Mable John (November 3, 1930 – August 25, 2022) was an American blues vocalist and was the first female artist signed by Berry Gordy to Motown's Tamla label.
While Motown was beginning to have success with acts like the Miracles and the Marvelettes (and later Martha & the Vandellas and the Supremes, both of whom had sung background vocals for John) that appealed to teenagers and young adults, it was making no impact in the established blues market.
She left secular music in 1973, and began managing Christian gospel acts, occasionally returning to the studio as a singer.
[citation needed] She released a single on the London-based Motown revival label Motorcity Records entitled "Time Stops" in 1991.
In 1993, John earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from the south Los Angeles ministry Crenshaw Christian Center.
[5] In 2006, John and David Ritz collaborated on a novel titled Sanctified Blues,[6] about a former singer turned spiritual leader.
[8] In the late 1970s, John started a Los Angeles charity called "Joy Community Outreach to End Homelessness" that provided food and clothing to more than 100 people a day.