Norsalus McKissick

Born 1923, Norsalus McKissick was a baritone vocalist and an original member of the Roberta Martin Singers. In 1933, he was part of a junior choir at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Chicago where Theodore Frye and Thomas A. Dorsey were directing the choir and Roberta Martin to serve as the accompanist. From this junior choir, Martin selected McKissick and 5 other young men to form a group: Eugene Smith, Robert Anderson, Willie Webb, James Lawrence, and W.C. Herman. The group was named then the Martin and Frye Singers, then for a brief period they were the Martin and Martin Singers under the co direction of Roberta and Sallie Martin. In 1936 the group adopted the name Roberta Martin Singers. In 1950, he left the group and formed The Gospelaires along with fellow Martin singer, Bessie Folk and Rev. James Cleveland. Though his tenure with the gospel trio was brief, he later rejoined the Roberta Martin Singers in 1951. In the late 70s, he moved to Philadelphia but would return to Chicago to sing in gospel services. His unique style is built around the slow, spiritually emotional ballads, “The Old Ship Of Zion,” “I Don’t Mind,” “I’ve Got A Home For You,” “Since I Met Jesus,” “Precious Memories,” and “He Is My Light.” In 1981, he participated in a series of reunion concerts with the Roberta Martin Singers and attended the Smithsonian Conference honoring Roberta Martin and toured with group up through the 90’s. McKissick died in 1997.