Fred Mendelsohn (May 16, 1917 – April 28, 2000) was an American music executive. The president of Savoy Records for 42 years, he was the first man to ever record, promote and market black gospel music as a national company. His dedication and contributions built the historic foundation for the black gospel music industry. Many of today's major

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

artists started on Savoy under the leadership of Mendelsohn. As a talent scout for the label, he discovered artists such as Nappy Brown,

C. J. Johnson C. J. Johnson may refer to: *Claude Joseph Johnson (1913–1990), American gospel music singing preacher and pastor * C. J. Johnson (American football) (born 2000), American football wide receiver *Carl Johnson (Grand Theft Auto) Carl "CJ" Joh ...

, and James Cleveland, and promoted Cleveland with many background church choirs. In doing this he was responsible for building the choir market. Mendelsohn was responsible for such historic acts as

The Caravans The Caravans were an American gospel music group that was started in 1947 by Robert Anderson. It reached its peak popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, launching the careers of a number of artists, including: Delores Washington, Albertina Wa ...

featuring

Albertina Walker Albertina Walker ( – ) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, actress, and humanitarian. Early years Walker was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ruben and Camilla Coleman Walker. Her mother was born in Houston County, Georgia, and ...

Inez Andrews Sister Inez Andrews, born Inez McConico (April 14, 1929 – December 19, 2012) and better known as Inez Andrews, was an American gospel singer. Her soaring, wide-ranging voice — from contralto croon to soul-wrenching wail — made her a pillar ...

, Shirley Caesar,

Dorothy Norwood Dorothy Norwood (born May 29, 1935) is an American gospel singer and songwriter. She began touring with her family at the age of eight, and in 1956, began singing with Mahalia Jackson. In the early 1960s she was a member of The Caravans, and in 19 ...

Delores Washington The Caravans were an American gospel music group that was started in 1947 by Robert Anderson. It reached its peak popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, launching the careers of a number of artists, including: Delores Washington, Albertina W ...

The Barrett Sisters The Barrett Sisters are an American gospel trio from Chicago, Illinois. The trio consisted of sisters DeLois Barrett Campbell (1926-2011), Billie Barrett GreenBey (1928-2020), and Rodessa Barrett Porter (born 1930). They sang together for more th ...

Dorothy Love Coates Dorothy Love Coates (January 30, 1928 – April 9, 2002) was an American gospel singer.

& The Gospel Harmonettes and

Clara Ward Clara Mae Ward (April 21, 1924 – January 16, 1973) was an American gospel singer who achieved great artistic and commercial success during the 1940s and 1950s, as leader of The Famous Ward Singers. A gifted singer and arranger, Ward adopted ...

. As a songwriter, he co-wrote, with

Rose Marie McCoy Rose Marie McCoy (April 19, 1922 – January 20, 2015) was an American songwriter. She began her career as an aspiring singer before becoming a prolific songwriter during the 1950s and 1960s. Many artists have recorded some of the over 800 so ...

, Brown's 1955 hit single " Don't Be Angry".Obituary in ''The Independent''
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References

1917 births 2000 deaths Music promoters American music industry executives Jazz record producers American record producers 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-music-bio-stub