1998 32c Gospel Singers: Roberta Martin

US #3217
1998 Roberta Martin

• Part of set of 4 featuring Gospel Singers
• 12th installment in Legends of American Music series

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Legends of American Music (Gospel Singers)
Value:  32¢, First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue:  July 15, 1998
First Day City:  New Orleans, Louisiana
Quantity Issued:  11,250,000
Printed by:  Sennett Security products
Printing Method:  Photogravure
Format:  Pane of 20
Perforations:  10.1 X 10.2

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a set of four issued to honor Gospel Singers Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Martin, Clara Ward, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

About the stamp design:  Gary Kelley, a graphic designer and free-lance illustrator, was the talent behind these stamps.  He was asked to show the performers in active poses, rather than sitting still.  Kelley used pastels for the portraits, which is a medium rarely used for stamp art.

First Day City:  The stamps were issued as part of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship’s Conference 98, held at the Superdome in New Orleans.

About the Legends of American Music Series:  The Legends of American Music Series debuted on January 8, 1993, and ran until September 21, 1999.  More than 90 artists are represented from all styles of music:  rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues, country and western, jazz and pop, opera and classical, gospel and folk.  In addition to individual singers and Broadway musicals, subjects include band leaders, classical composers, Hollywood songwriters and composers, conductors, lyricists, and more.  The Legends of American Music Series was a huge advancement for diversity because it honored many Black and female artists.
Four of the most influential early gospel artists were honored on a se-tenant - the twelfth issue in the Legends of American Music Series.  Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Martin, Clara Ward, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe all performed this spiritual music with reverence and love.  They popularized gospel music for those who weren’t part of churches that sang in that style.  Many musicians added secular themes to their songs to appeal to more People.

History the stamp represents: Roberta Martin (1907-1969) was one of the most articulate and influential singers of black American gospel music. A singer, pianist, composer, arranger, and organizer of groups and choirs, Roberta Martin’s unique combination of musical elements became the standard for what was known as the gospel era. 
One of six children, Roberta was born in Helena, Arkansas. Her family moved to Chicago when she was 10 years old. Her first role in the church was as a pianist for the Young People’s Choir of Ebenezer Baptist Church. There she organized a quartet, which in 1936 expanded to include two more singers and became the Roberta Martin Singers. The group traveled all over the country, playing concert halls, stadiums, churches, festivals, and on radio and television stations in the United States and Europe, until their retirement in the 1960s. The choral sound that the ensemble created provided a model for community-based church gospel choirs.
In 1939, Roberta established what became the largest gospel music publishing house in Chicago. Through this position, she was able to reach thousands of performers across the country. During her lifetime, Roberta Martin published 280 gospel songs.