Marion Williams
Encyclopedia
Marion Williams was an American gospel
singer.
, to a religiously devout mother and musically inclined father. She left school when she was nine years old to help support the family, and worked as a maid, a nurse, and in factories and laundries. She began singing in front of auiences while young. As was common in the area, Williams learned African-American blues
and jazz
, alongside Caribbean calypso
. Poverty caused Williams to leave school at fourteen, working with her mother at a laundry. She was singing at church and on street corners, inspired by a wide range of musicians, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe
and the Smith Jubilee Singers. She stuck with gospel in spite of pressure to switch to popular blues tunes or the opera
.
and Gertrude Ward. They recognized her talent and offered her a job. A year later, she became part of the famous Ward Singers. Her growling, hands-on-the-hips vocal style made her the group's undisputed star.
In 1958, she and other members of the Ward group formed the Stars of Faith. In 1965, Williams began her solo career. For the next 15 years, she toured the United States, Africa and the West Indies.
in 1946. Williams did so in 1947, staying with them for eleven years. Her first recording with the group was "How Far Am I from Canaan" (1948), followed by the breakthrough "Surely God Is Able", which launched Williams and the rest of the group into superstardom. Their concerts were mobbed by frenzied fans.
, an Off Broadway production, and toured across North America
and Europe
.
, though her scene is available only in the director's cut. The movie was dedicated to her.
, a musical variety
television show. Performed Packin' Up and I've Got To Live The Life I Sing About In My Song as Marion Williams and Stars of Faith.
's signature wail.
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer.
Early years
Marion Williams was born in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, to a religiously devout mother and musically inclined father. She left school when she was nine years old to help support the family, and worked as a maid, a nurse, and in factories and laundries. She began singing in front of auiences while young. As was common in the area, Williams learned African-American blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, alongside Caribbean calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
. Poverty caused Williams to leave school at fourteen, working with her mother at a laundry. She was singing at church and on street corners, inspired by a wide range of musicians, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an Amercian pioneering gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock and roll accompaniment...
and the Smith Jubilee Singers. She stuck with gospel in spite of pressure to switch to popular blues tunes or the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
.
Career
In 1946, while visiting a friend in Philadelphia, Williams happened to sing before an audience that included ClaraClara Ward
Clara Ward was an American gospel artist who achieved great success, both artistic and commercial, in the 1940s and 1950s as leader of The Famous Ward Singers....
and Gertrude Ward. They recognized her talent and offered her a job. A year later, she became part of the famous Ward Singers. Her growling, hands-on-the-hips vocal style made her the group's undisputed star.
In 1958, she and other members of the Ward group formed the Stars of Faith. In 1965, Williams began her solo career. For the next 15 years, she toured the United States, Africa and the West Indies.
The Ward Singers
Williams was invited to join the Ward Singers when they heard her singing during a visit to a close friend in PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
in 1946. Williams did so in 1947, staying with them for eleven years. Her first recording with the group was "How Far Am I from Canaan" (1948), followed by the breakthrough "Surely God Is Able", which launched Williams and the rest of the group into superstardom. Their concerts were mobbed by frenzied fans.
Stars of Faith
Dissatisfied with the low pay she was receiving while starring for the group, Williams left the Ward Singers in 1958, followed by most of the rest of the group, to form the Stars of Faith. The Stars of Faith was unable, however, to reproduce the success the Ward Singers had enjoyed, as Williams retreated from the spotlight to give other members of the group more opportunity to star. The group's career recovered, however, in 1961, when it appeared in Black NativityBlack Nativity
Black Nativity is a retelling of the classic Nativity story with an entirely black cast. Traditional Christmas carols are sung in gospel style, with a few songs created specifically for the show. Originally written by Langston Hughes, the show was first performed on Broadway on December 11, 1961,...
, an Off Broadway production, and toured across North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Solo career
In 1965, Williams began a solo career but soon returned to Miami for her mother's funeral. While there, she felt reinspired to continue her career and began touring college campuses across the country. Her perhaps best-known hit is from this period -- Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go.Albums
| Can't Keep It To Myself | Shanachie Entertainment Corp. | 1993 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Got On My Traveling Shoes | 3:01 | |
| 2 | Ain't He Good | 2:45 | |
| 3 | God's Amazing Grace | 5:48 | |
| 4 | Come Out The Corner | 2:46 | |
| 5 | Leave You In The Hands Of The Lord | 3:06 | |
| 6 | Ride In The Clouds | 3:04 | |
| 7 | Press On (Like The Bible Said) | 2:18 | |
| 8 | The New Gospel Train | 2:24 | |
| 9 | Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen | 3:37 | |
| 10 | I'll Never Return No More | 1:51 | |
| 11 | Hark The Voice | 3:21 | |
| 12 | Packin' Up | 3:35 | |
| 13 | Live The Life I Sing About In My Song | 3:35 | |
| 14 | I Heard The Voice | 2:40 | |
| 15 | I'm So Glad | 2:33 | |
| 16 | I Have A Friend | 3:38 | |
| 17 | O Lord Remember Me | 2:55 | |
| 18 | Were You There When They Crucified My Lord | 2:42 | |
| 19 | Loose The Man | 2:27 | |
| 20 | Lazarus | 2:48 | |
| 21 | Mary Mary | 2:41 | |
| 22 | I Just Can' t Keep It To Myself | 3:47 | |
| Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go | Atlantic Recording Corp. | 1971 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother | 4:48 | |
| 2 | Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go | 3:24 | |
| 3 | Turn Turn Turn | 2:39 | |
| 4 | This Generation Shall Not Pass | 3:23 | |
| 5 | My Sweet Lord | 3:52 | |
| 6 | Heaven Help Us All | 3:29 | |
| 7 | Make Peace With Yourself | 2:43 | |
| 8 | Wicked Messenger | 3:50 | |
| 9 | Put Your Hand in the Hand | 4:58 | |
| 10 | Danger Zone | 3:03 | |
| 11 | Hare Krishna | 2:44 | |
Film appearances
Williams opens the 1990 video "Amazing Grace with Bill Moyers" singing the signature song. Later in the PBS production, she stylizes the song in her own inimitable way. In 1991, she performed as a gospel singer in the film Fried Green TomatoesFried Green Tomatoes (film)
Fried Green Tomatoes is a 1991 comedy-drama film based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It was released in the UK under the novel's full title. Directed by Jon Avnet and written by Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski, it stars Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy,...
, though her scene is available only in the director's cut. The movie was dedicated to her.
Television appearances
HootenannyHootenanny
Hootenanny is an Appalachian colloquialism that was used in early twentieth century America to refer to things whose names were forgotten or unknown. In this usage it was synonymous with thingamajig or whatchamacallit, as in "hand me that hootenanny." Hootenanny was also an old country word for...
, a musical variety
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
television show. Performed Packin' Up and I've Got To Live The Life I Sing About In My Song as Marion Williams and Stars of Faith.
Music
A powerful singer with a preternaturally broad range, able to reach the highest registers of the soprano range without losing either purity or volume, she could also swoop down to growling low notes in the style of a country preacher.Influences
Williams' singing helped make The Ward Singers nationally popular when they began recording in 1948, and also inspired Rock 'n' Roll pioneer Little RichardLittle Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
's signature wail.