Reverend Willie Morganfield (July 11, 1927 – October 18, 2003), was an American gospel musician and minister. He started his music career, in 1959, with the release of a single, "What Is This?", which was made into a popular arrangement by the gospel music singer and pastor Walter Hawkins in 1980. His albums were primarily released by Jewel Records with a few by Paul Records. The only release that charted, Golden Hits, was released by Jewel in 1984, and this placed on the Billboard magazine Gospel Albums chart.
Willie Morganfield | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Willie Morgan Fields |
| Also known as | Rev. Willie Morganfield |
| Born | July 11, 1927 Stovall, Mississippi |
| Died | October 18, 2003 (aged 76) Clarksdale, Mississippi |
| Genres | Gospel, traditional black gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, minister |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, singer-songwriter, piano |
| Years active | 1959–2003 |
| Labels | Jewel, Paula |
Early life
editMorganfield was born on July 11, 1927, in Stovall, Mississippi.[1] He was raised in Memphis, Tennessee, by a father who preached at King Solomon's Church.[1] He was the pastor of Bell Grove Baptist Church of Clarksdale, Mississippi, until his death.
He was a cousin of McKinley Morganfield, better known as the blues musician Muddy Waters, who also lived on the Stovall plantation.[2]
Music career
editHis music recording career commenced with the single, "What Is This?", that became a gospel music standard, the likes of Brother Joe May would go on to record another version of the song already popular with gospel music radio stations at the time being the most played track.[1] He released albums primarily with Jewel Records with a few released by Paula Records.[3][4] The album, "Golden Hits" in 1984 with Jewel Records, was the only release to chart on a Billboard magazine list of the Gospel Albums, where it placed at No. 34.[5]
Personal life
editReverend Willie Morganfield was married to Jane Anna Morganfield. Together, they were parents to Cassandra, Reginald, Delories, and Theresa Morganfield. Their grandchildren include Cynthia Williams, Tiffany Williams, Tanesha Williams, Regina Chambers and Cory Williams. Their great-grandchildren include Rayshun Williams and Jayden Williams. Reverend Morganfield died in Memphis, Tennessee, on October 18, 2003, of a sudden cardiac arrest.[1][6]
Discography
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions[5] |
|---|---|---|
| US Gos | ||
| Golden Hits |
|
34 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Carpenter, Bil (2005). "Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia": 302–3.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Muddy Waters's Cabin". The Mississippi Blues Trail. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
- ^ AllMusic. "Willie Morgan Fields : Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ AllMusic. "Rev. Willie Morganfield : Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Billboard. "Willie Morgan Fields : Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
- ^ "October 2015 events". Gloryland Gospel. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
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