Born on October 26, 1911 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mahalia Jackson had one of the most unique and inspiring gospel voices ever recorded She was responsible for having expanded the gospel music audience. As the daughter of a preacher, she was allowed to sing only gospel music, although her heart was devoted to blues. In 1927, she moved to Chicago and opened her own beauty shop after studying at Madame C.J. Walker's beauty culture. In 1934, she recorded her first record entitled God Gonna Separate the Wheat from the Tares. She later recorded Move on up a Little Higher, which became her first big hit, selling over two million copies. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, she toured in the United States and abroad and made guest appearances on many television shows. During the 1960s, she actively worked in the civil rights movement. At the March of Washington, she thrilled the crowd of 250,000 with the classic, How I Got Over. Mahalia Jackson died of heart failure on January 27, 1972 in Chicago.