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Willie Mae Ford Smith
Willie Mae Ford Smith
American singer
1
The Barrett Sisters
The Barrett Sisters
2
Fontella Bass
Fontella Bass
American singer
3
Thomas A. Dorsey
Thomas A. Dorsey
American musician, composer, and Christian evangelist influential in the development of early blues and 20th-century gospel music
4
Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles
American singer and songwriter
5
Brother Joe May
Brother Joe May
singer
6
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson
American gospel singer
7
Big Mama Thornton
Big Mama Thornton
American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter
8
Cissy Houston
Cissy Houston
American singer
9
Jai
Jai
American singer
10
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker
American-born French dancer, singer, and actress (1906-1975)
11
Sharon Jones
Sharon Jones
American soul funk singer from NYC
12
Mica Paris
Mica Paris
English soul/jazz singer
13
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
American musician and actress
14
Judith Hill
Judith Hill
American singer
15
Willie Norwood
Willie Norwood
American musician
16
Ruth Brown
Ruth Brown
American singer-songwriter (1928-2006)
17
Albertina Walker
Albertina Walker
American singer (1929-2010)
18
Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley
American singer-song-writer and daughter of Elvis Presley
19
Velma Middleton
Velma Middleton
American singer
20
Larry Gatlin
Larry Gatlin
American country and Southern gospel singer and songwriter
21
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
American singer
22
Bessie Griffin
Bessie Griffin
American singer (1922–1989)
23
Frankie Jaxon
Frankie Jaxon
African American vaudeville singer, female impersonator, stage designer and comedian
24
Kelly Price
Kelly Price
American songwriter, singer
25
The 5th Dimension
The 5th Dimension
American popular music vocal group
26
Andraé Crouch
Andraé Crouch
American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor (1942-2015)
27
Shirley Collie Nelson
Shirley Collie Nelson
American singer/songwriter
28
Lynda Randle
Lynda Randle
American singer
29
Little Milton
Little Milton
American singer and guitarist
30
Clara Ward
Clara Ward
American gospel artist; singer, music arranger, songwriter
31
Una Mae Carlisle
Una Mae Carlisle
American jazz singer, pianist, and songwriter
32
Clydie King
Clydie King
American singer
33
Ike Turner
Ike Turner
African American musician, songwriter, and producer (1931-2007)
34
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey
American singer
35
Arnold Moore
Arnold Moore
American singer
36
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
American singer, songwriter, and pianist
37
Kings of Rhythm
Kings of Rhythm
American musical group; R&B/Soul band led by Ike Turner
38
Bobbi Kristina Brown
Bobbi Kristina Brown
American television personality
Zella Jackson Price
American gospel singer

Zella Jackson Price

Intro
American gospel singer
Music

Zella Jackson Price (born c. 1940) is an American gospel singer whose career has spanned 50 years. She performed with many St. Louis-based entertainers and earned national recognition, performing in her own show at Carnegie Hall in 1985. She was one of the pioneer black announcers on St. Louis radio and was the feature of a documentary about her life created by Chicago TV channel 28. She sang in several movies, including Say Amen, Somebody (1982), a documentary about Willie Mae Ford Smith' life, and the HBO mini-series Angels in America.

In 2015, Price made headlines when a daughter she had given birth to in 1965 and she believed to be dead made contact with her through social media. DNA evidence confirmed that Price was the mother of the woman. Price claims that a nurse told her that her baby died while in the hospital. However, hospital records and other evidence suggest that the baby was abandoned by Price at a different hospital.