistad Research Center
- Rights:
-
