Inez Andrews
By Andre Thomas
Mrs. Inez (McConico) Andrews was born in Birmingham on April 14th, 1929. A graduate of Phillips High School, Inez Andrews was no stranger to the Billboard charts. Her single “Lord Don’t Move The Mountain” (1973) peaked in the Top 50 slot on the R&B singles chart. Her studio her albums “Raise a Nation” (1992), and “If Jesus Came to Your Town” (1988) peaked in the Top 50 slot on the Top Gospel Albums charts.
Catapulting to international fame with her powerful rendition of the well-known Negro spiritual, “Mary Don’t You Weep,” Inez toured the world with James Cleveland, Shirley Caesar, Dorothy Norwood, Albertina Walker, and Deloris Washington as a member of the Grammy-nominated group, The Caravans. Recording her smash hit over fifty years ago, her rendition of Mary Don’t You Weep is still being performed by a number of platinum recording artists like Aretha Franklin, Yolanda Adams and Fantasia Barrino to name a few.
Nineteen studio albums, one live album, a Gospel Hall of Fame inductee and host of dynamic nominations for Stellar, Grammy, and Dove Awards, the Phillips High School graduate represented Birmingham proudly every time she hit the stage. Never letting go of her Birmingham roots, this talented star always gave fans that good ole-fashion, hand-clapping, foot-stomping gospel music. Inez Andrews, The Birmingham Times salutes you as a Pride of Birmingham.
Andre J. Thomas is a 5x Award Winning Producer and Entertainment Blogger based out of Birmingham, Alabama. He can be heard every Saturday on the hit radio show, The Joe Lockett Show which airs 101.1 FM & 1260 AM (Metro Birmingham) from 4pm to 7pm CST. You can also read articles written by Andre in The Birmingham Times, Black Moguls Magazine, Gumptown Magazine and on andrejthomas.com.
