In 1971, Jackson made television appearances with Johnny Cash and Flip Wilson. With this, Jackson retired from political work and personal endorsements. Jackson was the final artist to appear that evening. Mahalia Jackson, (born October 26, 1911, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.died January 27, 1972, Evergreen Park, near Chicago, Illinois), American gospel music singer, known as the "Queen of Gospel Song." Jackson was brought up in a strict religious atmosphere. Falls remembered, "Mahalia waited until she heard exactly what was in her ear, and once she heard it, she went on about her business and she'd tear the house down. [1][2][4] Next door to Duke's house was a small Pentecostal church that Jackson never attended but stood outside during services and listened raptly. In 1946 she appeared at the Golden Gate Ballroom in Harlem. Berman set Jackson up for another recording session, where she sang "Even Me" (one million sold), and "Dig a Little Deeper" (just under one million sold). When Galloway's infidelities were proven in testimony, the judge declined to award him any of Jackson's assets or properties. It was located across the street from Pilgrim Baptist Church, where Thomas Dorsey had become music director. Apollo's chief executive Bess Berman was looking to broaden their representation to other genres, including gospel. She grew up in the Carrollton neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans in a three-room dwelling that housed thirteen people, beginning her singing career as a young girl at Mt. The day after, Mayor Richard Daley and other politicians and celebrities gave their eulogies at the Arie Crown Theater with 6,000 in attendance. Steady work became a second priority to singing. As a member of a Sanctified Church in Mount Vernon once told me: 'Mahalia, she add more flowers and feathers than anybody, and they all is exactly right.' [116] Promoter Joe Bostic was in the audience of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, an outdoor concert that occurred during a downpour, and stated, "It was the most fantastic tribute to the hypnotic power of great artistry I have ever encountered. Berman signed Jackson to a four-record session, allowing Jackson to pick the songs. [39] The revue was so successful it was made an annual event with Jackson headlining for years. Still she sang one more song. The final confrontation caused her to move into her own rented house for a month, but she was lonely and unsure of how to support herself. C.L. [56][57] Motivated by her sincere appreciation that civil rights protests were being organized within churches and its participants inspired by hymns, she traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to sing in support of the ongoing bus boycott. The Jacksons were Christians and Mahalia was raised in the faith. Mostly in secret, Jackson had paid for the education of several young people as she felt poignant regret that her own schooling was cut short. Burford, Mark, "Mahalia Jackson Meets the Wise Men: Defining Jazz at the Music Inn". Mahalia Jackson Sofia Masson Cafe Waitress Richard Whiten Sigmond Galloway Richardson Cisneros-Jones Lead Usher Carl Gilliard John Jackson Danielle Titus Audience Member Omar Cook Concert Goer Bo Kane Ed Sullivan Director Denise Dowse Writer Ericka Nicole Malone All cast & crew Production, box office & more at IMDbPro More like this 7.3 Jackson replied honestly, "I believe Joshua did pray to God, and the sun stood still. [144] But Jackson's preference for the musical influence, casual language, and intonation of black Americans was a sharp contrast to Anderson's refined manners and concentration on European music. [12][f] But as her audiences grew each Sunday, she began to get hired as a soloist to sing at funerals and political rallies for Louis B. Anderson and William L. Dawson. The New York Times stated she was a "massive, stately, even majestic woman, [who] possessed an awesome presence that was apparent in whatever milieu she chose to perform. [113] Similarly, television host Dinah Shore called Falls' left hand "the strongest thing in the whole world", giving Jackson's music a prominent beat usually missing from religious music. In contrast to the series of singles from Apollo, Columbia released themed albums that included liner notes and photos. And the last two words would be a dozen syllables each. Mahalia Jackson doesn't sing to fracture any cats, or to capture any Billboard polls, or because she wants her recording contract renewed. [109] Anthony Heilbut writes that "some of her gestures are dramatically jerky, suggesting instant spirit possession", and called her performances "downright terrifying. Her success brought about international interest in gospel music, initiating the "Golden Age of Gospel" making it possible for many soloists and vocal groups to tour and record. On tour, she counted heads and tickets to ensure she was being paid fairly. "[137][138], As gospel music became accessible to mainstream audiences, its stylistic elements became pervasive in popular music as a whole. [87] Gospel historian Horace Boyer attributes Jackson's "aggressive style and rhythmic ascension" to the Pentecostal congregation she heard as a child, saying Jackson was "never a Baptist singer". CHICAGO, Jan. 31 (AP)The estate of Mahelia Jackson, the gospel singer who died Thursday at the age of 60, has been estimated at $1million. Jackson was brought up in a strict religious atmosphere. In 1943, he brought home a new Buick for her that he promptly stopped paying for. Burford 2020, pp. Jackson began calling herself a "fish and bread singer", working for herself and God. "[17] The minister was not alone in his apprehension. Jackson was heavily influenced by musician-composer Thomas Dorsey, and by blues singer Bessie Smith, adapting Smith's style to traditional Protestant hymns and contemporary songs. A compulsive gambler, he took home a large payout asking Jackson to hide it so he would not gamble it. Michael Jackson's Mother, Katherine, Has Inherited Most of His Estate In October 2009, four months after Jackson's death, it was first reported that Jackson's mother, Katherine will inherit 40% of his estate. [23] Gradually and by necessity, larger churches became more open to Jackson's singing style. Burford 2019, p. 288, Burford 2020, p. 4345. Jackson had thoroughly enjoyed cooking since childhood, and took great pleasure in feeding all of her visitors, some of them staying days or weeks on her request. She found a home in her church, leading to a lifelong dedication and singular purpose to deliver God's word through song. [122], Until 1946, Jackson used an assortment of pianists for recording and touring, choosing anyone who was convenient and free to go with her. He survived and Jackson kept her promise, refusing to attend as a patron and rejecting opportunities to sing in theaters for her entire career. (Goreau, pp. Born in New Orleans, Mahalia began singing at an early age and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in U.S. history, melding her music with the civil rights movement. As a Century 21 Regional Office, we can serve your needs anywhere in Southern California. Price, Richard, "Mahalia Jackson Dies: Jackson: Praise for Her God". He responded by requesting a jury trial, rare for divorces, in an attempt to embarrass her by publicizing the details of their marital problems. [25] She made her first recordings in 1931, singles that she intended to sell at National Baptist Convention meetings, though she was mostly unsuccessful. She recorded four singles: "God's Gonna Separate the Wheat From the Tares", "You Sing On, My Singer", "God Shall Wipe Away All Tears", and "Keep Me Every Day". Hockenhull's mother gave the couple 200 formulas for homemade hair and skincare products she had sold door to door. A broken marriage resulted in her return to Chicago in 1947 when she was referred to Jackson who set up a brief training with Robert Anderson, a longtime member of Jackson's entourage. [108] An experiment wearing a wig with her robes went awry during a show in the 1950s when she sang so frenetically she flung it off mid-performance. (Goreau, pp. Wracked by guilt, she attended the audition, later calling the experience "miserable" and "painful". I don't want to be told I can sing just so long. The adult choir at Plymouth Rock sang traditional Protestant hymns, typically written by Isaac Watts and his contemporaries. Mahalia Jackson was a member of Greater Salem M. B. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. He lifts my spirit and makes me feel a part of the land I live in. 113123, 152158. Mahalia Jackson | Best Mahalia Jackson Gospel Songs 2022 | Mahalia Jackson Songs Hits PlaylistMahalia Jackson | Best Mahalia Jackson Gospel Songs 2022 | Maha. [24], When she first arrived in Chicago, Jackson dreamed of being a nurse or a teacher, but before she could enroll in school she had to take over Aunt Hannah's job when she became ill. Jackson became a laundress and took a series of domestic and factory jobs while the Johnson Singers began to make a meager living, earning from $1.50 to $8 (equivalent to $24 to $130 in 2021) a night. She regularly appeared on television and radio, and performed for many presidents and heads of state, including singing the national anthem at John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Ball in 1961. In Essen, she was called to give so many encores that she eventually changed into her street clothes and the stage hands removed the microphone. I make it 'til that passion is passed. Popular music as a whole felt her influence and she is credited with inspiring rhythm and blues, soul, and rock and roll singing styles. The funeral for Jackson was like few New Orleans has seen. Moriah Baptist Church as a child. Initially they hosted familiar programs singing at socials and Friday night musicals. These included "You'll Never Walk Alone" written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the 1945 musical Carousel, "Trees" based on the poem by Joyce Kilmer, "Danny Boy", and the patriotic songs "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", among others. The news of The Mahalia Jackson Story comes after Lifetime's wild success of The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel which became Lifetime's highest-rated original movie since 2016 . Everybody in there sang, and they clapped and stomped their feet, and sang with their whole bodies. I lose something when I do. Evelyn Cunningham of the Pittsburgh Courier attended a Jackson concert in 1954, writing that she expected to be embarrassed by Jackson, but "when she sang, she made me choke up and feel wondrously proud of my people and my heritage. She toured Europe again in 1961 with incredible success, mobbed in several cities and needing police escorts. Falls found it necessary to watch Jackson's mannerisms and mouth instead of looking at the piano keys to keep up with her. She moved to Chicago as an adolescent and joined the Johnson Singers, one of the earliest gospel groups. At 58 years old, she returned to New Orleans, finally allowed to stay as a guest in the upscale Royal Orleans hotel, receiving red carpet treatment. She also developed peculiar habits regarding money. Mitch Miller offered her a $50,000-a-year (equivalent to $500,000 in 2021) four-year contract, and Jackson became the first gospel artist to sign with Columbia Records, a much larger company with the ability to promote her nationally. "[78][79] While touring Europe months later, Jackson became ill in Germany and flew home to Chicago where she was hospitalized. : "The Secularization of Black Gospel Music" by Heilbut, Anthony in. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. "[91] Other singers made their mark. The NBC boasted a membership of four million, a network that provided the source material that Jackson learned in her early years and from which she drew during her recording career. The broadcast earned excellent reviews, and Jackson received congratulatory telegrams from across the nation. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Mahalia Jackson passed away at a relatively young age of 60 on January 27, 1972. [6] Church became a home to Jackson where she found music and safety; she often fled there to escape her aunt's moods. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. They say that, in her time, Mahalia Jackson could wreck a church in minutes flat and keep it that way for hours on end. They toured off and on until 1951. Impressed with his attention and manners, Jackson married him after a year-long courtship. [97] Although hearing herself on Decca recordings years later prompted Jackson to declare they are "not very good", Viv Broughton calls "Keep Me Every Day" a "gospel masterpiece", and Anthony Heilbut praises its "wonderful artless purity and conviction", saying that in her Decca records, her voice "was at its loveliest, rich and resonant, with little of the vibrato and neo-operatic obbligatos of later years". "[111][k], In line with improvising music, Jackson did not like to prepare what she would sing before concerts, and would often change song preferences based on what she was feeling at the moment, saying, "There's something the public reaches into me for, and there seems to be something in each audience that I can feel. He continues: "bending a note here, chopping off a note there, singing through rest spots and ornamenting the melodic line at will, [Jackson] confused pianists but fascinated those who played by ear". The highlight of her trip was visiting the Holy Land, where she knelt and prayed at Calvary. The first instance Jackson was released without penalty, but the second time she was ordered to pay the court taking place in the back of a hardware store $1,000 (equivalent to $10,000 in 2021). When she returned, she realized he had found it and used it to buy a race horse. A new tax bill will now be calculated using Holmes' figures, and it will include no penalties. He lived elsewhere, never joining Charity as a parent. Despite white people beginning to attend her shows and sending fan letters, executives at CBS were concerned they would lose advertisers from Southern states who objected to a program with a black person as the primary focus.[49][50]. Both sets of Mahalia's grandparents were born into slavery, her paternal grandparents on a rice plantation and her maternal grandparents on a cotton plantation in Pointe Coupee Parish about 100 miles (160km) north of New Orleans. just before he began his most famous segment of the ", Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington praised Jackson's cooking. We are also proud of the fact that our managing broker has completed the prestigious Certified Real Estate Brokerage designation. Miller attempted to make her repertoire more appealing to white listeners, asking her to record ballads and classical songs, but again she refused. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. She was a warm, carefree personality who gave you the feeling that you could relax and let your hair down whenever you were around her backstage with her or in her home where she'd cook up some good gumbo for you whenever she had the time. The congregation included "jubilees" or uptempo spirituals in their singing. Jackson later remembered, "These people had no choir or no organ. Heilbut writes, "With the exception of Chuck Berry and Fats Domino, there is scarcely a pioneer rock and roll singer who didn't owe his stuff to the great gospel lead singers. Passionate and at times frenetic, she wept and demonstrated physical expressions of joy while singing. [36] The best any gospel artist could expect to sell was 100,000. [i] Three months later, while rehearsing for an appearance on Danny Kaye's television show, Jackson was inconsolable upon learning that Kennedy had been assassinated, believing that he died fighting for the rights of black Americans. [131] Jackson's success was recognized by the NBC when she was named its official soloist, and uniquely, she was bestowed universal respect in a field of very competitive and sometimes territorial musicians. [142] Despite her influence, Jackson was mostly displeased that gospel music was being used for secular purposes, considering R&B and soul music to be perversions, exploiting the music to make money. [90], By her own admission and in the opinion of multiple critics and scholars, Bessie Smith's singing style was clearly dominant in Jackson's voice. Anyone can read what you share. Shouting and clapping were generally not allowed as they were viewed as undignified. Miller, who was in attendance, was awed by it, noting "there wasn't a dry eye in the house when she got through". Sometimes she made $10 a week (equivalent to $199 in 2021) in what historian Michael Harris calls "an almost unheard-of professionalization of one's sacred calling". Eskridge, her lawyer, said that Miss Jackson owned real estate and assets worth $500,000 and had another $500,060 in cash bank deposits. Indeed, if Martin Luther King Jr., had a favorite opening act, it was Mahalia Jackson, who performed by his side many times. As a complete surprise to her closest friends and associates, Jackson married him in her living room in 1964. [40][41], By chance, a French jazz fan named Hugues Panassi visited the Apollo Records office in New York and discovered Jackson's music in the waiting room. She was an actress, known for Mississippi Burning (1988), Glory Road (2006) and An American Crime (2007). [100] Compared to other artists at Columbia, Jackson was allowed considerable input in what she would record, but Mitch Miller and producer George Avakian persuaded her with varying success to broaden her appeal to listeners of different faiths. Director Kenny Leon Writers Bettina Gilois (story) Todd Kreidler (teleplay) Stars Amira Anderson Max Boateng Cassandra Bolinski As her schedule became fuller and more demands placed on her, these episodes became more frequent. He tried taking over managerial duties from agents and promoters despite being inept. A lot of people tried to make Mahalia act 'proper', and they'd tell her about her diction and such things but she paid them no mind. Decca said they would record her further if she sang blues, and once more Jackson refused. She began singing in church as a child in New Orleans, then moved to Chicago as an adolescent and joined Chicago's first gospel group, the Johnson Singers. In the 1950s and 60s she was active in the civil rights movement; in 1963 she sang the old African American spiritual I Been Buked and I Been Scorned for a crowd of more than 200,000 in Washington, D.C., just before civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his famous I Have a Dream speech. Dancing was only allowed in the church when one was moved by the spirit. The Acadmie Charles Cros awarded Jackson their Grand Prix du Disque for "I Can Put My Trust in Jesus"; Jackson was the first gospel singer to receive this award. [54][55][h], While attending the National Baptist Convention in 1956, Jackson met Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy, both ministers emerging as organizers protesting segregation. Some reporters estimated that record royalties, television and movie residuals, and various investments made it worth more. Her eyes healed quickly but her Aunt Bell treated her legs with grease water massages with little result. She was an actress, known for Mississippi Burning (1988), Glory Road (2006) and An American Crime (2007). When she got home she learned that the role was offered to her, but when Hockenhull informed her he also secured a job she immediately rejected the role to his disbelief. The gospel legend's soulful voice both comforted and galvanized African Americans during the Civil Rights . Mahalia Jackson was born to Charity Clark and Johnny Jackson, a stevedore and weekend barber. For three weeks she toured Japan, becoming the first Western singer since the end of World War II to give a private concert for the Imperial Family. Her albums interspersed familiar compositions by Thomas Dorsey and other gospel songwriters with songs considered generally inspirational. She died on 27 January 1972 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. As she was the most prominent and sometimes the only gospel singer many white listeners knew she often received requests to define the style and explain how and why she sang as she did. Whitman, Alden, "Mahalia Jackson, Gospel Singer And a Civil Rights Symbol, Dies", Ferris, William, and Hart, Mary L., eds. 259.) Jackson found an eager audience in new arrivals, one calling her "a fresh wind from the down-home religion. This time, the publicly disclosed diagnosis was heart strain and exhaustion, but in private Jackson's doctors told her that she had had a heart attack and sarcoidosis was now in her heart. "[147], Malcolm X noted that Jackson was "the first Negro that Negroes made famous". Special programs and musicals tended to feature sophisticated choral arrangements to prove the quality of the choir. She made a notable appearance at the Newport (Rhode Island) Jazz Festival in 1957in a program devoted entirely, at her request, to gospel songsand she sang at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in January 1961. [139] Her Decca records were the first to feature the sound of a Hammond organ, spawning many copycats and resulting in its use in popular music, especially those evoking a soulful sound, for decades after. [46][47], In 1954, Jackson learned that Berman had been withholding royalties and had allowed her contract with Apollo to expire. Hundreds of musicians and politicians attended her funerals in Chicago and New Orleans. As her career progressed, she found it necessary to have a pianist available at a moment's notice, someone talented enough to improvise with her yet steeped in religious music. [150] She was featured on the album's vocal rendition of Ellington's composition "Come Sunday", which subsequently became a jazz standard. A few months later, Jackson appeared live on the television special Wide Wide World singing Christmas carols from Mount Moriah, her childhood church in New Orleans. She answered questions to the best of her ability though often responded with lack of surety, saying, "All I ever learned was just to sing the way I feel off-beat, on the beat, between beats however the Lord lets it come out. "[22] Black Chicago was hit hard by the Great Depression, driving church attendance throughout the city, which Jackson credited with starting her career. As Charity's sisters found employment as maids and cooks, they left Duke's, though Charity remained with her daughter, Mahalia's half-brother Peter, and Duke's son Fred. They used the drum, the cymbal, the tambourine, and the steel triangle. Dorsey preferred a more sedate delivery and he encouraged her to use slower, more sentimental songs between uptempo numbers to smooth the roughness of her voice and communicate more effectively with the audience. Mahalia was born with bowed legs and infections in both eyes. You've got to learn to sing songs so that white people can understand them. [7][8][3], Jackson worked, and she went to church on Wednesday evenings, Friday nights, and most of the day on Sundays. Jackson refused to sing any but religious songs or indeed to sing at all in surroundings that she considered inappropriate. A native of New Orleans, she grew up poor, but began singing at the age of 4 at the Mount Moriah Baptist Church. [130] The "Golden Age of Gospel", occurring between 1945 and 1965, presented dozens of gospel music acts on radio, records, and in concerts in secular venues. [105][106] When the themes of her songs were outwardly religious, some critics felt the delivery was at times less lively. As members of the church, they were expected to attend services, participate in activities there, and follow a code of conduct: no jazz, no card games, and no "high life": drinking or visiting bars or juke joints. "Rusty Old Halo" became her first Columbia single, and DownBeat declared Jackson "the greatest spiritual singer now alive". White and non-Christian audiences also felt this resonance. [123], Always on the lookout for new material, Jackson received 25 to 30 compositions a month for her consideration. [70][71] Stories of her gifts and generosity spread. "[128] By retaining her dialect and singing style, she challenged a sense of shame among many middle and lower class black Americans for their disparaged speech patterns and accents. From this point on she was plagued with near-constant fatigue, bouts of tachycardia, and high blood pressure as her condition advanced. Released on Sept. 20, 2022, Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story is a transparent story exploring how her relationship with her aunt shaped her life after her mother unexpectedly passed away.. Updates? Moriah Baptist Church. I can feel whether there's a low spirit. She later stated she felt God had especially prepared King "with the education and the warmth of spirit to do His work". When larger, more established black churches expressed little interest in the Johnson Singers, they were courted by smaller storefront churches and were happy to perform there, though less likely to be paid as much or at all. When she returned to the U.S., she had a hysterectomy and doctors found numerous granulomas in her abdomen. Others wrote of her ability to give listeners goosebumps or make the hair on their neck tingle. Jackson was intimidated by this offer and dreaded the approaching date. She often asked ushers to allow white and black people to sit together, sometimes asking the audiences to integrate themselves by telling them that they were all Christian brothers and sisters. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Her older cousin Fred, not as intimidated by Duke, collected records of both kinds. "[80] When pressed for clearer descriptions, she replied, "Child, I don't know how I do it myself. At the age of sixteen, she moved to Chicago and began touring with the Johnson Gospel Singers, an early . Dorsey had a motive: he needed a singer to help sell his sheet music. Now experiencing inflammation in her eyes and painful cramps in her legs and hands, she undertook successful tours of the Caribbean, still counting the house to ensure she was being paid fairly, and Liberia in West Africa. (Burford, Mark, "Mahalia Jackson Meets the Wise Men: Defining Jazz at the Music Inn", The song "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" appears on the Columbia album. "[114] Jackson used "house wreckers", or songs that induced long tumultuous moments with audiences weeping, shouting, and moaning, especially in black churches. It wasn't just her talent that won her legions of fans, but also her active participation in the Civil Rights Movement and her lifelong dedication to helping those less fortunate. He bought her records, took them home and played them on French public radio. Neither did her second, "I Want to Rest" with "He Knows My Heart". Jacksons first great hit, Move on Up a Little Higher, appeared in 1945; it was especially important for its use of the vamp, an indefinitely repeated phrase (or chord pattern) that provides a foundation for solo improvisation. ), All the white families in Chatham Village moved out within two years. Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:07, campaign to end segregation in Birmingham, Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CSN, Jackson 5 Join Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Frequently Asked Questions: National Recording Registry, Significance of Mahalia Jackson to Lincoln College remembered at MLK Breakfast, The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mahalia_Jackson&oldid=1142151887, Features "Noah Heist the Window" and "He That Sows in Tears", The National Recording Registry includes sound recordings considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the, Doctorate of Humane Letters and St. Vincent de Paul Medal given to "persons who exemplify the spirit of the university's patron by serving God through addressing the needs of the human family". [134] To the majority of new fans, however, "Mahalia was the vocal, physical, spiritual symbol of gospel music", according to Heilbut. She paid for it entirely, then learned he had used it as collateral for a loan when she saw it being repossessed in the middle of the day on the busiest street in Bronzeville. "[136] Because she was often asked by white jazz and blues fans to define what she sang, she became gospel's most prominent defender, saying, "Blues are the songs of despair. Jackson, who enjoyed music of all kinds, noticed, attributing the emotional punch of rock and roll to Pentecostal singing. In 1932, on Dawson's request, she sang for Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidential campaign. She bought a building as a landlord, then found the salon so successful she had to hire help to care for it when she traveled on weekends. Forty-seven years ago, gospel legend Mahalia Jackson died, on Jan. 27, 1972 in a Chicago hospital, of heart disease. "[19], Soon Jackson found the mentor she was seeking. All dates in Germany were sold out weeks in advance. Shouting and stomping were regular occurrences, unlike at her own church. [52] Jackson broke into films playing a missionary in St. Louis Blues (1958), and a funeral singer in Imitation of Life (1959). Mahalia Jackson is widely considered the best and most influential gospel vocalist in history. For 15 years she functioned as what she termed a "fish and bread singer", working odd jobs between performances to make a living. [62][63], When King was arrested and sentenced to four months hard labor, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy intervened, earning Jackson's loyal support. on her CBS television show, following quickly with, "Excuse me, CBS, I didn't know where I was.