Myrna Summers is a Gospel Music

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 who has performed professionally for over four decades and is now the Minister of Music at Reid Temple A.M.E. Church

Reid Temple A.M.E. Church

The Reid Temple A.M.E. Church is an African Methodist Episcopal megachurch located in Glenn Dale, Maryland, USA to the northeast of Washington, DC.In 2008, Outreach Magazine reported that attendance was 7,500, making it the 88th largest church in the USA....

 in Glenn Dale, Maryland

Glenn Dale, Maryland

Glenn Dale is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,609 at the 2000 census...

.
She has a commanding yet distinctive alto voice.

Summers was born in Washington D.C. in 1949. Her parents were members of the Church of God in Christ

Church of God in Christ

The Church of God in Christ is a Pentecostal Holiness Christian denomination with a predominantly African-American membership. With nearly five million members in the United States and 12,000 congregations, it is the largest Pentecostal church and the fifth largest Christian church in the U.S....

 (COGIC), and she performed in services at the Refreshing Spring Church in Riverdale, Maryland

Riverdale, Maryland

Riverdale is the name of two places in the State of Maryland in the United States of America:*Riverdale, Anne Arundel County, Maryland*Riverdale, Prince George's County, Maryland, now Riverdale Park, Maryland...

 from a very early age.
She attended the McKinley Tech High School, and went on to the University of Maryland

University of Maryland

When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...

 and the Toutorsky Academy of Music.

She formed a group the Refreshingnettes in the early 1960s. The group recorded "Pray Your Troubles / I'm Determined" for HOB Records.
Her original compositions "God Gave Me a Song" (1970) and "Give Me Something to Hold on To" (1979) earned her Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 nominations.
She was the 1970 recipient of the Gospel Music Workshop of America's Mahalia Jackson Award.
Her album entitled "We Going To Make It" became one of her best selling recordings in June 1988 and won a 1989 Stellar Award for Best Traditional Gospel Artist (Female).
She is known for her collaborations with Timothy Wright

Timothy Wright

Timothy Wright , generally credited as Rev. Timothy Wright or Reverend Timothy Wright on recordings, was an American gospel singer and pastor.-Biography:...

, the Dallas Fort-Worth Mass Choir and Ambassadors for Christ.

She has performed at Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

, the Apollo Theater

Apollo Theater

The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...

 and the Lincoln Center in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Summers was Minister of Music at Refreshing Spring COGIC before joining Reid Temple A.M.E Church in 1999.
As Minister of Music at Reid Temple she is the leader of the church’s five choirs and orchestra, and the Director of the Mass Choir.
The choir led by Summers provides a stirring accompaniment to the preaching and prayers at the megachurch

Megachurch

A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...

.

Discography

Myrna Summers has recorded on more than 50 albums.
A select list follows.

Year	Title	Label	Notes
1970	God Gave Me a Song	Cotillion / Atlantic	Single, Grammy Nomination
1972	Tell It Like It Is	Cotillion
1972	Now	Cotillion
1975	Myrna Summers & The Myrna Summers Singers	Savoy
1976	I Found Jesus (and I'm Glad)	Savoy
1977	Myrna Summers	Savoy
1978	I'll Keep Holding On	Savoy
1979	Give Me Something to Hold On To	Savoy	Grammy nominated, Recorded Live at Women's Correctional Facility in WV
1980	Life Is Fragile: Handle With Prayer	Savoy
1982	Uncloudy Day	Savoy
1985	Here Comes The Son	Savoy
1988	We're Going to Make It	Savoy	Guest artist Rev. Timothy Wright. Stellar award
1990	I'll Keep Holding on	Savoy	Live recording
1990	You Are My Miracle
1990	You Don't Have Nothing If You Don't Have Jesus
1991	I'll Tell the World	Savoy
1993	Deliverance	Savoy
2000	His Mercy Endureth Forever	PGF records
2006	Mountain Get Out of My Way		with the Reid Temple A.M.E. Mass Choir