The Gift That Makes Room
A wise man once said that a person’s gift will make room for them and put them in front of important people. Cora Campbell-Merriweather is living proof that those words are not only wise—but true!
Cora’s journey began humbly in St. Louis, Mo.–born into an extremely musical family where her mom, sisters and aunts were ALL singers. She learned phrasing and harmony at home while singing with family. Soon it became evident that Cora had a special gift. Nicknamed “Little Miss Mahalia” (after iconic gospel singer Mahalia Jackson), Cora began singing solos and leads at church. Before long, the lure of the outside entertainment world beckoned. She branched out musically and performed with the Washington University Black Repertory Choir (under the direction of Dr. Curtis Duncan) from 1975-1977. At 19 years of age, Cora found herself performing with local musical powerhouse ‘The International Hook-up’ and opening for Curtis Mayfield at the legendary Mississippi River Festival (performing in the same venue as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Ike & Tina Turner and the Who). She also opened for SOS Band; Parliament-Funkadelic; Johnny Taylor and others. Cora became closely associated with (and later close friends with) another singer on the local circuit—Rosalind Graham, who began to mentor her further in her career. When Rosalind moved to Los Angeles, she promised Cora that she would send for her when she got settled. And she did! However (unknown to both women), they had both re-dedicated their lives to Christ! Once she arrived in LA, the musical focus changed from secular R&B to gospel/Christian. Rosalind continued to mentor Cora (she sings background on Rosalind’s two albums) and together they shared the stage with Shirley Caesar, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Douglas Miller and others. They even joined the choir at the Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church under the direction of Rev. James Cleveland (yes—THAT James Cleveland).
Currently, Cora is exploring new avenues and applications for her gift: working in Audio Description, commercial voice acting and songwriting. She recently received her associate degree in biblical studies and is ready for the next adventure!