Marion Williams (August 29, 1927 â€" July 2, 1994) was an American
gospel singer.Marion Williams was born in Miami, Florida, 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 audiences 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 to work
with her mother at a laundry, although she eventually graduated from
Pacific Union College in 1987. She sang at church and on street
corners, inspired by a wide range of musicians, including Sister
Rosetta Tharpe and the Smith Jubilee Singers. She stayed with gospel
in spite of pressure to switch to popular blues tunes or the opera.In
1946, while visiting a friend in Philadelphia, Williams happened to
sing before an audience that included Clara 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 one of the group's undisputed stars.
gospel singer.Marion Williams was born in Miami, Florida, 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 audiences 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 to work
with her mother at a laundry, although she eventually graduated from
Pacific Union College in 1987. She sang at church and on street
corners, inspired by a wide range of musicians, including Sister
Rosetta Tharpe and the Smith Jubilee Singers. She stayed with gospel
in spite of pressure to switch to popular blues tunes or the opera.In
1946, while visiting a friend in Philadelphia, Williams happened to
sing before an audience that included Clara 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 one of the group's undisputed stars.
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