Shirley Caesar
Since the passing of Mahalia Jackson in 1972, Shirley Caesar has been the most successful and widely celebrated woman in African-American gospel music. Dubbed the “First Lady of Gospel,” the singing evangelist has won 11 Grammy Awards, 18 Dove Awards, 14 Stellar Awards, as well as numerous other honors since the 1960s. She has been a standard-bearer for traditional gospel music, while challenging convention and pushing the envelope in the genre.
Born October 13, 1938, in Durham, North Carolina, Caesar was greatly inspired by her father, Big Jim Caesar, a tobacco farmer who sang with an a-cappella quartet called the Just Come Four. He died of a brain seizure when she was 10. To help support her semi-invalid mother, Hallie Caesar, and a... Read More
- City Of Origin:
- Durham, North Carolina, United States
- Genre:
- Gospel & Christian, Gospel, Traditional Gospel, Contemporary Gospel
- Birthdate:
- 1938
