Who Is Mahalia Jackson’s Ex-Husband Sigmond Galloway?

sigmond galloway

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Renowned jazz singer, Sigmond Galloway, captivated the audience with his mesmerizing performance. Interestingly, he was previously married to the legendary Mahalia Jackson.

Let us present Mahalia Jackson in case you were wondering who she was. 

Jackson was an American gospel singer with a lot of popularity. She was regarded as one of the best vocalists of her day because of her captivating gospel singing abilities. 

Jazz singer Sigmond gained notoriety primarily as the ex-husband of phenomenal soprano Mahalia Jackson.

He had a musical inclination beyond being just a vocalist – he had a penchant for jazz. Hailing from Northern Indiana, Galloway commenced his musical journey in the very same region.

Who is Sigmond Galloway?

Sigmond Galloway, a renowned jazz singer, has gained recognition not only as an artist but also as the former spouse of Mahalia Jackson.

Born on May 18, 1922, in London, he later moved to Alabama, USA. As an African-American, Sigmond possessed a dark complexion with captivating black eyes and hair.

Initially venturing into the construction business, he later embarked on a remarkable singing career after relocating to Gary Lake, Indiana.

Sigmond Galloway’s marital union to Jackson Mahalia

In 1964, Sigmond and Mahalia Jackson became acquaintances through common connections. 

Jackson had an extremely hectic and chaotic schedule at work when they first met. Before getting married, they had only recently become friends.

Jackson found comfort in Sigmond despite having a large social circle of family, friends, and coworkers. 

Despite this, she felt lonely. They started courting soon after, and they were married shortly after. 

The entire family and friends of Jackson were shocked to learn that the wedding was held in her living room.

What caused their separation?

Beginning in 1952, Mahalia Jackson experienced the signs and symptoms of a cardiac condition. 

At the time, her European tour had to be canceled, and even after more than a decade, she continued to have problems. 

It was discovered by her doctors that she had had a heart attack and that her heart had been affected by sarcoidosis.

She learned about this after checking herself into a hospital due to a severe coughing fit. 

A few weeks after her wedding, she was traveling home after a concert in St. Louis when this incident occurred one evening.

The public was not told the whole truth by Mrs. Jackson or her doctors. Her official diagnosis to the public was fatigue and cardiac strain. 

Sadly, she was unable to go on tours, and her problems only became worse. It took her an entire year to fully heal.

Mahalia got quite weak and lost almost 23 kg of weight during her recovery. 

She was annoyed by this as she thought she could not accomplish some things. 

But the most painful aspect of her recuperation was that she didn’t get to spend it with her friend. 

Throughout the year that she spent recovering, Sigmond was hardly ever present. 

In addition to downplaying his wife’s symptoms and claiming they were all in her brain, he demonstrated his unreliability.

Galloway attempted to assume Jackson’s promoters’ and agents’ administrative responsibilities, which only made matters worse. 

It took a lot of work to know his motivation, given his obvious lack of competence. 

The couple argued as a result, and Jackson’s husband made two attempts at using physical violence.

His music career appears not to have lasted long

Northern Indiana-bred jazz musician Sigmond Galloway Minters was born in 1923. According to reports, he had a career as a jazz musician, but it appeared to have stopped around 1964.

He was employed in the construction sector when he first met Mahalia, his ex-wife. Although he was still residing in Gary, Indiana, at the time, his musical career had taken a different turn.

Sigmond Galloway ex-wife had previous marriages

The gospel singer was previously married and divorced before getting wedded to the jazz musician. In 1936, Mahalia wed Isaac Hockenhull, an entrepreneur with a college degree.

Mahalia was told to stop singing gospel songs and being devoted to the church. Therefore marrying Isaac turned out to be a horrible decision for her and her life’s purpose. 

Jackson declined to start singing more secular music, as Isaac had requested. Their final fallout stemmed from this reluctance. By 1941, five years after their wedding, they had separated.

His spouse was close to Martin Luther King

In 1956, the “Queen of Gospel Music” met with Martin Luther King, one of the most well-known radical campaigners of the 20th century. 

That year, at the National Baptist Convention, they had their first meeting.

Mahalia and Martin kept in touch through additional gatherings and events where Martin related a dream he had, which he later included in his well-known speech.

He eventually asked Mahalia to go to civil rights demonstrations with him.

She complied with this and unquestionably contributed to his well-known speech on August 28, 1963.

Though it wasn’t included in his speech, it was she who encouraged him to discuss his dream in front of the Lincoln Memorial that day. 

Mahalia raised her voice in the crowd and requested him to tell her about the dream, which is how she managed to get him to do so. 

This not only altered the direction of his address but also spawned one of the most impactful speeches in history.

The two kept up their tight collaboration and fulfilled one other’s requirements as needed.

Did Jackson and Sigmond have children together?

Mahalia Jackson wasn’t a parent. Neither with her first husband nor with the jazz musician of the past. Her health issues kept her from becoming a mother. 

Jackson fought sarcoidosis and fibrosis, necessitating a hysterectomy and preventing her from becoming a mother.