Her music cut through whatever lay in it's wake and shackled itself to your soul. Those who witnessed her singing spoke of being taken to a sacred place, of the sheer power of her voice, or the rapturous, transcendent nature of the experience. She was Mahalia Jackson, the world's greatest gospel singer and the creator of a musical standard by which all would be judged.

This documentary follows the course of Mahalia's extraordinary life, from her humble beginnings as a sickly child singing in the churches of New Orleans, through her years in relative obscurity refusing to adopt a more "commercial" sound, to her breakthrough with Columbia Records and her ascendancy to Carnegie Hall and the great stages of Europe. This presentation gives the viewer an unforgettable insight into Mahalia's character and the extent of her considerable accomplishments.

Mahalia's story is told via never-before-seen photographs, archival footage and interviews with those who knew her best, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Brother John Sellers and historian Studs Terkel, as well as her own recollections.