Shirley Caesar

Shirley Caesar is a gospel music singer, songwriter, recording artist, author, and pastor whose career has spanned six decades. An award-winning artist with over 10 Grammy Awards to her credit, she is known as The First Lady of Gospel Music. Caesar was acknowledged and honored by Oprah Winfrey at The Legends Ball, which honored those who have made significant contributions to the arts and entertainment industries.

Caesar began singing at the age of 10 and has recorded over forty albums, exploring her gift and spreading messages of faith. At an early age, she joined the Caravans and sang and recorded with them from 1958 until 1966. She then began pursuing a call to ministry and solo singing career. Over the years, she continued to combine scripture, sermon and contemporary issues with traditional gospel.

Born in Durham, North Carolina, Caesar has served on the City Council in Durham. For more than 38 years, she has run and Outreach Ministry the bears her name. Her Outreach Ministry serves the neglected and those in need in the community.

It was Caesar’s humble beginnings and her mother’s encouraging words that have influenced her decision to give so selflessly of herself. Of her mother's influence on her faith and her life, Caesar said "Mom often made it very clear to me that the people were depending on me and she said, 'I am depending on you and God is depending on you. Don’t let us down. Don’t you ever go out and sing one thing and live something else.' That stayed with me not because Momma said it but because when you get the greater One who is The Lord Jesus in your life then He makes a difference. Just the very fact that Momma would always say that to me made a great impact upon my life."

Caesar holds a bachelor's degree in business from Shaw University. She has honorary doctorates from Shaw University and Southeastern University and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Caesar has sung for every President since Jimmy Carter. And she has performed with such performers as Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, Dottie People, Gladys Knight, Kim Burrell, John P. Kee, Tonex, Tramaine Hawkins, Kirk Franklin, Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams, and Andrea Crouch among many others.

Caesar has been the pastor of Mt. Calvary Word of Faith Church in Raleigh, NC, for more than 20 years, along with her husband and co-pastor Bishop Harold I Williams, Sr. Caesar’s hope is that her messages will be listened to and people will be encouraged to lead good lives.

Caesar is a true woman of God, a great pastor, an adoring wife, a living legend, and a black history maker.