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Famous blues vocalist Mable John passed away on August 25. The news was revealed by her nephew Kevin John, who said that they loved her and that she was a kind person. She was 91.
Mable’s cause of death was not revealed at the time and she could have possibly died due to age-related health issues. Detailed information on her funeral is yet to be released.
Mable John's journey in the music industry
Born on November 3, 1930, Mable John shifted to Arkansas with her family when her father was employed at a paper mill near Cullendale. The family then went to Detroit in 1941 and John enrolled in Cleveland International School and Pershing High School.
Following her graduation, she joined as an insurance representative at Friendship Mutual Insurance Agency, which was run by Berry Gordy’s mother Bertha. She later quit the job and attended Lewis Business College. She met Mrs. Gordy again, who told her that her son was writing songs and searching for artists to record.
John trained under Gordy until 1959 and she performed at the Flame Show bar on John R Street. She then started recording for Gordy and although she signed with United Artists, she released nothing under them. She was then signed to Gordy’s record label Tamla and her first song, Who Wouldn’t Love a Man Like That? was released in 1960. This was followed by No Love and Actions Speak Louder Than Words. Mable was the first solo female artist signed by Motown Records founder Berry Gordy.
However, Mable could not become a popular musical star at the time since Motown became well-known for acts like the Miracles and the Marvelettes. She continued working as a background singer until her contract was dissolved in 1962.
She then signed with Stax Records in 1966 and her song, Your Good Thing (Is About to End), was released the same year. It reached the 95th position on the Billboard Hot 100 and 6th on the R&B charts. This was followed by six more singles that were not as successful as the first song. She left Stax Records in 1968 and worked with the Raelettes for a few years.
Mable John then started to manage Christian gospel acts and returned to the studio as a singer. She formed a charity called Joy Community Outreach in Los Angeles in 1986 and released a song, Time Stops, under the record label Motorcity Records in 1991. John received a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1993 from the south Los Angeles ministry Crenshaw Christian Center.
Mable and David Ritz then teamed up for a novel called Sanctified Blues in 2006. She portrayed Bertha Mae in the 2007 musical drama film Honeydripper and the 2013 documentary film 20 Feet from Stardom.
Netizens pay tribute to Mable John on Twitter
Despite being largely inactive in the music industry after the 90s, Mable John continued to remain an iconic figure all these years for her hit singles. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about her demise:
Detailed information on John’s personal life remains unknown.
