Born in Birmingham, Ala., on April 14, 1929, she traveled a tough road to gospel stardom.
“Aretha used to tell Inez that she loved her tops (high notes) and that wailing,” Heilbut said.īut Andrews’ achievements were hard won. She helped popularize gospel with songs she wrote and/or arranged, such as the aforementioned “Lord Don’t Move That Mountain,” which became “that rare thing: a gospel song that’s a crossover hit,” said Heilbut.Īnd Andrews’ arrangement of “Mary, Don’t You Weep” influenced Aretha Franklin’s version of the tune on Franklin’s classic 1972 album “Amazing Grace.” Indeed, Andrews lit up the Chicago Gospel Music Festival in Grant Park in 1998, drawing ovations for her signature anthem, “Lord Don’t Move That Mountain.” The majesty, stateliness and imploring quality of her singing reaffirmed her stature alongside the other legends that night: Albertina Walker and the Barrett Sisters.īut Andrews’ gifts extended beyond her regal performance style. “Her music was strong and always with a message. “Her music was like her: Strong,” said longtime gospel impresario and radio broadcaster Pam Morris. The music she made reflected the woman she was, those who knew Andrews said. “Her voice would lift, and she would become a preacher. “She would build in such a clever way,” Heilbut added. She would start soft and then she would zoom up and with tremendous volume hit these piercing notes in natural voice.” “There’s no one left from that era,” said author Anthony Heilbut, whose book “The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times” is a standard text on the subject.
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