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| alias =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1907|2|12}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1907|2|12}}
|birth_place =[[Helena, Arkansas]], United States
|birth_place =[[Helena, Arkansas]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1969|1|18|1907|2|12}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1969|1|18|1907|2|12}}
| origin = [[Chicago, Illinois]]
| origin = Mercy Hospital, [[Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.
| instrument = [[Piano]]
| instrument = [[Piano]]
| genre = [[Gospel music]]
| genre = [[Gospel music]]
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| website =
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}}
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'''Roberta Evelyn Martin''' (February 12, 1907 – January 18, 1969) was an [[United States|American]] [[Gospel music|gospel]] composer, singer, pianist, arranger and choral organizer, helped launch the careers of many other gospel artists through her group, '''The Roberta Martin Singers'''.<ref>Young Alan. ''Woke Me Up This Morning: Black Gospel Singers and the Gospel Life'', University Press of Mississippi (1997), page xiv - {{ISBN|0-87805-944-X}}</ref>
'''Roberta Evelyn Martin''' (February 12, 1907 – January 18, 1969) was an American [[Gospel music|gospel]] composer, singer, pianist, arranger and choral organizer, helped launch the careers of many other gospel artists through her group, '''The Roberta Martin Singers'''.<ref>Young Alan. ''Woke Me Up This Morning: Black Gospel Singers and the Gospel Life'', University Press of Mississippi (1997), page xiv; {{ISBN|0-87805-944-X}}</ref>


==Early years==
==Early years==
{{More citations needed|section|date=June 2023}}
Born in [[Helena, Arkansas]], on February 12, 1907, Martin moved to [[Chicago]] with her family in 1917, where she studied [[piano]]. Although a high school teacher inspired her to dream of becoming a concert pianist, her future course was changed after accompanying the Young People's Choir at [[Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church (Chicago)|Ebenezer Baptist Church]]. She came into contact with [[Thomas A. Dorsey]], known as the Father of Gospel Music, through her work as the pianist for the youth choir. With Dorsey's help, she and Theodore Frye organized the Martin-Frye Quartet, a youth group consisting of Eugene Smith, Norsalus McKissick, Robert Anderson, James Lawrence, Willie Webb and Romance Watson, in 1933. Martin renamed the group the Roberta Martin Singers in 1936 and added Bessie Folk, Myrtle Scott and Delois Barrett Campbell to the group in the 1940s. The group set the standard for the gospel choir and mixed group, and had an extremely successful recording career, featuring such hits as "Only A Look," and "Grace."<ref>Wimbush, Vincent L. ''African Americans and the Bible: Sacred Texts and Social Structures'', Continuum International Publishing Group (2001), pg. 471; {{ISBN|0-8264-1376-5}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=McNeil |first=W. K. |title=Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music |date=October 18, 2013 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year= |isbn=9781135377007 |pages=242}}</ref>


Born in [[Helena, Arkansas]] on February 12, 1907, Martin moved to [[Chicago]] with her family in 1917, where she studied [[piano]]. Although a high school teacher inspired her to dream of becoming a concert pianist, her future course was changed after accompanying the Young People's Choir at Ebenezer Baptist Church. She came into contact with [[Thomas A. Dorsey]], known as the Father of Gospel Music, through her work as the pianist for the youth choir. With Dorsey's help, she and Theodore Frye organized the Martin-Frye Quartet, a youth group consisting of Eugene Smith, Norsalus McKissick, Robert Anderson, James Lawrence, Willie Webb and Romance Watson, in 1933. Martin renamed the group the Roberta Martin Singers in 1936 and added Bessie Folk, Myrtle Scott and Delois Barrett Campbell to the group in the 1940s. The group set the standard for the gospel choir and mixed group, and had an extremely successful recording career, featuring such hits as "Only A Look," and "Grace."<ref>Wimbush, Vincent L. ''African Americans and the Bible: Sacred Texts and Social Structures'', Continuum International Publishing Group (2001), page 471 - {{ISBN|0-8264-1376-5}}</ref> Most of these songs were published by Roberta Martin Studio of Music, a publishing house in [[Chicago]] that she incorporated in 1939, and would eventually publish outstanding compositions by gospel artists ranging from [[Alex Bradford|Professor Alex Bradford]] to [[James Cleveland]]. Her first composition, "Try Jesus, He Satisfies," was an immediate hit in 1943.<ref>Darden, Bob. ''People Get Ready!: A New History of Black Gospel Music'', Continuum International Publishing Group (2004), page 190 - {{ISBN|0-8264-1436-2}}</ref> She was also the choir director of the Pisgah Baptist Church in Chicago for many years.
Most of these songs were published by Roberta Martin Studio of Music, a publishing house in [[Chicago]] that she incorporated in 1939, and would eventually publish outstanding compositions by gospel artists ranging from [[Alex Bradford|Professor Alex Bradford]] to [[James Cleveland]]. Her first composition, "Try Jesus, He Satisfies," was an immediate hit in 1943.<ref>Darden, Bob. ''People Get Ready!: A New History of Black Gospel Music'', Continuum International Publishing Group (2004), pg. 190; {{ISBN|0-8264-1436-2}}</ref>


==Musical career==
==Musical career==
{{Unreferenced section|date=June 2023}}

The theme song of the Roberta Martin Singers is "Only A Look." It was always sung at the opening of their concerts, at their annual Anniversary Program in Chicago, and was recorded on the [[Apollo Records (1944)|Apollo]] label with Bessie Folk with Delois Barrett as lead soloists and later on the Savoy label with Delois Barrett as lead vocalist. Martin's group was unique in a number of ways. It was the first to include both male and female voices in a small group format. Martin favored smooth harmonies and a subtle rhythmic dynamic in which her singers were slightly, almost imperceptibly, behind the beat. On slower songs Martin featured lead singers against a subdued background provided by the rest of the group; on jubilee and shout material she used the more energetic call-and-response technique typical of [[Holiness movement|Holiness]] churches. Martin encouraged her singers to maintain their individual personalities, allowing the audience to distinguish each backup singer's voice rather than blending them into a single choral sound.
The theme song of the Roberta Martin Singers is "Only A Look."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Greer |first=Ronald L. |title=Only a Look: A Historical Look at the Career of Mrs. Roberta Martin and the Roberta Martin Gospel Singers of Chicago, Illinois |date=September 17, 2015 |publisher=WestBow Press |isbn=9781512708981}}</ref> It was always sung at the opening of their concerts, at their annual Anniversary Program in Chicago, and was recorded on the [[Apollo Records (1944)|Apollo]] label with Bessie Folk with Delois Barrett as lead soloists and later on the Savoy label with Delois Barrett as lead vocalist.


Martin complemented her group's performance with her piano accompaniment, which often dictated the rhythm and pace of the song or commented on it by responding to or accenting a singer's performance. Martin's piano style reflected the influence of Holiness artists such as [[Arizona Dranes]] and her classical training.
Martin complemented her group's performance with her piano accompaniment, which often dictated the rhythm and pace of the song or commented on it by responding to or accenting a singer's performance. Martin's piano style reflected the influence of Holiness artists such as [[Arizona Dranes]] and her classical training.


The other musical signature of the Roberta Martin Singers was the accompaniment of "Little" Lucy Smith on the Hammond organ. Her droning introductory chord and unique "passes" using the bass pedals set the tone for a meditative experience and became a recognized trademark of a "Roberta Martin gospel song".
The other musical signature of the Roberta Martin Singers was the accompaniment of [[Lucy Smith Collier|"Little" Lucy Smith]] on the Hammond organ. Her droning introductory chord and unique "passes" using the bass pedals set the tone for a meditative experience and became a recognized trademark of a "Roberta Martin gospel song".
⚫
Roberta briefly retired from music in the 1960s due in part to her battle with cancer, but came back to record her final album ''Praise God (from whom all blessings flow)'', and her vocal recording, "I Have Hope", which was written by her friend Jessie Jimerson (aka Jessie Jimerson-Phillips).


Her group disbanded upon her death in 1969, but the surviving members continued to perform as a group in reunion concerts into the 21st century. Many of the members later had solo careers, such as Delois Barrett and Gloria Griffin, who was the composer of the classic gospel song "God Specializes", made famous by the Roberta Martin Singers in concerts and recordings.
Martin's refined, subdued style, which emphasized phrasing and modulation, {{Original research inline|date=October 2007}} had a profound influence on many gospel artists, including [[Albertina Walker]], [[James Cleveland]] and [[Alex Bradford]]. {{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} Cleveland and Bradford wrote and arranged for and performed with her group early in their careers. Her stylistic restraint did not, on the other hand, mean that her group lacked fervor or emotional punch; as one commentator noted, "Bert would sneak up on you and hurt you."


⚫
==Death and legacy==
⚫
Roberta briefly retired from music in the 60's due in part to her battle with cancer, but came back to record her final album ''Praise God (from whom all blessings flow)'', and her vocal recording, "I Have Hope", which was written by her good friend Jessie Jimerson (aka Jessie Jimerson-Phillips.) Her group disbanded upon her death in 1969, but the surviving members continued to perform as a group in reunion concerts into the 21st century. Many of the members later had solo careers, such as Delois Barrett and Gloria Griffin, who was the composer of the classic gospel song "God Specializes", made famous by the Roberta Martin Singers in concerts and recordings.
{{More citations needed|section|date=June 2023}}
Roberta Martin died of [[cancer]] on January 18, 1969, at the age of 61, at Mercy Hospital, Chicago. Her funeral attracted over 50,000 mourners.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carney Smith |first=Jessie |title=Notable Black American Women: Book 2 |publisher=Gale Research |year=1992 |isbn=9780810391772 |pages=436}}</ref>


⚫
During her lifetime, she had composed about seventy songs, arranged and published 280 gospel songs, and reached and inspired thousands of listeners selling sheet music. Her compositions include "He Knows Just How Much We Can Bear," and "God Is Still on the Throne" (1959), "Let It Be" (1950), and "Just Jesus and Me" (1966). Martin earned six Gold records.<ref>Ruether, Rosemary Radford. ''Encyclopedia of Women And Religion in North America'', Indiana University Press (2006), pg. 991; {{ISBN|0-253-34687-8}}</ref>
⚫
==Death==
Roberta Martin died of [[cancer]] on January 18, 1969 at the age of 61. Well-known and very popular in the African-American community, her funeral in Chicago attracted over 50,000 mourners.


The Roberta Martin Singers sang at Gian-Carlo Menotti's Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in [[Spoleto]], Italy, in 1963. She helped develop a distinctive gospel-piano style which had a special sound that integrated, for the first time, men and women into the gospel chorus during the mid-1940s.<ref>Southern, Eileen. ''The Music of Black Americans: A History'' W. W. Norton & Company (1997), pg. 462; {{ISBN|0-393-03843-2}}</ref>
==Legacy==


⚫
On July 15, 1998, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued a 32 cent commemorative stamp honoring Martin's influence. The stamp was one of four honoring gospel women. The other women honored were [[Mahalia Jackson]], [[Clara Ward]], and [[Sister Rosetta Tharpe]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=32c Roberta Martin single |url=https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/npm_1998.2014.55 |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=postalmuseum.si.edu |language=en}}</ref>
⚫
She composed about seventy songs, arranged and published 280 gospel songs, and reached and inspired thousands of listeners selling sheet music. Her compositions include "He Knows Just How Much We Can Bear," and "God Is Still on the Throne" (1959), "Let It Be" (1950), and "Just Jesus and Me" (1966). Martin earned six Gold records<ref>Ruether, Rosemary Radford. ''Encyclopedia of Women And Religion in North America'', Indiana University Press (2006), page 991 - {{ISBN|0-253-34687-8}}</ref> and the Roberta Martin Singers sang at Gian-Carlo Menotti's Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, in 1963. Her great contribution to the history of gospel music was her development of a distinctive gospel-piano style and the special sound of her group, which integrated for the first time men and women into the gospel chorus during the mid-40s when she brought female voices into her all-male group, which she accompanied on piano.<ref>Southern, Eileen. ''The Music of Black Americans: A History'' W. W. Norton & Company (1997) - page 462 - {{ISBN|0-393-03843-2}}</ref>

⚫
On July 15, 1998, the [[United States Postal Service]] issued a 32 cent commemorative stamp honoring Martin's influence. The stamp was one of four honoring gospel women. The other women honored were [[Mahalia Jackson]], [[Clara Ward]], and [[Sister Rosetta Tharpe]].


==Footnotes==
==Footnotes==
Line 49: Line 52:


==References==
==References==

* Tony Heilbut, ''The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times'' Limelight Editions (1997), {{ISBN|0-87910-034-6}}
* Tony Heilbut, ''The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times'' Limelight Editions (1997), {{ISBN|0-87910-034-6}}
* Horace Clarence Boyer, ''How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel'' Elliott and Clark (1995) {{ISBN|0-252-06877-7}}
* Horace Clarence Boyer, ''How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel'' Elliott and Clark (1995) {{ISBN|0-252-06877-7}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Roberta}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Roberta}}
[[Category:American gospel singers]]
[[Category:American gospel singers]]
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[[Category:African-American singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Arkansas]]
[[Category:Singers from Arkansas]]
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[[Category:American female composers]]
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[[Category:American composers]]
[[Category:Savoy Records artists]]
[[Category:Savoy Records artists]]
[[Category:People from Helena, Arkansas]]
[[Category:People from Helena, Arkansas]]
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1969 deaths]]
[[Category:1969 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Illinois]]
[[Category:Apollo Records artists]]
[[Category:Apollo Records artists]]
⚫
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American women composers]]
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[[Category:20th-century African-American women singers]]
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[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
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[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
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[[Category:Gospel music composers]]
[[Category:African-American history in Chicago]]
[[Category:Gospel music pianists]]

Revision as of 03:35, 11 March 2024

Roberta Martin
Birth nameRoberta Evelyn Martin
Born(1907-02-12)February 12, 1907
Helena, Arkansas, U.S.
OriginMercy Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJanuary 18, 1969(1969-01-18) (aged 61)
GenresGospel music
Occupation(s)Vocalist, Composer
Instrument(s)Piano
Years active1930s–1969
LabelsApollo, Savoy

Roberta Evelyn Martin (February 12, 1907 – January 18, 1969) was an American gospel composer, singer, pianist, arranger and choral organizer, helped launch the careers of many other gospel artists through her group, The Roberta Martin Singers.[1]

Early years

Born in Helena, Arkansas, on February 12, 1907, Martin moved to Chicago with her family in 1917, where she studied piano. Although a high school teacher inspired her to dream of becoming a concert pianist, her future course was changed after accompanying the Young People's Choir at Ebenezer Baptist Church. She came into contact with Thomas A. Dorsey, known as the Father of Gospel Music, through her work as the pianist for the youth choir. With Dorsey's help, she and Theodore Frye organized the Martin-Frye Quartet, a youth group consisting of Eugene Smith, Norsalus McKissick, Robert Anderson, James Lawrence, Willie Webb and Romance Watson, in 1933. Martin renamed the group the Roberta Martin Singers in 1936 and added Bessie Folk, Myrtle Scott and Delois Barrett Campbell to the group in the 1940s. The group set the standard for the gospel choir and mixed group, and had an extremely successful recording career, featuring such hits as "Only A Look," and "Grace."[2][3]

Most of these songs were published by Roberta Martin Studio of Music, a publishing house in Chicago that she incorporated in 1939, and would eventually publish outstanding compositions by gospel artists ranging from Professor Alex Bradford to James Cleveland. Her first composition, "Try Jesus, He Satisfies," was an immediate hit in 1943.[4]

Musical career

The theme song of the Roberta Martin Singers is "Only A Look."[5] It was always sung at the opening of their concerts, at their annual Anniversary Program in Chicago, and was recorded on the Apollo label with Bessie Folk with Delois Barrett as lead soloists and later on the Savoy label with Delois Barrett as lead vocalist.

Martin complemented her group's performance with her piano accompaniment, which often dictated the rhythm and pace of the song or commented on it by responding to or accenting a singer's performance. Martin's piano style reflected the influence of Holiness artists such as Arizona Dranes and her classical training.

The other musical signature of the Roberta Martin Singers was the accompaniment of "Little" Lucy Smith on the Hammond organ. Her droning introductory chord and unique "passes" using the bass pedals set the tone for a meditative experience and became a recognized trademark of a "Roberta Martin gospel song".

Roberta briefly retired from music in the 1960s due in part to her battle with cancer, but came back to record her final album Praise God (from whom all blessings flow), and her vocal recording, "I Have Hope", which was written by her friend Jessie Jimerson (aka Jessie Jimerson-Phillips).

Her group disbanded upon her death in 1969, but the surviving members continued to perform as a group in reunion concerts into the 21st century. Many of the members later had solo careers, such as Delois Barrett and Gloria Griffin, who was the composer of the classic gospel song "God Specializes", made famous by the Roberta Martin Singers in concerts and recordings.

Death and legacy

Roberta Martin died of cancer on January 18, 1969, at the age of 61, at Mercy Hospital, Chicago. Her funeral attracted over 50,000 mourners.[6]

During her lifetime, she had composed about seventy songs, arranged and published 280 gospel songs, and reached and inspired thousands of listeners selling sheet music. Her compositions include "He Knows Just How Much We Can Bear," and "God Is Still on the Throne" (1959), "Let It Be" (1950), and "Just Jesus and Me" (1966). Martin earned six Gold records.[7]

The Roberta Martin Singers sang at Gian-Carlo Menotti's Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, in 1963. She helped develop a distinctive gospel-piano style which had a special sound that integrated, for the first time, men and women into the gospel chorus during the mid-1940s.[8]

On July 15, 1998, the United States Postal Service issued a 32 cent commemorative stamp honoring Martin's influence. The stamp was one of four honoring gospel women. The other women honored were Mahalia Jackson, Clara Ward, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.[9]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Young Alan. Woke Me Up This Morning: Black Gospel Singers and the Gospel Life, University Press of Mississippi (1997), page xiv; ISBN 0-87805-944-X
  2. ^ Wimbush, Vincent L. African Americans and the Bible: Sacred Texts and Social Structures, Continuum International Publishing Group (2001), pg. 471; ISBN 0-8264-1376-5
  3. ^ McNeil, W. K. (October 18, 2013). Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music. Taylor & Francis. p. 242. ISBN 9781135377007.
  4. ^ Darden, Bob. People Get Ready!: A New History of Black Gospel Music, Continuum International Publishing Group (2004), pg. 190; ISBN 0-8264-1436-2
  5. ^ Greer, Ronald L. (September 17, 2015). Only a Look: A Historical Look at the Career of Mrs. Roberta Martin and the Roberta Martin Gospel Singers of Chicago, Illinois. WestBow Press. ISBN 9781512708981.
  6. ^ Carney Smith, Jessie (1992). Notable Black American Women: Book 2. Gale Research. p. 436. ISBN 9780810391772.
  7. ^ Ruether, Rosemary Radford. Encyclopedia of Women And Religion in North America, Indiana University Press (2006), pg. 991; ISBN 0-253-34687-8
  8. ^ Southern, Eileen. The Music of Black Americans: A History W. W. Norton & Company (1997), pg. 462; ISBN 0-393-03843-2
  9. ^ "32c Roberta Martin single". postalmuseum.si.edu. Retrieved 2024-03-11.

References

  • Tony Heilbut, The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times Limelight Editions (1997), ISBN 0-87910-034-6
  • Horace Clarence Boyer, How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel Elliott and Clark (1995) ISBN 0-252-06877-7
  • Bernice Johnson Reagon, We'll Understand It Better By And By: Pioneering African-American Gospel Composers Smithsonian Institution (1992), ISBN 1-56098-166-0
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