WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that the members of this Chamber have been informed of the passing of Pastor Maceo Woods on Saturday, January 11, 2020; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Woods was a groundbreaking musician, composer, radio and TV host, community pillar and spiritual leader, preaching to the nation through his innovative gospel stylings from the church he founded - Christian Tabernacle Church - located at 4712 S. Prairie Ave. in Chicago's 3rd Ward; and
WHEREAS, Maceo Woods was born in Chicago on April 23, 1932 to Fred and Rosa Anna Anderson Woods who kept a religious family, worshiping at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Morgan Park where he became the church organist at the age of twelve; and
WHEREAS, Maceo attended Shoop grade school and Morgan Park High School, before taking up his religious studies at Chicago's Moody Bible Institute; and
WHEREAS, Showing an amazing aptitude for music at an early age, he started his first singing group, the Maceo Woods Singers in 1952, and recorded "Witness," before hitting it big with his world-famous performance of "Amazing Grace" in 1954 which became the best-selling gospel instrumental of all time; and
WHEREAS, This success spurred Pastor Woods to expand the role of gospel music in the community by creating Gospel Supreme, an event that lives on to this day, as well as helping to create the Chicago Gospel Music Festival; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Woods would go on to perform at the famed Apollo Theater and Madison Square Garden, as well as appear on the airwaves where he established Midnight Gospel on WNIB and was a regular guest on Good News Hour and Jubilee Showcase spreading the word ofthe lord through song; and
WHEREAS, Starting in 1959 Pastor Woods established Christian Tabernacle Church, where he welcomed the legends of gospel including a young Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, the Barrett Sisters, the Caravans, the Rev. James Cleveland and the Staples Sisters; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Woods, forever the showman, never has deviated from his spirituality, always providing religious insight, thoughtful sermons and wise mentorship to all those fortune enough to hear him preach, be it in person or through one of his best-selling records; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago gathered here in assembly this 15th Day of January, 2020 A.D., do hereby extend our condolences to the family of Pastor Maceo Woods and the entire Christian Tabernacle Church community; and
A
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this_resolution be prepared and
presented to the family of Pastor Maceo Woods. s / ) /■)
Alderman, 16,n Ward
Pat Dowell Alderman, 3rd Ward