Gladys Beamon Gregory

Gladys Beamon Gregory was one of the great gospel singers to come out of Chicago, but she wasn't as widely known as many others, in part because of a long break in her recording career. She recorded in the mid-1950s, then didn't record for 30 years until she recorded for Anthony Heilbut in the mid-1980s. She was a lifelong Chicagoan and lived for many years on the city's Southeast Side. Born Gladys Allbritton in 1925, Gregory started singing gospel at an early age. She attended the All Nations Pentecostal Church founded by Elder Lucy Smith and was lead singer in the Lucy Smith Trio when she was still a teenager. With Smith's granddaughter, Lucy Smith Collier, she was later lead singer in the (Little) Lucy Smith Singers and was featured on several tracks recorded in the mid-1950s and released by Delmark Records on a 1997 compact disc, "Working the Road — The Golden Age of Chicago Gospel." Gregory's performance as lead vocalist in the (Little) Lucy Smith Singers was considered by many to be a soulful testament to the glory of Chicago gospel. She also did some pop singing early on and could easily have been successful in that genre, but she went back to church music. Among her best-known songs are "Come Unto Me" and "Tell the Angels." Gregory concentrated on ballads but could sing bluesy songs, a cappella and spirituals. She was also a telemarketing supervisor for an insurance company and assisted in her family’s financial adviser business. After her hiatus, she continued recording work and went on singing in churches into the late 90s until health problems prevented her. She died died of natural causes at the age of 86 on August 12, 2012.