The Caravans
The Caravans were a Chicago gospel supergroup founded by Albertina Walker in 1951, whose rotating, hand-picked lineup — including Inez Andrews, Shirley Caesar, Dorothy Norwood, Bessie Griffin, Cassietta George, and James Cleveland at various points — launched more future gospel stars than any other group in the genre's history. Their driving call-and-response arrangements and virtuoso lead-vocal features on hits like "Mary Don't You Weep" defined the "hard gospel" sound of the 1950s and '60s.
Albertina Walker credited Mahalia Jackson directly as one of the figures she felt she was "standing on the shoulders of" in building the Caravans' sound.
listen forUnaccompanied, testifying intensity at a song's peak — the quality Jackson brought to "Move On Up a Little Higher" surfaces again in Inez Andrews' lead on "Mary Don't You Weep."
Walker also named Roberta Martin among her foundational influences; the Roberta Martin Singers' polished, harmonically rich Chicago style shaped how the Caravans arranged voices behind a lead.
listen forSmooth, hymn-like block harmony under a more emotive lead — the Roberta Martin Singers' "God Specializes" sits closer to that choral blend, and the same vocal-arranging instinct carries into the Caravans' "Sweeping Through the City."
Sallie Martin — the pioneering "Mother of Gospel Music" and Thomas Dorsey's longtime business partner — was named by Walker as a direct influence on her own gospel career, alongside Mahalia Jackson and Roberta Martin.
listen forA no-frills, testimony-first delivery that prioritizes conviction over ornament — the plainer root beneath the Caravans' showier group features.