Albertina Walker - Short History

Albertina Walker was born in Chicago, Illinois. [1] She began singing in the youth choir at the West Point Baptist Church at an early age, and joined several Gospel groups thereafter, including The Pete Williams Singers and the Robert Anderson Singers. Albertina was greatly influenced by Mahalia Jackson, her friend and confidant. Mahalia Jackson took her on the road when she was just a teenager. "Mahalia used to kid me. She'd say, 'Girl, you need to go sing by yourself.' " recalled Walker in a recent Washington Post Interview. Albertina Walker did just that. In 1951, she formed the group called the "Caravans" while at the same time, she was given the title "Queen Of Gospel Music" after the death of Mahalia Jackson for her outstanding achievements within the genre.

In the early 1950s Walker founded her own Gospel music group The Caravans, enlisting fellow singers from The Robert Anderson Singers (Ora Lee Hopkins, Elyse Yancey and Nellie Grace Daniels). The Caravans membership has included: James Cleveland, Bessie Griffin, Shirley Caesar, Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews, Loleatta Holloway, Cassietta George, and Delores Washington.Dicovering these artit also gave her the nickname "Star Maker". Walker retired The Caravans in the late 1960s, performing as a solo artist.
In the mid 1970s, Walker signed with Savoy Records then Benson Records, Word Records, A&M Records, and other record companies, recording a series of solo projects, many of them with big church choirs including The Evangelical Choir, The Cathedral of Love Choir, The Metro Mass choir, and her own church choir - The West Point Choir. Albertina recorded her first solo project Put A Little Love In Your Heart in 1975. She also recorded several projects together with Reverend James Cleveland. To date, she has recorded over 60 albums, including gold selling hits "Please Be Patient With Me", "I Can Go To God In Prayer", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Impossible Dream", and "Joy Will Come".
Albertina still enjoys an active recording career, often lending her talents to the projects of other artists in addition to her own. These albums have yielded multiple Gold records and Grammy nominations.[citation needed]
Walker has sung for United States presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and South Africa's president, Nelson Mandela.

Walker has appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show", "Good Morning America", and "The Tavis Smiley Show" among others. Albertina Walker is a frequent guest on the nationally syndicated BET and Word television networks, "Bobby Jones Gospel", "Testify" and "Singsation".


Inez Andrews
The Blind Boys of Alabama
Shirley Caesar
The Caravans
Rev. James Cleveland
The Davis Sisters
The Dixie Hummingbirds
Thomas A. Dorsey
Aretha Franklin
Cassietta George
Israel Houghton
Mahalia Jackson
Roberta Martin
Mighty Clouds of Joy
Mississippi Mass Choir
Marilyn Sellars
The Sensational Nightingales
The Staple Singers
Candi Staton
The Swan Silvertones
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Clara Ward
Dionne Warwick
Hank Williams
Marion Williams

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Albertina
• Walker
• gospel
• history
• Artist
• Incorporated
• E-jay
• Randolph
• EJ

[sivatmin]

i love how she repeats a phrase in a song with emphasis. For example, "I got another building...I got another building...I got another building." I get chills when she does that.

[ArtistIncorporated]

Yeah She Repeats and Changes the phasing but stay in perfect time! Its Just Soooooo Goood! her timing is great

[JayEm86]

That pic they show at 0:08 looks like Dorothy Love-Coates, but they don't mention her at all in this video.

[ArtistIncorporated]

Look at the video history I posted of Dorothy Love-Coates.

[MegaBlackisBeautiful]

i'm confused why did they have a picture of Dorothy Love COates? just askin'

[MiLyfe100]

I hate to say this but at the 5 second mark into the film THAT WAS NOT ALBERTINA WALKER OR THE CARAVANS!!! That group is Dorothy Love Coates and the Gospel Harmonettes...

[pmciver2]

That was a beautiful outfit she had on!!!!!

[aliquebjjolion]

YOUR LEGACY WILL LIVE 0N F0REVER!! THANK G0D F0R THE LIFE 0F ALBERTINA WALKER!!

[magnifyhm]

Rest in Eternal Peace Ambassador of God! 

[Blackbabylove]

mmm mmm mmm now THIS IS GOSPEL MUSIC!! She's got another building not made by hand....Good night Miss Tina, you blessed the music industry, your music is timeless.

[Blackbabylove]

mmm mmm mmm.....lord have mercy....she's got another building not made my hand....mmm mmm mmm, might have to sing this Sunday morning!!!! THIS IS GOSPEL MUSIC.

[atlantagradybaby]

RIP Albertina Walker!