‘Mama’ Mosie Burks of Mississippi Mass Choir Passes Away at 92

Path MEGAzine is sad to announce the passing of Gospel legend Mosie Burks, known affectionately as "Mama Burks."  

Mama Mosie Burks was born in 1933, into a large migrant farming family in Forest, Mississippi. As a child, she helped her parents pick cotton to make a living, but she was delivered from fieldwork after she kept passing out from the intense Mississippi sun. Early on, she drew inspiration from the singing of Mahalia Jackson and guitar-toting evangelist Sister Rosetta Tharpe; so much so that she took up the guitar at age 12, playing for her local church. 

While balancing personal sacrifice with work at South Central Bell Telephone Company, Mosie became a powerhouse in local churches, known for her soul-stirring solos that carried the weight of her journey and the glory of her faith.

Though she initially turned down Frank Williams’ invitation to join the Mississippi Mass Choir, Mosie’s path to gospel greatness would not be denied. After Williams' passing, his widow Katrina extended the invitation once again—this time with a thoughtful provision. Mosie’s husband, Willie, whom she married in 1992, was offered a position selling merchandise so the couple could travel together with the choir.

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She joined the Mississippi Mass Choir in 1993 and at age 72.  Mama Burks received an opportunity not afforded to many great-grandmothers; she recorded her first solo album at 72. The self-titled album "Mama Burks,"  was released in 2005 and featured appearances by the Mississippi Mass Choir and the legendary Dorothy Norwood. The year prior, she was featured in America’s Heart & Soul, a Disney film about everyday heroes. 

Burks has traveled the world with the Mississippi Mass Choir, sung for the Pope and can rightly assert as a truism the title of a song from her solo album: “God Has Brought Me from a Mighty Long Way.”  

More than a singer, Mama Mosie Burks was a vessel of hope, a keeper of the old landmarks, and a mother figure to gospel lovers everywhere. Her passing marks the end of an era, but her spirit will live on in every church aisle, revival tent, and sanctuary where her voice once resounded.

Funeral arrangements are forthcoming. Let us continue to honor her memory by lifting up the Burks family and the Mississippi Mass Choir in prayer and gratitude for the gift she was to the world.  

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS:



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