Esther M. Anderson
Esther M. Anderson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Born | 1905 | ||
| Died | 1964 Los Angeles, California | ||
| Nationality | American | ||
| Citizenship | United States of America | ||
Esther (Essie) M. Anderson (nee Hogue, born in Alabama c.1905 - died in Los Angeles, California, 1964), wife of Rev. George E. Anderson (1891-1957).
Essie came from a religious rural background. She was born not far from Marion, Alabama. Her father, Elias Hogue, was involved in church life,[1] and moved family to St. Louis, Missouri, where he became a Pastor of St. Andrew Baptist Church. In 1920, at sixteen, Essie married George E. Anderson.[2] She became a mother of two and a step-mother of one: George Anderson had a son from a previous marriage. During the Great Depression Andersons moved to Los Angeles, California, were George worked as an automobile mechanic.[3] In Los Angeles Andersons attended Mt. Olive Missionary Church where Essie became a good asset to the music program, excelling in Gospel songs.[4] Fitting into established, better-educated African-American community of Los Angeles was not an easy task for a timid young woman who was born and raised in a provincial Alabama town and finished only four years of grammar school.[5] [6] There, however, she made a historically significant contribution to Gospel music. In 1931 Essie authored a song "This Little Light of Mine" for which she was praised and encouraged by Rev. H. D. Prowd who reported to a local newspaper:
"It was Communion Day, and we had a joyful time. Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Prowd, the newest bridegroom and bride were in attendance, and the whole church, led by Deacon Peace, gave them a sincere and hearty welcome. Deacon Price using Deaconess Anderson's song - "This Little Light of Mine" gave us a real blessing. Our Brother Lewis will be on the track, very soon, with this song."[7]
Composing a song that would become a banner of the Civil Rights movement,[8] did not help Essie to establish her name in a music world.[9] [10] Essie, not familiar with the copyright logistics, almost immediately lost control over her song.[11] "This Little Light of Mine," eagerly adapted by the traveling preachers and missionaries, soon fell into a public domain. Radio performances promoted the song's popularity. The African-American singing group "The La France Jubilaires," based in Texas, introduced "This Little Light of Mine" to the wide radio audiences as early as September of 1933. [12]
Essie's husband George, encouraged by Rev. H. D. Prowd, transformed himself from a Deacon and an occasional preacher into a full-time Baptist minister. At first he took charge of the Bethel Baptist church, and several years later founded the Third Baptist Church of Los Angeles.[13] The Andersons couple continuously supported Gospel music, hosting an array of events, from recitals to the choir "battles."[14] As a "First Lady" of a church, Essie became member of the inter-denominational Minister's Wives Council of Los Angeles were she served as a Treasurer. [15] Even though Essie's dream of writing a history of the Third Baptist Church was never fulfilled, she left an imprint in history of Gospel music that should be never forgotten or minimized.[16]
References
- ↑ "First Annual Session of the Proposed New Organization (for Negroes)." The Marion Times-Standard [Marion, Alabama], 5 Nov. 1909, p.5.
- ↑ "Marriage Licenses." The St. Louis Star and Times [St. Louis, Missouri] 14 Dec. 1920, p.23.
- ↑ 1930 United States Federal Census, California, Los Angeles, District 305, p.64.
- ↑ Montgomery, N. L. “Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church.” The California Eagle [Los Angeles, California], 7 Feb. 1933, p. 7.
- ↑ Cox, Bette Yarbrough. “The Evolution of Black Music in Los Angeles, 1890–1955.” Seeking El Dorado: African Americans in California, edited by Lawrence B. De Graaf at al., Seattle; London, University of Washington Press, 2001, pp. 249–78.
- ↑ Catherine Parsons Smith. Making Music in Los Angeles: Transforming the Popular. University of California Press, 2007.
- ↑ Prowd, Henry D. “Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church.” The California Eagle [Los Angeles, California], 8 May 1931, p. 7.
- ↑ Jackson-Brown, Irene. “Developments in Black Gospel Performance and Scholarship.” Black Music Research Journal, vol. 10, no. 1, 1990, p. 36.
- ↑ DjeDje, Jacqueline Cogdell. “Los Angeles Composers of African American Gospel Music: The First Generations.” American Music, vol. 11, no. 4, 1993, pp. 412–57.
- ↑ Darden, Robert. Nothing but Love in God’s Water (Volume 1: Black Sacred Music from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement). 1st ed., Penn State University Press, 2014.
- ↑ Vézina, Brigitte. Moral Rights: Copyright’s Poor Relation. Centre for International Governance Innovation, 2020, pp. 3–7, Ensuring Respect for Indigenous Cultures: A Moral Rights Approach, www.jstor.org/stable/resrep25328.7. Accessed 28 Nov. 2021.
- ↑ "Jubilaires." The Dallas Morning News [Dallas,Texas], Sep.8, 1933, p.7.
- ↑ "Third Baptist Church to Celebrate 24th Year." The California Eagle [Los Angeles, California], 1 Nov. 1962, p.6.
- ↑ "Noted Musicians Appear in Gospel Song Concert." The California Eagle [Los Angeles, California], 14 Aug. 1947, p.16.
- ↑ "Minister's Wives Close Successful Term Here." The California Eagle[Los Angeles, California], 30 Dec. 1943, p.3.
- ↑ Popov, Irina G."'This Little Light of Mine:' to the Headwaters of a Song," paper presented at 5th Annual History Symposium at Tuskegee University, February 12, 2021.
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