Since the death in 1972 of the original Queen of Gospel, Mahalia Jackson, many music critics have crowned Shirley Caesar the heir apparent to Jackson’s throne. Caesar is by far the most successful and prolific woman in gospel since Jackson. She began her career with Albertina Walker’s Caravans, one of the Top Five gospel acts of the 1950s. Caesar then branched out on her own as a solo artist in 1966 with her own unique style of delivering songs and sermonettes that made her an immediate crowd pleaser and a consistent record seller. Over the years, she has made songs such as “Don’t Drive Your Mama Away”, “No Change”,
“Faded Rose”, “Jesus”, and “Hold My Mule” into absolute gospel classics.