After leaving high school, she joined the The Davis Sisters in 1955, at the… Read Full Bio ↴After leaving high school, she joined the The Davis Sisters in 1955, at the start of their tenure with Herman Lubinsky and Ozzie Cadena's record label Savoy Records of Newark, New Jersey. How she came to sing with one of gospel's famous groups is a typical Golden Age gospel tale. Raised in the Church of God in Christ, she was a soloist in the choir of Faith Temple in New York, pastored by Bishop A.A. Childs (the church would later serve as the site of Malcolm X's last rites). Ruth Davis was attending a broadcast at which Jackie was singing and the rest is gospel history. Jackie Verdell possessed a powerful mezzo-soprano voice, and her performances on records such as "Lord Don't Leave Me", "Following Him", and "I Don't Know What I'd Do" made an impression on the young Aretha Franklin, amongst others. "I also considered Jackie Verdell of the Davis Sisters one of the best and most underrated female soul singers of all time" said Franklin in her 1999 autobiography Aretha: From These Roots. ""It was through Jackie that I learned the expression 'Girl, you peed tonight'--meaning you were dynamite. Several nights Jackie sang so hard she literally had a spot or two on her robe from peeing. Singing far too hard, I also peed here and there in the early days; I quickly realized no one should sing that hard." Verdell was second lead for The Davis Sisters between 1955 and 1960, featuring on many of their Savoy recordings.

Like Franklin, she left the gospel field in 1960 and began singing pop, her voice having deepened to a contralto and losing the upper register. She signed with Houston-based Peacock Records, releasing three singles between 1961 and 1964. None of them charted, but her own composition, "Why Not Give Me A Chance", produced by Dinah Washington's former producer Clyde Otis, seems to have attained a small level of popularity, being covered in later years by soul singers O.V. Wright on Peacock's subsidiary Back Beat Records in the late 1960s, and by Ruby Wilson on Malaco Records in the early 1980s. The Davis Sisters' recording session information in Gospel Records 1943 - 1969 suggests that Verdell was absent from the group during 1960 and 1961, returned in 1962 for further recordings on Savoy, was absent again in 1963, and then returned again in 1964 for more recordings on Savoy and RCA Records, apparently departing for good around 1966. Some television appearances with The Davis Sisters and Brother Joe May which were posted to YouTube in 2006 and 2007 appear to date from 1964.

After further unsuccessful pop singles on Decca Records (US) and its Coral Records subsidiary, the late 1960s and early 1970s found her contributing background vocals (along with Cissy Houston, Judy Clay, and other members of The Drinkard Singers or The Sweet Inspirations) to records by Wilson Pickett ("Cole, Cooke & Redding"), Dee Dee Warwick (Turning Around), Van Morrison (Moondance), Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers, Horace Silver, and Martha Veléz, as well as a further solo single for Stax Records' Gospel Truth and Respect labels under the name of Jacqui Verdell. Her only solo album, Lay My Burden Down, produced by former soul singer Joe Simon, and including Houston & Warwick on background vocals, was released on Spring Records in 1983, and on CD by Ace Records (UK) in 1993. Viv Broughton's 1985 book Black Gospel: An Illustrated History Of The Gospel Sound stated, "Whereas Aretha Franklin lives in fabulous, if troubled, luxury - Jackie Verdell, who made the same move at the same time made nothing at all and is now back singing gospel to a faintly suspicious audience" (paperback edition, page 107). She once complained to gospel maven Anthony Heilbut: "I'd like to be an evangelist, but these crooked promoters won't pay my money". In 1988, she sang in the choir on the Carman album Live: Radically Saved. She died in 2002 without receiving the acclaim or financial remuneration she felt was due in either the pop or gospel fields.

The Storm Is Passing Over
Jackie Verdell Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'The Storm Is Passing Over' by these artists:

Dr. Leonard Scott Oh Oh Ohh, Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Ohh Oh Oh Ohh, Oh…
Rev. Dr. Emory Andrews & The Oxon Hill High School Choir Oh Oh Ohh, Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Ohh Oh Oh Ohh, Oh…
San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus & Dr. Kathleen McGuire Oh Oh Ohh, Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Ohh Oh Oh Ohh, Oh…

We have lyrics for these tracks by Jackie Verdell:

Don’T Set Me Free You can treat me mean if you want to, you…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

TRACKS

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Comments from YouTube:

Leslie Pace

10y↑12

I love her voice, it moves me. My mother and I love her and The Davis Sisters

Who Dat Superbowl Queen

8y↑3

+Leslie Pace This is my first time hearing about her. I was reading Aretha Franklin's book and she mentioned she loved her. Her voice is great!

blavis50

10y↑4

It is so great to hear from other Gospel Artist saying they loved or was influenced from my Grandmom and Aunts (The Davis Sisters) music. listening to many other Gospel Artist over the years, Like the Pace Sisters, Richard Smallwood .. etc.. It is just amazing that the people I look up to are fans of my Family music

Rowoches

10y↑1

@***** : That's so awesome!! It's such a blessing that the artists from yesterday are still being remembered and honored! In addition, it's a blessing to be corresponding with you. My mother used to play a Pace Sisters album quiiiiite a bit when I was younger. To this day I can't rememeber the name of it, but I remember a song I absolutely loved! I later learned that it was rendition of a song James Cleveland recorded w/ the Angelic Choir of New Jersey, called "Sweet Jesus"....not sure if that's the title on the Pace Sisters album, but I am searching hard for that one. Thanks for your comment and feel free to keep in touch! Peace & Many Blessings!

Leslie Pace

10y↑2

@Rowoches My older sisters were fortunate to experience them and they were and are a great influence with The Anointed Pace Sisters. Thank you for posting this.

Rowoches

10y↑1

They were all great artist! I wish I could've experienced their artistry in person.

Mary fitzpatrick

10y↑7

Great singing. It's these kind of songs that really do touches you.

Rowoches

16y↑3

Sometimes it's good to have more than enough, than too little. Outside of that, I really believe Jackie Verdell was added to the group to replace their deceased sister, Thelma Davis, who was the first of the Davis siblings to pass away.

Mecca Verdell

13y↑6

heyy this is my great aunt im so proud lol

VantisDoroHall

16y↑4

Keep in mind that Jackie and Thelma were both photographed/on the sisters' first album for Savoy (it had "12 Gates to the City" on it.) It is the red/purple album cover you see on this website. It seems that Thelma and Jackie sang on this album and afterward Thelma passed away. I believe Jackie was added after Imogene Green left the group. I liked Imogene's contralto, but it was maybe one contralto too many. Jackie's mezzo created a richer Davis Sisters sound not matched to this day.

Justadude

5y↑1

Reading that Aretha Franklin was impressed by her singing is just mind blowing.

Alex Riddick

11y↑5

I have always loved Jackie Verdell's voice and the lady just was born to sing! When we were living in Newark, NJ we lived in the same building on Custer Ave. Many song fest were held there with such fun!!! Oh, my God those memories.

blavis50

13y↑5

This song is a great song, and with jackie verdell vocals just set this song over the bar, this the kind of song you can sing and tears start flowing when you think about the lyrics. "I stayed in sin a little to long, the stom is passing over hallelujah"

clarence verdell

4y↑2

I am very happy that Jackie Verdell is getting her recognition. She is my maternal Aunt. She and my Mother ,Rose Verdell , we're very close. They sang in the Church of God and Christ, together in the 1950's. Sister Ruth keys , her best friend, also joined the David sisters. This is bringing back very powerful memories,as l am reflecting sixty years into the past. Elder Morris the church pastor would be so proud of her legacy. I have available photos of the period which I intend to share in the near future. It shows her as a little girl singing.Also, have unpublished photos of the Drinkard sisters in 1953.This is fantastic to have witnessed the early days of Gospel and Jazz. Out of that same Church came the first tenor sax player who became an early pioneer of the Organ Trio featuring The great Richard Groove Holmes of Camden NJ. I appreciate the tremendous talent was born in the Black church that must be continuously documented for posterity, as with can tell our own story better than most.

Gregory Burns

7y↑7

it's been a long time since I've heard this, thanks for posting!

Rowoches

7y↑1

You're very welcome!

Jean Carpenter

9y↑4

I love this album, yet it has been a long time since I've heard it. Can you post all of the tracks? We need to hear all of those songs. :-) Thank you in advance. Peace.

MOTHER WISDOM

15y↑2

Beautiful : )

Weo Talks

7y↑3

I LOVE THIS,THIS SONG HAS GIVEN ME HOPE FOR 30 YEARS, AND THE DAVIS SISTERS WERE GOSPELS GREATEST FEMALE GROUP EVER,NOBODY WANTED TO FOLLOW REV.CLAUDE JETER OF SWANSILVERTONES TOLD ME..RIP

Vernon Colbert

5y↑3

Lost my granny few days ago, My best friend and second Mom... She was the last of her family left and wanted to go home so bad... The storm passed over for her. Thank you....

Joe Peay

8y↑3

I was a child in Pittsburgh when Thelma and the Davis Sisters came to minister in a "Singing Revival." The snow was falling outside, but the fire was burning inside. When I first heard Leandria Johnson she reminds me of the talent and anointing on the Davis Sisters.