BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Cassietta George (born Cassietta Baker on January 23, 1929 in Memphis, Tennessee-January 3, 1995 in Los Angeles, California) was an American gospel vocalist, and composer. George was a member of Queen of Gospel Albertina Walker's The Caravans, the most popular touring gospel group from the late '50s to the mid-'60s. She later launched a successful solo career, recording over 16 albums albums in Los Angeles for Audio Arts Inc. Along the way, George wrote over a hundred songs, and was twice nominated for a Grammy in 1969 & 1979, for Best Soul Gospel Performance.[1
Life and career
Cassietta George was born in 1929 in Memphis Tennessee, the daughter of Reverend Peter Baker and Cassietta. When she was four, she began singing in her father's church. She graduated from McKinley High School in Canton, Ohio, where she lived for a number of years. After she finished school, she returned to Memphis and sang for a while with the Songbirds of the South, one of the many female quartets in Memphis during the 1940s and early 1950s. She later sang with thBrewster Ensemble. In the 1953 she moved to Chicago, and in 1954 became a member of The Caravans, recording with them for States and Savoy. Her most popular song with the Caravans was a spirited arrangement of "Somebody Bigger than You and I". George began composing while with The Caravans and wrote more than twenty-five songs for them, including "To Whom Shall I Turn?" and "I Believe in Thee."[2] Her style was heavily influenced by that of Clara Ward. While a member of the Caravans, she sang with such greats as James Cleveland, Queen of Gospel Albertina Walker, Inez Andrews, Delores Washington and Shirley Caesar.
Selective discography
| Year | Title | Genre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Walk Around Heaven | Gospel | Audio Arts |
| 1969 | This Time | Gospel | Audio Arts |
| 1979 | Cassietta in Concert | Gospel | Audio Arts |
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