Marie Knight (née Roach; June 1, 1920 – August 30, 2009)
was an American
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
and
R&B singer.
Life and career
She was born Marie Roach
[Seamus McGarvey, "Marie Knight: I Hear Music In the Air", interview and article in '' Juke Blues'' magazine, #68, 2009] in 1920,
[Obituary]
nytimes.com, September 3, 2009; accessed December 13, 2015. though she claimed to have been born in 1925. Sources differ as to her place of birth – either
Attapulgus, Georgia
Attapulgus is a city in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 454.
The town's name is an Indian word meaning "Dogwood"; due to the abundance of attapulgite, which makes up the clay soil throu ...
,
or
Sanford, Florida
Sanford is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Seminole County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 61,051.
Known as the "Historic Waterfront Gateway City", Sanford sits on the southern shore ...
– but she grew up in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
. Her father was a construction worker and the family were members of the
Church of God in Christ
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness– Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly ...
.
She first toured as a singer in 1939 with Frances Robinson, an
evangelist
Evangelist may refer to:
Religion
* Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels
* Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ
* Evangelist (Anglican Church), a co ...
. She married preacher Albert Knight in 1941 but the union ended in divorce. While she was touring with
Sister Rosetta in the 1940s, her two children died in a fire at her mother's house in New Jersey.
[
In 1946, she made her first recordings, for Haven Records with the masters soon purchased by Signature Records,]Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (born Rosetta Nubin, March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer and guitarist. She gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics a ...
saw her singing at the Golden Gate Auditorium in Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
, on a bill with Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to t ...
, and invited Knight to join her on tour.[
She continued to record and perform with Tharpe through the 1940s, sometimes acting out the parts of "the Saint and the Sinner", with Tharpe as the saint and Knight as the sinner.]Up Above My Head
"Up Above My Head" is a gospel song of traditional origin, first recorded in 1941 (as "Above My Head I Hear Music In The Air") by The Southern Sons, a vocal group formed by William Langford of the Golden Gate Quartet. In the version that is now th ...
", recorded for Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...
. "Up Above My Head", credited jointly to both singers, reached No. 6 on the US R&B chart
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
at the end of 1948, and Knight's solo version of "Gospel Train" reached No. 9 on the R&B chart in 1949.Joel Whitburn
Joel Carver Whitburn (November 29, 1939 – June 14, 2022) was an American author and music historian, responsible for setting up the Record Research, Inc. series of books on record chart placings.
Early life
Joel Carver Whitburn was born in W ...
, secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
R&B music in the late 1950s, for various labels including Decca, Mercury, and Okeh
Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...
. Her duet with Rex Garvin
Rex Garvin (July 24, 1940[Interview]
OtherSounds.com. Retrieved December 6, 2013. – December 2, 2013) wa ...
, credited as Marie & Rex, "I Can't Sit Down" released on the Carlton label, reached No. 94 on the pop chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include re ...
in 1959.[Whitburn, ''Top Pop Singles 1955-2002'', Billboard, 2003; , p. 440] In the late 1950s she also toured Britain as a guest of Humphrey Lyttelton
Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton (23 May 1921 – 25 April 2008), also known as Humph, was an English jazz musician and broadcaster from the Lyttelton family.
Having taught himself the trumpet at school, Lyttelton became a professional ...
.Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two diffe ...
. Knight's version of " Cry Me a River" reached No. 35 on the U.S. ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' R&B charts in 1965.
She toured with Brook Benton
Benjamin Franklin Peay (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988), better known as Brook Benton, was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960 ...
, the Drifters, and Clyde McPhatter
Clyde Lensley McPhatter (November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972) was an American rhythm and blues, soul, and rock and roll singer. He was one of the most widely imitated R&B singers of the 1950s and early 1960sPalmer, Robert (1981)"Roy Brown, a Pi ...
, and regularly reunited onstage with Tharpe.[ She remained friends with Tharpe, and helped arrange her funeral in 1973. In 1975, having given up performing secular music, she recorded another gospel album, ''Marie Knight: Today''. In 2002, Knight made a comeback in the gospel world, recording for a ]tribute album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
to Tharpe. She released a full-length album, ''Let Us Get Together'', on her manager's label in 2007.
Death
Marie Knight died in Harlem of complications from pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...
, on August 30, 2009, aged 89. She was survived by a sister, Bernice Henry.[
]
Discography
Marie Knight with The Sunset Four, Male Quartet (aka Sunset Jubilee Singers)
* 1946 Signature 32004 - If I Could Just Make It In / Where Shall I Go
* 1946 Signature 32005 - I'll Let Nothing Separate Me ... / I Just Couldn't Keep It To Myself
* 1946 Haven 501 - I Just Couldn't Keep It To Myself / The Negro National Anthem
* 1946 Signature 32006 - Negro National Anthem / Where Could I Go But To The Lord
* 1946 Haven 502 - I'll Let Nothing Separate Me ... / Where Could I Go
* 1946 Signature 32007 - The Lord Will Make A Way / I'll Never Turn Back No More
* 1946 Haven 503 - I'll Never Turn Back No More / The Lord Will Make A Way
* 1946 Haven 504 - Today / Something Within Me Banishes Pain
Sister Marie Knight
* 1946 Signature 32008 - Just A Closer Walk With Thee / The Land Beyond The River
* 1946 Signature 32009 - When I Get To The End Of My Journey / What Could I Do
Georgia Peach/Marie Knight
* 1946 Signature 32024 - I Just Rose To Tell You / Today; flip side only by Marie Knight.
Marie Knight
* 1947 Haven 516 - Just A Closer Walk With Thee / The Land Beyond The River
* 1947 Haven 517 - The End Of My Journey / What Could I Do
Marie Knight
* circa 1947 RCA Victor 22-0073 - Misery Blues[Billboard December 22, 1956, p. 30]
Marie Knight With The Howard Biggs Orch.
* 1957 Mercury 71055 - I'm A Little Fooler / Am I Reaching For The Moon
Marie Knight; Teacho Wiltshire Orchestra
* 1958 Baton 253 - I Thought I Told You Not To Tell Them / September Song
Marie And Rex: Marie Knight and Rex Garvin with orchestral accomp. / Marie Knight with orch.
* 1959 Carlton 502 - I Can't Sit Down / Miracles; flip side only by Marie Knight with orch.
Marie Knight
* 1960 Addit 1016 - Hope You Won't Hold It Against Me / To Be Loved By You
Marie Knight & Junior Lewis
* 1960 Sylvia - Better Wait And See - (unissued; released in U. K. 2002 Kent CD "The Arock & Sylvia Story" CDKEND 212)
Marie Knight
* 1960 Sylvia - Come Tomorrow - (unissued; released in UK 2002 Kent CD "The Arock & Sylvia Story" CDKEND 212)
* 1961 Okeh 4-7141 - Come Tomorrow* / Nothing In The World
* 1962 Okeh 4-7147 - Come On Baby (Hold My Hand) / What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am)
* 1963 Diamond 136 - I Was Born Again / I Don't Wanna Walk Alone
* 1963 Diamond 149 - The Nearness Of You / Walk Away
* 1964 Diamond 171 - Make Yourself At Home / I Was Born Again
* 1964 Musicor 1076 - Comes The Night / Cry Me A River
* 1964 Musicor 1106 - That's No Way To Treat A Girl / Say It Again
* 1964 That's No Way To Treat A Girl (full length version released in UK 2002 Kent LP Soul Spin - Kent 024)
* 1964 Musicor 1128 - A Little Too Lonely / You Lie So Well
* 1965 Okeh 4-7218 - Come Tomorrow / Nothing In The World
* 1975 Blues Alliance 257004 - Today LP
* 2001 Westside - Bluesoul Belles Vol. 4: Scepter & Musicor Recordings (Compilation; Judy Clay, Marie Knight)
* 2002 Gospel Friend - Hallelujah What a Song (Compilation)
* 2007 M. C. Records MC-0058 - Let Us Get Together LP
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Marie
1920 births
2009 deaths
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
20th-century African-American women singers
American gospel singers
Deaths from pneumonia in New York City
Musicians from Newark, New Jersey
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American women singers
21st-century African-American women singers