Jazz Pianist’s Long, Winding Road Brought Her to the Faith

During a trip to Europe in 1953, accomplished 20th-century jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams was exhausted,
emotionally drained, and facing financial peril when a friend took her to a small church in France where she began to pray.

As Deanna Witkowski explains in her 2021 biography of Williams, titled “Music for the Soul,” that’s where the musician’s spiritual journey and conversion to Catholicism began.

African American Angel — God Blessed Billie Holiday

Many of the iconic African American female vocalists of the 20th century endured great hardships before achieving success in the music industry.  From Billie Holiday to Etta James, there was a great deal they had to overcome on the road to fame and fortune.