All Hail Mahalia

One of the more interesting aspects of living in one of New Orleans' oldest neighborhoods is the rich,
culture soaked history all around us.  The Black Pearl is just off of St. Charles Avenue in the Uptown
Riverbend section just next to Carrollton.  The whole map is dotted with very old, multi-denominational
churches, some that date back to just after the Civil War.
One such church is right around the corner from my house on Millaudon Street.  It is the Baptist church
where Mahalia Jackson sang in the choir as a child.  Mount Moriah Baptist Church, though it looks like it probably has had a face-lift not so long ago,  its' history goes far back along with the impact that Mahalia helped make  as she introduced Gospel music throughout the world. She was the first Gospel
singer featured at New York's Carnegie Hall and later at the Newport Jazz Festival.  She helped bring
Gospel out of the black churches and showcase it in concert halls around the world, bringing with it the
spirit of New Orleans as well.
Mahalia Jackson would have  been 100 years old this week.