Roberta Winston Martin

Roberta Martin (b 14 Feb. 1907, St. Francis, AR; d 13 Jan. 1969, Chicago, IL). A classically-trained pianist, Roberta Winston Martin directed the junior chorus at Chicago’s Ebenezer Baptist Church starting in 1932. She led the Youth Department of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses in its early years. In 1933, Martin organized the Martin and Frye Quartette, a gospel ensemble later called the Roberta Martin Singers. The ensemble toured extensively from the outset and released dozens of recordings for Apollo and Savoy between 1947 and 1969. Martin’s classical flourishes on piano, distinct from Thomas Dorsey’s barrelhouse style, set new standards for gospel accompanists and inspired artists from James Cleveland to Richard Smallwood. She founded the Roberta Martin Studio of Music (1938), where she wrote, arranged, and published many of the most popular songs in the gospel music canon.

Robert Marovich, Hymns & Devotions for Daily Worship: African American Edition, ed. Chris Fenner (2025)