RIP: Gospel Singer Sara Jordan Powell

By Robert M. Marovich

JGM learned the sad news from Eric Clark and Pastor Mack Mason that gospel singer Sara Jordan Powell passed away on Sunday, November 16, 2025.

I had the good fortune to interview Ms. Powell for Malaco’s Rev. James Cleveland box set, The King of Gospel Music. She was a lovely person to speak with, just as lovely as her soprano voice.

Here is a bio on Ms. Powell that I put together some years ago for the Malaco Music Group website:

Born a “PK” (pastor’s kid) in Houston, Texas, on October 6, 1938, Sara Jordan Powell was raised in the family’s church, Turner Memorial Church of God in Christ, and began singing at age three. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English with minors in drama and history from Texas Southern University.

After graduation, she moved to Chicago. By assisting Professor Thomas A. Dorsey and later joining the Sallie Martin Singers, Powell had the rare opportunity to work with both the Father and Mother of Gospel Music. From there, she became a member of the austere Voices of Melody choir, directed by Dr. Charles Clency. Returning to Houston after the death of her father, Powell became a schoolteacher. Her singing for a school commencement exercise captured the attention of attendees, who encouraged her to re-commence her pursuit of singing as a career.

She was approached by the Reverend James Cleveland after appearing on a gospel program in Los Angeles. He persuaded her to record. Featuring Cleveland as guest vocalist, Powell’s first album, Songs of Faith and Inspiration, was released in 1971 for Savoy Records as part of its “James Cleveland Presents” series. It was the first in a string of albums she recorded for Savoy. She also joined Cleveland’s Gospel Music Workshop of America, then in its infancy, and became part of its recording mass choir.

Coming of age during gospel music’s transition from traditional to contemporary, Powell incorporated a bit of both styles. Her soulful lyric soprano, which she could shift from sweet to glass-shattering and drop into the alto range, evoked the spontaneity of Church of God in Christ worship services. She had a gift for telling a story in song. Powell’s versatility appealed to traditional and contemporary gospel music enthusiasts alike.

Her 1974 Savoy album, Touch Somebody’s Life, produced by the Reverend James Cleveland, introduced two of her most significant singles: the title track and “When Jesus Comes.” She joined forces with The B C & S Singers (Brenda Waters, Carl Preacher, and Shirley Joiner) for her 1975 Savoy release, The Soul of Sara Jordan Powell.

In 1977, she cut her first live album, When Jesus Comes, recorded at West Angeles Church of God in Christ; the pastor, Reverend Charles Blake, would become COGIC’s Presiding Bishop. Her 1979 Savoy album, I Must Tell Jesus, was recorded during a live performance for prisoners in the Cook County Department of Corrections. The Chicago recording featured Dr. Charles Clency and the Voices of Melody as the background choir. In 1981, Savoy released The Best of Sara Jordan Powell, a fifteen-track collection of Powell’s finest performances.

Powell sang at the White House before President Jimmy Carter in 1979 and served Oral Roberts University as an academic advisor. For a decade, she was the Church of God in Christ’s Fine Arts Executive Director and was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2003.

Homegoing details will be provided when available. Meanwhile, let us pray for the family, friends, and many fans of Sara Jordan Powell.