There’s not too much I love more than sitting around my kitchen table with my elderly friends and family listening to them recount “the glory days.” They swap story after story about events, places and people.
Some sad.
Some funny.
I could listen to those stories over and over again (and I do) for hours. That’s fine with me. They are just as much a joy to hear the thirtieth time as they were the first.
That good ol’ down-home feeling is what I experienced recently when I had the pleasure of reading Singing Ain’t Enough: The Inspiring Story of Maggie Ingram by Joy Harris.
Since Ms. Harris is Ms. Ingram’s granddaughter, I’m sure, just like me, she heard some of the stories she shares around a kitchen table somewhere.
Maggie Ingram proved to be a treasure here in Richmond, Virginia. She grew up in Georgia as a sharecropper’s daughter, but moved to the Richmond area in 1961. Even though times were tough she managed to move ahead with a gospel music career and while raising her five children.
Her love for music and the Lord pushed her forward despite the hardships. She wrote many inspirational songs that still ring in the ears of gospel music fans today. Songs such as Somethings Gotta Hold of Me, Child of the King and Hold to His Hand.
Ms. Ingram had an entrepreneurial spirit and worked her way to a record deal at the peak of the civil rights movement. Her musical paths crossed with some well-known headliners, like Mahalia Jackson and Rev. C.L. Franklin, father of Aretha Franklin.
Ms. Ingram dedicated her life to her calling in gospel music and worked hard to
pass that gifting down to her children. Over the course of her life, she expressed compassion and generosity to many. Because of her inspiration to others, she received numerous honors and awards.
Maggie Ingram died just eleven days before her eighty-fifth birthday.
Joy Harris honored her grandmother with this inspiring retelling of her life and work. I believe Maggie would be proud of the love and hard work that Ms. Harris put into this book.
I recommend this book to all, especially those with a love for gospel music and southern history.
Just to note: My husband remembers hearing Maggie Ingram and the Ingramettes on several occasions. He recalls their ministry and music as stirring and inspiring. “That Maggie Ingram – She could preach.”
You may purchase this book through Amazon.com at here.
Disclaimer: This is my honest review of Singing Ain’t Enough: The Inspiring Story of Maggie Ingram by Joy Harris. Although I received an electronic version of this book to review, I did not receive compensation of any kind for my review.