160:. His first record, "Search Me Lord", became a gospel hit, and was estimated to have sold over one million copies though without reaching any of the published record charts of the day. His follow-up record, "Do You Know Him?" in 1950, was equally successful, and May became a full-time musician, touring nationally with gospel groups such as the
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singer. He was sometimes billed as "The
Thunderbolt of the Middle West", and has been described as "arguably the greatest male soloist in the history of gospel music.... a voice of unimaginable range and power, moving from a whisper to a scream without the slightest suggestion of effort".
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denomination in which all males are referred to as "Brother". He sang with the Little Church Out on the Hills' senior choir and then the Church of God
Quartet, building a reputation on the
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As one of the
Specialty label's most successful artists, the company tried to persuade him to record more secular material, but May refused, although he acknowledged
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218:. After returning to the South, May's popularity continued to grow in that region. In the early 1960s, he starred with
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gospel circuit. He worked as a laborer in Macon, before moving in 1941 with his wife Viola and their children to
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success in the white record market. He left
Specialty in 1958, and began recording his own compositions for the
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He continued to perform widely in the
Southern states despite health problems, and recorded a series of gospel
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label. He also performed and made recordings with his daughter, Annette, and with singer
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In 2000, he was posthumously inducted into the
International Gospel Music Hall of Fame in
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for the
Nashboro label through the 1960s and early 1970s. On his way to a performance in
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In Loving Memory of
Brother Joe May: A Collection of His Most Famous Recordings
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195:, with whom he sometimes performed. He was cited as a musical inspiration by
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However, his success in the gospel field was not translated into
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The Life And Times Of Little
Richard: The Authorized Biography
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100:(November 9, 1912 – July 14, 1972) was an American
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179:as a major influence. His records often used an
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480:20th-century African-American male singers
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370:Biography by Jason Ankeny, Allmusic.com
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389:Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music
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152:in 1949 was signed by talent scout
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485:20th-century American male singers
415:Nashboro Records album discography
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405:, Omnibus Press, 2003, pp. 15-17
317:Thank You Lord for One More Day
470:People from Macon, Mississippi
323:In Church With Brother Joe May
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490:20th-century American singers
299:I've Been Dipped In The Water
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424:. Accessed 8 October 2012
372:. Accessed 8 October 2012
420:February 3, 2013, at the
329:The Brother Joe May Story
475:Singers from Mississippi
305:Don't Let The Devil Ride
243:, he suffered a massive
131:East St. Louis, Illinois
465:American gospel singers
293:Best Of Brother Joe May
142:Willie Mae Ford Smith
241:Thomasville, Georgia
69:Thomasville, Georgia
275:Songs Of The Gospel
269:Walk On and Talk On
187:as well as a full
119:Macon, Mississippi
52:Macon, Mississippi
166:Pilgrim Travelers
158:Specialty Records
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88:c.1930–1972
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49:November 9, 1912
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222:in the musical
220:Marion Williams
193:Mahalia Jackson
154:J. W. Alexander
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185:rhythm section
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94:Musical artist
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66:(aged 59)
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177:Bessie Smith
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84:Years active
64:(1972-07-14)
460:1972 deaths
455:1912 births
258:Discography
183:-dominated
150:Los Angeles
449:Categories
348:References
331:(2-LP Set)
115:Joseph May
75:Occupation
45:1912-11-09
34:Joseph May
30:Birth name
208:Nashville
204:crossover
138:St. Louis
418:Archived
212:Nashboro
164:and the
127:Southern
391:, p.248
252:Detroit
210:-based
175:singer
343:(1974)
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325:(1971)
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271:(1962)
263:Albums
245:stroke
237:albums
102:gospel
78:Singer
54:, U.S.
311:Today
189:choir
181:organ
173:blues
113:Born
109:Life
59:Died
39:Born
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228:in
156:to
136:In
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