Jackson Advocate

Mahalia
Jackson
And Other
Gospel
Singers
To Appear
At Madison
Square Garden

New York. N. Y.-Mahalia Jackson, "First Lady of Gospeldom," is about to make history with an appearance in Madison Square Garden here.

Announcement last week of the First Annual International Festival of Gospel, Religious, Spiritual and Folk Music to be held Sunday afternoon, May 24, in the world-famous "Home of Champions" has stirred wide interest.

Miss Jackson, whose incomparable voice has thrilled millions in churches, concert halls and via radio and television national network appearance, heads an impressive array of talent from the gospel and religious music worlds which will be featured on the special program for the occasion.

Miss Jackson, whose appearance will mark the first time in history that the Garden has housed this type of program, will be introduced by Sidney Poitier, star of the current Broadway dramatic smash hit, "Raisin in the Sun," and whose motion picture performances have brought him consideration for Academy Award honors.

Gospeldom's First Lady is, herself, currently being featured on Broadway in the movie, "Imitation of Life."

The five-hour program of music which will also mark the 20th anniversary of producer Jose Bostic as a radio and television personality in the gospel, spiritual and folk music field, will feature some 15 gospel singing groups, quartets and choirs, from all parts of the country.

Among the quartets scheduled to appear are the Dixie Humming Birds of Greenville, S. C.; the Soul Stirrers from Chicago; the Swan Silvertones of Pittsburgh, Pa.; and the Selah Singers of Raleigh, N. C.

Gospel groups include the Swanee Quintet of Augusta, Ga.; the Roberta Martin Singers of Chicago, featuring Norcellus McKissick and Eugene Smith; the Davis Sisters and Curtis Dublin of Philadelphia, Pa.; the Drinkard Singers of Newark, N. J.; the Rasberry Singers of Cleveland, O.; the Caravans of Chicago; and the Original Gospel Harmonettes of Birmingham, Alabama.

Backing up this star-studded lineup will be the 60-voice Back Home Choir of Newark, N. J., the aggregation which, along with the Drinkard Singers, starred at the recent Newport Festival, and the Morgan State College Choir of Baltimore, Md., winners of the recent collegiate competition. Dickie Mitchell, the nation's premier gospel organist, will also appear.

A special added feature of the program will be the singing of the famous Ward Singers of Philadelphia, featuring Clara Ward, which will be piped in via transatlantic wire directly from Stockholm, Sweden, one of the stops on their current European tour.