Maggie Porter Cole (1853–1942) was an American singer and first-generation-freed slave, most notable as an original member of the

Fisk Jubilee Singers The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American a cappella ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early ...

, one of only four members to participate in all three of the original tours by the group. She was known for her vocal talents as a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

and also worked as a schoolteacher.

Early life

Maggie Porter was one of three daughters born in

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon ( ) is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metro ...

to a slave family belonging to Henry Frazier. At the start of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Frazier moved to

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, taking Maggie's family with him, and when Union soldiers took and occupied the city, Frazier freed Maggie and her family after the publication of the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

. After she attended the Fisk Free Colored School, Maggie worked as a teacher in various country schools (one of which was burned down by the KKK). In the winter of 1870, Maggie was asked to sing the title role in

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

's " Cantata of Esther" by George White, a musical and choral director at Fisk. Her success in the role led to her being offered a position with the new Fisk Jubilee Singers.

With the Jubilee Singers and later life

Porter traveled with the Jubilee Singers through all three of their original tours from 1871 to 1878 (with one exception). She sang lead soprano, and had a reputation as a diva. As a result, Porter was banished from the group for three months during their initial tour in 1871. After finishing the tours, she spent some time living out of the country in Germany before returning to the U.S. to participate in the "reorganized Fisk Jubilee Singers", which contained alumni of the original group but had no affiliation with Fisk. Later, she and her husband formed a new group (also called the Fisk Jubilee Singers) with a few alumni from the original Fisk Singers, and they toured the U.S., Canada, and Europe through the 1880s into the 1890s. She and her husband later moved to Detroit where they raised their family and continued to remain involved with local music. She returned to Fisk for the 60th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Maggie Porter died of natural causes at age 89 in 1942.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Maggie 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers American women singers 1853 births 1942 deaths