Biography
Willie Mae Ford Smith, the celebrated gospel pioneer, gave Brother Joe May the nickname "The Thunderbolt of the Middle West." Regarded by many as the finest male soloist gospel has produced, this tenor brought a theatrical flair to performances that ranked second only to his unmatched mastery of vocal power, range, and projection. His instrument delivered an extraordinary span and force, shifting from a near-whisper to a full-throated cry with no apparent strain.
Born November 9, 1912, in Macon, Mississippi, May was raised in the Church of God denomination, whose practice of addressing every man as “Brother” supplied his stage name. He began performing at age nine and soon entered the senior choir of the Little Church Out on the Hills. His later work as featured soloist with the Church of God Quartet earned him a solid following across the Southern gospel circuit.
After finishing high school, May took day-labor jobs in Macon until his family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois, in 1941; there he found work at a chemical plant. In the St. Louis area he became a protégé of Smith, who sharpened his phrasing and supplied the model for his own vocal embellishments; their rapport was close enough that May also adopted her dramatic stage manner. As director of the Soloists’ Bureau of Thomas A. Dorsey’s National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, Smith gave May repeated opportunities to perform at national gatherings, gradually extending his reputation nationwide.
During the 1949 convention in Los Angeles, Specialty Records scout J.W. Alexander heard him and offered a contract. May’s first session later that year yielded the hit “Search Me Lord.” The record’s success let him leave his day job by 1950, after which he toured widely, frequently sharing bills with the Soul Stirrers and the Pilgrim Travelers. His commanding voice and stage authority prompted the nickname “the male Mahalia Jackson,” a comparison Jackson herself endorsed. Although “Search Me Lord” and the 1950 follow-up “Do You Know Him?” each sold more than a million copies and made May Specialty’s strongest seller of the era, he never reached white audiences, then the decisive factor in mainstream commercial success. While acknowledging Bessie Smith as an early influence, May declined any move into secular blues; his refusal to perform outside gospel circles contributed to his departure from Specialty in 1958.
Signing quickly with Nashboro, May began recording many of his own compositions. Because the Nashville label concentrated on regional markets, most of his subsequent engagements took place across the Deep South, where his popularity continued to expand. In the early 1960s he also starred in the musical Black Nativity with Marion Williams; after its Broadway engagement the production toured the United States and Europe. Once the run ended, May returned to the South as his health slowly declined, yet he kept up a demanding schedule and concealed his condition even from relatives. While traveling to a performance in Thomasville, Georgia, he suffered a massive stroke and died July 14, 1972, at the age of sixty.
Born November 9, 1912, in Macon, Mississippi, May was raised in the Church of God denomination, whose practice of addressing every man as “Brother” supplied his stage name. He began performing at age nine and soon entered the senior choir of the Little Church Out on the Hills. His later work as featured soloist with the Church of God Quartet earned him a solid following across the Southern gospel circuit.
After finishing high school, May took day-labor jobs in Macon until his family moved to East St. Louis, Illinois, in 1941; there he found work at a chemical plant. In the St. Louis area he became a protégé of Smith, who sharpened his phrasing and supplied the model for his own vocal embellishments; their rapport was close enough that May also adopted her dramatic stage manner. As director of the Soloists’ Bureau of Thomas A. Dorsey’s National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, Smith gave May repeated opportunities to perform at national gatherings, gradually extending his reputation nationwide.
During the 1949 convention in Los Angeles, Specialty Records scout J.W. Alexander heard him and offered a contract. May’s first session later that year yielded the hit “Search Me Lord.” The record’s success let him leave his day job by 1950, after which he toured widely, frequently sharing bills with the Soul Stirrers and the Pilgrim Travelers. His commanding voice and stage authority prompted the nickname “the male Mahalia Jackson,” a comparison Jackson herself endorsed. Although “Search Me Lord” and the 1950 follow-up “Do You Know Him?” each sold more than a million copies and made May Specialty’s strongest seller of the era, he never reached white audiences, then the decisive factor in mainstream commercial success. While acknowledging Bessie Smith as an early influence, May declined any move into secular blues; his refusal to perform outside gospel circles contributed to his departure from Specialty in 1958.
Signing quickly with Nashboro, May began recording many of his own compositions. Because the Nashville label concentrated on regional markets, most of his subsequent engagements took place across the Deep South, where his popularity continued to expand. In the early 1960s he also starred in the musical Black Nativity with Marion Williams; after its Broadway engagement the production toured the United States and Europe. Once the run ended, May returned to the South as his health slowly declined, yet he kept up a demanding schedule and concealed his condition even from relatives. While traveling to a performance in Thomasville, Georgia, he suffered a massive stroke and died July 14, 1972, at the age of sixty.
Albums
