Zella Jackson Price was born to be a gospel singer n and a serious Christian.
She was born 70 years ago on Dec. 23, nearly the same date attributed to the birth of Jesus Christ, and this Sunday, Dec. 28, the local gospel music community will celebrate the 70th anniversary of her birth with a special concert.
The event will be held 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 28 at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1444 Compton, where the Rev. Sammie Jones is pastor.
Price’s own home church is Antioch Baptist, where the Rev. Delano Benson is the new pastor, having held that office only a month or so. She sings in the church choir there.
She also plays piano the fourth Sunday of every month at Truvine Baptist, 8420 Hill Ave., where the Rev. Steve Lambert is pastor.
But Price’s true home church is anywhere gospel music is being performed and shared. Her involvement with gospel music goes all the way back to her childhood. She grew up in west St. Louis and graduated from Sumner in 1957, but started to play piano when she was girl to accompany her mother, Alberta Cooper.
Her mother sang with the Waterford Sisters here in St. Louis and traveled performing with Willie May Ford Smith, the star of the documentary film Say Amen, Somebody, which also features Price.
In a lifetime of playing and singing gospel music, Price has had much more than a taste of the big screen. She also has hosted gospel radio (on KIRL) and performed on perhaps the most grand stage in the U.S., Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1985.
She was accompanied on that important date by St. Louis musician and recording artist Michael Johnson, her accompanist of 25 years. “He played with me all over everywhere,” Price said of Johnson, who attends services at Cornerstone Baptist, where the pastor is the Rev. Melvin Smotherson.
Johnson also will accompany Price on one song (“So You Would Know How Much I Love You”) at a very important Black History Month program at Powell Symphony Hall at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21.
She will appear on this highly unique program with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the director of its IN UNISON Chorus Robert Ray and local jazz and blues divas Kim Massie and Denise Thimes, all in tribute to Mae Wheeler, the veteran St. Louis singer and impresario.
This will include Price’s first opportunity to perform with a full symphony orchestra. “Oh, I’ve never had an orchestra behind me, especially an orchestra like this,” Price said. “Ooo, it’s so exciting!”
Price has not yet decided which of two songs she would sing with the backing of the orchestra n either “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” or “Amazing Grace” n but the most important thing to her was that the choice was hers to make.
“They are letting me choose,” she said of Robert Ray and the rest of the orchestra’s brain trust. “I thought, ‘Oh, I get to be myself.’ You are at your best when you can be you.”
She said Ray was “instrumental” to her receiving this special opportunity to perform with one of the best symphony orchestras in the Americas. “I just love him,” Price said.
“I do have much in me to offer,” Price said. “I’m glad they are letting me offer me.”
And she will be offering herself n and the best of local gospel music n this Sunday at Mt. Zion.
New Life revival
New Life Fellowship Church is hosting a year-end celebration, “Season of Overflow,” Dec. 28- 31, at the church, located at 8310 Olive Blvd.
Sermons will be delivered by Minister Cornelius Weaver of Prince of Peace Missionary Baptist Church, Pastor Michael Lampkin of Fresh Anointing Prosperity Ministries, Pastor Rod Little of Mount Moriah Deliverance Center and New Life Fellowship’s own Pastor Anthony S. McCaa Sr.
Revival times are: Sunday, Dec. 28 at 10 a.m.; Monday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.; Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m.; and Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 10 p.m.
For more information, call 314-991-5433 or visit www.newlifestl.org.