The Georgia Mass Choir

Formed during 1983, the Georgia Mass Choir—comprising 150 voices—first drew widespread attention after appearing in the Whitney Houston feature The Preacher's Wife and performing at Atlanta’s 1996 Olympic Games. Rev. Milton Biggham, the ensemble’s founder, lead singer, and principal songwriter, had previously helped run Savoy Records yet returned to Georgia and assembled the group after auditioning more than 600 hopefuls. The choir naturally aligned itself with Savoy for its recording career, issuing the debut album Yes, He Can during the mid-1980s. Subsequent releases appeared, and by the early 1990s national recognition arrived in the form of Grammy and Dove Award nominations plus the Keys to the City of Atlanta, confirming the choir’s status among the foremost gospel ensembles. Director Penny Marshall placed the singers in The Preacher’s Wife during 1996, while the Gospel Music Workshop of America also presented them with its Excellence Award.