Motown’s Legendary Mabel John
How one lady was a trailblazer and an advocate for the impoverished.
Everyone has a talent and some have two or more. God has made each of us special and talented. He does not make us use the talent but the desire should be to use one’s talent for the betterment of humanity. One lady allowed no grass to grow under her feet as she blazed life with a fire touching many souls and spirits.
Mable John, 1930 -2022, has come full circle, and now transitioned to a place of rest and eternity. She was a singer who used her voice to advocate for the rights of all people. She was the first signed Motown’s female artist who later became a minister and helped L.A.’s unhoused. She founded a ministry and a charity in 1966.
John was part of the stable of early-day artists at legendary Stax Records, backup singer for Ray Charles, a film actress later, and a mystery writer. Her 91 years of life speak for itself as she did what Mable John was driven to do with a generous heart, lots of energy, and curiosity.
Her love for all people allowed her to be as comfortable sharing the stage with Billie Holiday as she was walking among the homeless that gathered for her annual homeless Christmas party in Westchester. All the while, she earned a Ph.D. in divinity, became a minister, and graced her pulpit with her booming voice and much stage presence.
Ms. John was the eldest of 10 siblings and was born in 1930 in Bastrop, Louisiana. Her father left for better employment in Detroit and moved the family with him. There she was encouraged by her musically inclined parents to sing in the family’s Pentecostal church. Pentecostals were super strict about the type of musical interest their members had, and Mable was dismissed from the choir due to her interest in singing the blues. She left and found another church after much criticism about her music interest relative to the devil, being secular, and a betrayal of her faith.
As fate would have it, she got a job at an insurance company that was owned by Berry Gordy’s sister while hustling to pitch her songs to local DJs and record store owners. John was encouraged to launch a label that focused on Black musicians. Gordy converted his garage into a recording studio with a sign above that stated, “Hitsville U.S.A.”
Within a few years, the company later went on to become Motown as they churned out chart-busting songs: “ “Shop Around,” “Please Mr. Postman,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Where Did Our Love Go?” and hundreds of other new tunes.
Mable John was the first solo female artist he signed who went on to perform with Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. John’s younger brother, Little Willie John, initially outshined her as an R&B artist who reached the top of the charts with his hit song “Fever,” while his sister had modest success in 1960 recording several of Gordy’s songs, like “Who Wouldn’t Love a Man Like That” and “Actions Speak Louder Than Words.”
Artists come and artists go between record labels and record producers. John felt an uneven match for her soul-drenched voice and interest in the blues was not a good fit for Motown’s agenda. With Memphis being the home of a lot of musicians, she left for Memphis and signed with Stax, where she landed a top 10 hit with “Your Good Thing (Is About to End)” in 1966.
She found herself assigned to Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Two artists who she had never met and during the first meeting they wanted to get to know her as a person and what drives her ability. Above all things, they and Stax wanted her to be herself, her uniqueness.
As fate would have it, she was on the road with Ray Charles two years later as the lead singer for his backup trio, the Raelettes. This was a collaboration and a friendship between her and Ray Charles that lasted until his death in 2004.
Her roots in the church started to draw her back and she eventually set aside secular music and headed to Los Angles where she taught Bible classes and established a ministry, Joy in Jesus Ministries. Went on to earn a divinity doctorate at the Crenshaw Christian Center in 1992. Which led to her being the founder of Joy Community Outreach, a charity that fed and clothed the impoverished and hosted her annual Christmas party for the homeless. Her notoriety gained support from the late Valerie Harper, Sharon Stone, and Whoopi Goldberg, just to name a few.
Mabel John was always on her horizon for her next adventure. She made her film debut in 1977 with director John Sayles where she played the role of an aging blues singer alongside Danny Glover in “Honeydripper.” This was a role befitting her and her life’s journey. She also co-wrote a series of thrillers. In 2007, she appeared with Hayes, Lalah Hathaway, and Angie Stone at the Hollywood Bowl for the 50th anniversary of Stax.
In conclusion, Mabel John lived life to the fullest and now leaves a legacy to be cherished and should go down in history as a trailblazer who deeply loved God and humanity. Rest in Power, Ms. John.
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