On This Date in Gospel: April 15 2011

On April 15, 2011, Malaco Records company's studio and offices were hit by a tornado that caused major damage and destruction. Thousands of master tapes from recording sessions survived intact in a separate concrete vault. The company decided to re-build the damaged offices and recording studio on the same site and the new buildings were opened in mid 2012. This storm came six years after Hurricane Katrina also hit the area, causing some damage to the Malaco premises.

Malaco's gospel labels under Jerry Mannery and Savoy Records under Milton Biggham earned multiple honors, including Billboard designations as Top Gospel Label and Top Gospel Distributor, while the artists received numerous awards (Grammy, Stellar, Soul Train, and Gospel Music Workshop), as well as Billboard Top Gospel Artist of the Year designations. The company also dominated Billboard Gospel charts, achieving #1 rankings by Keith Pringle,Walter Hawkins, Rev. James Moore, The Mississippi Mass Choir, and Dorothy Norwood.

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