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{{short description|American gospel singer (1927–1994)}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2022}}
{{for|the Barbadian economist and diplomat|Marion Williams (economist)}}
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{{Infobox musical artist
| name
| image = Marion Williams
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1927|8|29}}
| birth_place = [[Miami, Florida]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1994|7|2|1927|8|29}}
| death_place = [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
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| occupations = Singer
| years_active =
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}}
'''Marion Williams''' (August 29, 1927 – July 2, 1994) was an American [[Gospel music|gospel]] singer.
== Early years ==
{{Onesource|section|date=January 2022}}
Marion Williams was born in [[
Poverty caused Williams to leave school at fourteen to work with her mother at a laundry,<ref name=BlackPast_MarionWilliams /> although she eventually graduated from [[Pacific Union College]] in 1987. She sang at church and on street corners, inspired by a wide range of musicians, including [[Sister Rosetta Tharpe]] and the
She stayed with gospel in spite of pressure to switch to popular blues tunes or the [[opera]].
== Career ==
In 1946, while visiting a friend in Philadelphia, Williams happened to sing before an audience that included [[Clara Ward|Clara]] and Gertrude Ward. They recognized her talent and offered her a job. A year later, she became part of the Famous Ward Singers. Her growling, hands-on-the-hips vocal style made her one of the group's undisputed stars.
In 1958, she and other members of the Ward group formed the
In 1992, critic and music historian Dave McGee, writing in ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'',<ref name="RSAG 1992">{{cite book|last1=McGee|first1=David|last2=DeCurtis|first2=edited by Anthony|last3=Henke|first3=James|last4=George-Warren|first4=Holly|last5=Coleman|first5=Mark|last6=Considine|first6=J. D.|last7=Evans|first7=Paul|title=The Rolling stone album guide : completely new reviews : every essential album, every essential artist|date=1992|publisher=Random House|location=New York|isbn=
== Musical career ==
=== The Ward Singers ===
Williams was invited to join the Ward Singers when they heard her singing during a visit to a close friend in [[Philadelphia]] in 1946. Williams
=== Stars of Faith ===
Dissatisfied with the low pay she was receiving while starring for the group, Williams left the Ward Singers in 1958, followed by most of the rest of the group, to form the Stars of Faith. The new group was unable, however, to reproduce the success the Ward Singers had enjoyed, as Williams retreated from the spotlight to give other members of the group more opportunity to star. The group's career recovered, however, in 1961, when it appeared in ''[[Black Nativity]]'', an [[Off-Broadway]] production, and toured across North America and Europe.
===
In 1965, Williams began a solo career. While in Miami for her mother's funeral, she felt re-inspired to continue her career and began touring college campuses across the country. The recording that is perhaps her best-known hit, "Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go", is from this period.
===
==== Albums ====
* ''[[Can't Keep It to Myself]]'' (1993, Shanachie Entertainment Corp.)
* ''Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go'' (1971, Atlantic Recording Corp.)
===
==== Film appearances ====
Williams opens the 1990 video ''Amazing Grace with Bill Moyers'' singing the signature song. Later in the [[PBS]] production, she stylized the song in her own way. In 1991, she performed as a gospel singer in the film ''[[Fried Green Tomatoes (film)|Fried Green Tomatoes]]'', though her scene is available only in the director's cut. The movie was dedicated to her.
==== Television appearances ====
On ''[[Hootenanny]]'', a [[variety show|musical variety]] television show, she performed
=== Music ===
A powerful singer with a preternaturally broad range, able to reach the highest registers of the soprano range without losing either purity or volume, she could also swoop down to growling low notes in the style of a country preacher.
===
Williams' singing helped make the Ward Singers nationally popular when they began recording in 1948, and also inspired [[rock and roll]] pioneer [[Little Richard]]'s signature wail.<ref name="Rolling Stone 041990">{{cite journal|title=Little Richard|date=April 19, 1990|publisher=Rolling Stone}}</ref>
{{cite journal|title=Mitchell and Williams Receive Kennedy Center Honors in December|journal=Jet|date=September 27, 1993|volume=84|issue=22|page=36|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WsEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36 |access-date=September 16, 2014|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|issn=0021-5996}}
== Honors and awards ==
Williams was honored by the [[MacArthur Foundation]] in 1993, stating that she was among "the last surviving links to gospel's golden age...one of the most versatile singers of her generation."<ref name="Jet 19930927">{{cite journal|title=Mitchell and Williams Receive Kennedy Center Honors in December|journal=Jet|date=September 27, 1993|volume=84|issue=22|page=36|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WsEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36 |access-date=September 16, 2014|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|issn=0021-5996}}</ref>
She was one of the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1993. Her tribute included an all-star lineup including appearances by [[Billy Preston]], [[Little Richard]], and [[Aretha Franklin]].<ref name="philly.com 1993">{{cite web |title=Celebrating Marion Williams Tonight On Cbs, The Gospel Singer From North Philadelphia Receives The Kennedy Center Treatment |url=http://articles.philly.com/1993-12-29/entertainment/25941177_1_gospel-singer-wonderful-day-anthony-heilbut |website=philly.com |date=December 29, 1993 |last=Carter |first=Kevin L. |access-date=September 16, 2014}}</ref>
== Personal life ==
Williams was an esteemed member and Church Mother at the BM Oakley Memorial [[Church of God in Christ]] in Philadelphia under the pastorate of the late Mother Irene A. Oakley.<ref name=BlackPast_MarionWilliams>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackpast.org/aah/williams-marion-1927-1994|title=Williams, Marion (
Williams died at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia on July 2, 1994, aged 66.<ref name="NYT 19940704">{{cite news |first1=Jon |last1=Pareles |title=Marion Williams Is Dead at 66; Influential Pioneer of Gospel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/04/obituaries/marion-williams-is-dead-at-66-influential-pioneer-of-gospel.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 4, 1994 |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 16, 2014}}</ref> She was interred at [[Ivy Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)|Ivy Hill Cemetery]] in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Newall |first1=Mike |title=Philadelphia cemetery struggles with coronavirus victims, a Philadelphia cemetery aims to preserve the dignity of the dead |url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-ivy-hill-cemetery-crematory-20200505.html |website=www.inquirer.com |date=May 5, 2020 |publisher=Philadelphia Inquirer |access-date=July 3, 2022}}</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
*[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4784252 NPR Story]
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