Marian Anderson - Christmas Carols
Found this one at a local thrift store - I thought for sure it was on CD. Surprise! It's never seen the light of the CD laser and I couldn't find anyplace online that has this for download. Long before anyone heard of Barack Obama, Jackie Robinson, or even Joe Louis, Marian Anderson was one of the first people who broke down barriers and paved the way for African-Americans. Born in 1897, Marian's musical career began quite early, at the local Baptist church in which her father was very active. She joined the junior choir at age six and before long, she was nicknamed "The Baby Contralto." When she was eight, her father bought a piano from his brother, but they could not afford any lessons so Marian taught herself. Marian became so popular, she would sometimes perform at three different places in a single night. Finally she summoned the confidence to request five dollars per performance. In 1919, at the age of 22, she sang at the National Baptist Convention...