Effective period / Period of releases: 1951 - 1974

Jessie Mae Renfro was a gospel recording celebrity, the first female artist to be signed with Peacock Records in early 1951, and the only female artist with Peacock until 1963. She performed professionally for over 52 years, and became an influential voice in the development of gospel music, both in recordings and music ministry. She was born to Nesiah and Jessie Hayes on October 3, 1921 in Waxahachie, Texas, where she was raised in the Church of God In Christ (COGIC) and into a musical family. She was immersed in gospel music--playing and singing from an early age.

Though tempted to sing secular music, she remained strictly a gospel singer, travelling with the Sallie Martin Singers in the mid-1940s. She was recognized and given accolades from Rosetta Tharpe, Clara Ward, and Emily Bram to name a few. She began recording in 1946, but it wasn't until the early 1950s when she attracted the attention of the public.

A May 1951 Billboard magazine article noted that Marion Anderson picked her as "one of the greatest voices in the spiritual field," after Renfro auditioned for her. That same year she signed with Peacock Records where she released popular hits like "I Must Tell Jesus", "God Is So Wonderful", and "You've Got To Move" among others. The hit "He's So Wonderful" remained on Billboard's charts for three years, and earned her a place as a soloist alongside Mahalia Jackson.

She married Rev. J.R. Sapp in January 1952 in Fort Smith, AR. They relocated to Oklahoma City, OK where Rev. Sapp became Pastor of the Sixth and Laird Church of God in Christ, and she became the Minister of Music. She spent the rest of her life, into the 1990s, organizing choirs, singing groups and tirelessly spreading her musical good news. She continued her own music career appearing in places such as: The Apollo Theater, Park Place, and Madison Square Garden in New York, the Met Auditorium in Philadelphia, and Laurel Gardens in New Jersey. She was a pioneering force in Oklahoma's gospel music scene, especially with the Oklahoma Southeast State Choir of the Church Of God in Christ, of which she recorded a rare album entitled, "SINGS."

She passed away on January 15, 1996 in Oklahoma City. In her and her husband's memory, their church is now the Greater Sapp Institutional Church of God in Christ. She was also inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame on July 28, 1989.

This article was condensed from an article posted on the Church Of God In Christ International Music Department Facebook Page: