Studs Terkel had the opportunity to speak to Mahalia Jackson, and wanted to find out how far back does her memory goes when and where did she first hear gospel music. She was born in New Orleans in 1911, orphaned at age five, migrated to Chicago at 16, scrubbed floors and cooked for a living. And songs like "His Eye Is On the Sparrow," with its message that God looks after even the smallest of creatures, must have spoken to her.
EYE ON THE SPARROW MOVIE
In 1953, she played a cook in the movie a "Member of the Wedding." In a scene stealing performance, Waters sang "His Eye Is On the Sparrow."Įthel Waters was among the singers Mahalia Jackson admired. In the 1950s, Waters appeared in several films intended for a mainstream audience, making her one of the few black performers to have crossover appeal. Before "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" reached Mahalia Jackson, it found a voice in actress and singer Ethel Waters.
She mailed the lyrics to Gabriel, who worked for a gospel music publisher in Chicago.
Apparently, she was inspired to write "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" after visiting a sick friend. She was born in Nova Scotia in 1866 and lived most of her life in Atlanta. "His Eye Is On the Sparrow," a song closely associated with the African-American experience, was written by two whites: composer Charles Hutchison Gabriel and lyricist Silvila Durfy Martin. You know his eye is on the little old sparrow, and I know he cares for you and me." "Why should I feel discouraged? Why should I feel in pain? Why should I feel lonely when clouds arise, when I have trouble and when I long for heaven and home? Now these are metaphors for safety and comfort, and the question is answered quietly and with economy of text. "It opens with a rhetorical question," says ethnomusicologist Irene Jackson Brown. It's a song that relies completely on the clarity of its verses and the dignity of the performer. "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" has a simple melody, no exaggerated crescendos or theatrical flourishes. A month later, she made a studio recording of the song. In the summer of 1958, the great gospel singer Mahalia Jackson put her signature on one of the most beloved American hymns, "His Eye Is On the Sparrow." In July, she performed it before an ecstatic audience at the Newport Jazz Festival. American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson singing at the Imperial Palace at Tokyo.
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