Mable John

Mable John(November 3, 1930 – August 25, 2022) was an Americanbluesvocalist and was the first female artist signed byBerry GordytoMotown's Tamla label.

Mable John
Born	(1930-11-03)November 3, 1930 Bastrop, Louisiana,U.S.
Died	August 25, 2022(2022-08-25)(aged 91) Los Angeles, California,U.S.
Genres	Blues,R&B,gospel
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	1960–2022
Labels	Tamla (Motown),Stax

Biography

John was born inBastrop, Louisiana,on November 3, 1930,the eldest of at least nine siblings.At a very young age, she and her parents, Mertis and Lillie (Robinson) John,moved north intoArkansas,where her father got a job in a paper mill nearCullendale,where four of her brothers (including R&B singerLittle Willie John) and two sisters were born.

In 1941, after her father was able to secure a better job, the family moved toDetroit,where two additional brothers were born. She attended Cleveland Intermediate School, and thenPershing High School.After graduating, she took a job as an insurance representative at Friendship Mutual Insurance Agency, a company run byBerry Gordy's mother, Bertha.

Later, she left the company and spent two years at Lewis Business College. She subsequently ran into Mrs. Gordy again, who told Mable that her son, Berry, was writing songs and was looking for people to record them. Gordy began coaching her and would accompany John on piano at local engagements. This continued until 1959, when John performed at the Flame Show bar on John R Street at the last show thatBillie Holidaydid in Detroit, just weeks before Holiday's death.

The same year, John began recording for Gordy. First she was signed to United Artists, but nothing was released there. Eventually, she became one of the first artists signed toTamla,Gordy's own label.

In 1960, she released her first Tamla single, "Who Wouldn't Love a Man Like That?," a romantic blues number, to no success. John followed with "No Love" in June of that year and then with "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" by year's end. While Motown was beginning to have success with acts likethe Miraclesandthe Marvelettes(and laterMartha & the Vandellasandthe Supremes,both of whom had sung background vocals for John) that appealed to teenagers and young adults, it was making no impact in the established blues market. As a result, Gordy soon thinned out his roster of early blues artists. While John continued to be used as a background singer, Gordy dissolved her contract in 1962.

After leaving Motown, John spent several years as aRaelette,backing manyRay Charleshits. In 1966 she attempted a solo career again, signing withStax Records.Her first single with the label was "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)."The song peaked at No. 6 on the R&B chart, and even managed to cross over onto pop radio, peaking at No. 95 there. She released six more singles for the label, none of which captured her first single's success. After leaving Stax Records in 1968, John rejoinedthe Raelettesfor several years. She left secular music in 1973, and began managing Christian gospel acts, occasionally returning to the studio as a singer.

She released a single on the London-based Motown revival labelMotorcity Recordsentitled "Time Stops" in 1991. In 1993, John earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from the south Los Angeles ministryCrenshaw Christian Center.

In 2006, John andDavid Ritzcollaborated on a novel titledSanctified Blues,about a former singer turned spiritual leader.

John played Bertha Mae, a veteran blues singer, inJohn Sayles' 2007 movieHoneydripper,and appeared in the 2014 Oscar-winning documentary20 Feet from Stardom.

Personal life

John's career, according to music historians was "unjustly overshadowed" by her brother's recording career that started several years before Mable's.

In the late 1970s, John started a Los Angeles charity called "Joy Community Outreach to End Homelessness" that provided food and clothing to more than 100 people a day.

John died in Los Angeles on August 25, 2022, at the age of 91.Married several times, a complete list of survivors was not available at the time of her death.

Awards

John received a Pioneer Award from theRhythm and Blues Foundationin 1994.

Discography

Albums

• Stay Out of the Kitchen(1966, Stax)

Singles

• "You Are Only My Love!" (1960)
• "Who Wouldn't Love a Man Like That?" (1960, Tamla)
• "(I Guess There's) No Love" (1960)
• "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" (1961)
• "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)"(1966, Stax) R&B: #6 US: #95
• "You're Taking Up Another Man's Place" (1966)
• "Same Time, Same Place" (1967)
• "I'm a Big Girl Now" (1967)
• "Don't Hit Me No More" (1967)
• "Able Mable" (1968)
• "Running Out" (1968)
• "Time Stops" (1991)

External links

• Official website
• Mable John at Stax Museum
• Mable JohnatIMDb
• Mable Johndiscography atDiscogs
• Mable John InterviewatNAMM Oral History Collection(2003)