Got to Tell It: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel

Schwerin, a New York filmmaker, here presents an affectionate yet relatively candid portrayal of New Orleans-born contralto Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972), whose career introduced and defined gospel music to white Americans. Set against a backdrop of the growing racial tensions of the 1950s and their explosion in the '60s, the book demonstrates Jackson's remarkable ability to cross boundaries of color on the sheer power of her voice. She is shown as an individual whose self-recognition of her immense talent led her to the pinnacle of egoism; driven by an insatiable need to acquire money and suspicious (at times justifiably) of promoters, she was often difficult to work with and felt comfortable only when surrounded by friends. ``She wrestled with the two Mahalias she had become,'' writes Schwerin, who also rightly notes that her art provides a unique counterpoint to the political times in which she lived. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)