![]() Inspired by Anderson’s recordings and by reading the singer’s autobiography, Norman imagined becoming a classical singer herself. ![]() As a ten-year-old child, she was spellbound by a recording of the great contralto Marian Anderson. Noting her love of singing, her parents gave her a radio of her own, and she spent many Saturday afternoons in her room, listening to the live broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera. Soon she was singing in school assemblies and community functions. By age four she was singing gospel songs at Mount Calvary Baptist Church. Jessye’s powerful singing voice attracted attention at an early age. Jessye’s father sang in the church choir her mother played piano and insisted that Jessye study piano as well. Music was another interest of the Norman family. Her recordings enthralled listeners, such as the young Jessye Norman. Marian Anderson’s grace under pressure captured the entire nation. It was her first appearance at the memorial since the historic 1939 concert, arranged by Secretary Harold Ickes and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, after the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let Marian Anderson sing in their Constitution Hall. Marian Anderson returns to the Lincoln Memorial in 1952 to sing at memorial services for former Interior Secretary Harold Ickes. Jessye too thought she might pursue a career in medicine, until her unmistakable talent led her in a different direction. One brother became a physician, one sister the director of a nursing program. The presence of the University of Georgia medical school in the community had a powerful influence on the Norman children. Although the schools of Georgia were racially segregated in the 1950s, the Normans and their neighbors pressed for high standards in their local schools and expected a high level of academic performance from their children. Jessye Norman’s parents placed an enormous importance on education. Her father Silas was an insurance salesman, her mother a schoolteacher. ![]() Jessye Norman was born in Augusta, Georgia.
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