Birmingham native Inez Andrews reportedly passed away this afternoon after a long illness.
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Inez Andrews’s powerful contralto voice was among gospel’s greatest since her days with The Caravans in the late ’50s. Andrews’s nickname, “Songbird,” was taken by Don Robey when he formed a gospel subsidiary label of his Backbeat/Peacock operation. Andrews was among the first gospel artists he signed. She later recorded for Savoy and Spirit Feel. Her most recent release was Raise up a Nation with The Thompson Community Singers in 1991 for Word/Epic. Headline News, a collection of some of her finest solo work in the ’70s, was released in 1999. – Allmusic.com
