Gloria Spencer

Promotional photo of Gloria Spencer from the jacket of her album "For Once In My Life," Creed Records, 1976

Gloria Spencer (1937–1976) was an American gospel singer whose glandular condition led her to weigh 625 lbs. at the time she recorded her second album, "For Once In My Life," shortly before her death in 1976.[1] Spencer, who billed herself as the "World's Largest Gospel Singer," was known for her "sparkling soprano that could easily show a pop feeling or a gritty one."[2]

Early life

Spencer was born in Steelton, PA in 1937. She and her two sisters were all born with a glandular condition that led to rapid weight gain. She began singing church solos at the age of three and taught herself to play the piano shortly thereafter.[3]

Recording career

Spencer released two albums, "Gloria's Views of Glory" in 1972 on the Jaywalking Records label. In 2007, this recording was reissued online as a digital download by Perfect Records and re-titled, "I Got It." She recorded the album "For Once In My Life," in 1976 on Creed Records. The Creed Records release contained a mix of gospel standards and new works, including standards like "Amazing Grace". Her rendition of the gospel standard "I'll Fly Away" is preceded by a spoken word introduction wherein Spencer describes the funeral of her older sister, who died weighing 628 pounds.

Cover of Spencer's 1976 album "For Once In My Life." Spencer would die of congestive heart failure the same year the album was released.

Self-Promotion Based On Physical Condition

Spencer's handlers at Creed Records came up with the idea of promoting her as the "World's Largest Gospel Singer" as a way of gaining interest and attention.[2] She often told stories to media outlets designed to gain interest based on her weight; among them were the story that she required three airline seats in order to fly and that she once had a piano bench break underneath her during a performance. (She told the "Gospel News Journal" in 1972 that she "kept right on playing - from the floor.")[3]

Personal Life and Death

Spencer met and married Rev. David Gray in 1974, while Gray was a student at Kittrell College in Kittrell, North Carolina. Spencer was reported as being able to type 115 words per minute and worked as a typist at the state capitol in Harrisburg, PA while she performed on weekends.

Spencer was admitted to a North Carolina hospital after complaining of chest pains. She died three days later on April 12, 1976. According to singer Nadine Rae, who performed at her funeral, "It took 17 men to carry her casket."[3]

References

  1. ↑ Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (25 December 1976). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 83. ISSN 0006-2510.
  2. 1 2 Carpenter, Bill (2005). Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0879308419.
  3. 1 2 3 Johnson Publishing Company (22 April 1976). Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. pp. 26–. ISSN 0021-5996.

Bibliography

  1. Gloria's Views of Glory, Jaywalking Records, 1972 
  2. For Once In My Life, Nashboro Records, 1976 
  3. I Got It (Digital Re-issue of 1972 recording), Perfect Records, 2007 
  4. Carpenter, Bill (2005). Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0879308419. 

External links

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