When Pearl remarried to John Lawson (1892–1974) on 24 Feb. 1929, Doris and some of her siblings became part of that household, living in Kirksville, Adair County, Missouri, while three of her brothers stayed with their father.

[citation needed] According to ASCAP documentation, in 1958, along with her friend Mahalia Jackson, Doris co-wrote the song "Lord, Don't Move the Mountain", which sold over a million records.

Her fresh, modern arrangements of traditional Negro spirituals drew large crowds from far and near and increased attendance at the church dramatically.

[citation needed] Akers continued recording for RCA Victor into the mid-sixties, cutting such albums as Forever Faithful (1963); a collaboration with The Statesmen Quartet entitled Sing for You in 1964; and Highway to Heaven.

On the "He Touched Me" track of her album All God's Children, she recounts an incident of playing the song at the St. James Pentecostal Church in that city.

She also recorded a few albums in Canada which were not distributed in the United States, such as Crusade LP 2702 with Glad Tidings Temple's Harvest Time Choir.

[7] Akers lived out the final years of her life in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving as Minister of Music at Grace Temple Deliverance Center.

Akers was the headline act of the city's American Bicentennial celebration, with approximately 20,000 people attending an evening concert.