Biography
Born in Missouri in 1923, Doris Akers died of cancer on 26 July 1995 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the age of 72. The height of her activity followed her move to Los Angeles, California, where she founded and directed the Sky Pilot Choir. Through that ensemble she originated the Doris Akers/Sky Pilot Sound, a singular method of choral direction and arrangement that later arrangers widely adopted. She also worked independently as a recording artist and composer. Among the songs she created, ‘Sweet, Sweet Spirit’, ‘How Big Is God’ and ‘Sweet Jesus’ became especially well known. With Mahalia Jackson she co-wrote ‘Lord, Don’t Move That Mountain’. Several motion pictures of the era drew on her catalog, placing ‘Trouble’ in the Bessie Smith biopic Bessie And Me and inserting ‘Lead Me, Guide Me’ into Elvis Presley’s final film. She later appeared in the Bill Gaither videos ‘Old Friends’ and ‘Turn Your Radio On’. From the 1980s through the 1990s she served as music director at Grace Temple Deliverance church in Minneapolis.
Albums
