Vestal Goodman
Vestal Goodman | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Vestal Freeman |
Born | Fyffe, Alabama | December 13, 1929
Died | December 27, 2003 Celebration, Florida | (aged 74)
Genres | Southern gospel |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 1949–2003[1] |
Website | www |
Vestal Goodman (December 13, 1929 – December 27, 2003) was a singer who performed in the Southern gospel genre for more than half a century.[1] She was known for her work as a solo performer and as a member of the Happy Goodman Family—which originated with her husband and his brothers and sisters—one of the pioneering groups in southern gospel music.
Goodman was the fourth of six children, and she began singing in church as a child. Raised inside the Church of God, her original intent was to study for the Metropolitan Opera, but being raised in church she felt compelled to sing gospel music.
She married
With the formation of
Her autobiography, Vestal! 'Lord I Wouldn't Take Nothin' For My Journey Now', was published in 1999. It details her life in Southern gospel music, her heart problems, her subsequent bout with cancer and her struggle with prescription drug addiction. The Happy Goodmans won multiple
Goodman was honored by being named "The Queen of Southern Gospel Music",
A portion of Alabama Highway 75 near Vestal Goodman's birthplace of Fyffe Alabama is designated "Vestal Goodman Highway".
She and Howard worked with many well-known musicians on the Gaither Homecoming music projects in the 1990s. She was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Association (GMA) Hall of Fame in 2004. The Happy Goodmans group was inducted into the GMA Hall of Fame in 1998.
Howard Goodman died on November 30, 2002, after the couple made a farewell recording and singing tour dubbed "The Final Stand."
Vestal Goodman died at the age of 74 of complications from influenza while on Christmas vacation in Florida with her family. She died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital in Celebration, Florida. Her son Rick said it was very appropriate for her death that it would happen in a place called Celebration.
Worthington Music Group and Goodman Family Ministries partnered to release a collection of recordings from the family archive entitled Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 1 in 2008. The critically acclaimed album gives listeners a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the ministry of Howard and Vestal Goodman.