Jackie "Moms" Mabley was the stage name of Loretta Mary Aiken (1897-1975), a standup comedian and actress. She was born in Brevard, North Carolina, and was one of 16 children. Her childhood was, basically, horrific (trigger warnings ahead):
After she left home, her father was killed by an exploding fire engine and her mother was run over by a truck while returning home from church on Christmas Day.
Overcoming all of this, Ms. Mabley became a successful entertainer on what was then known as the "Chitlin' Circuit", a collection of performance venues for African-Americans. She came out as a lesbian in 1927, performing standup routines based on this. In the 1950s, she adopted her "Moms" persona, who was toothless and wore a floppy hat. In 1962, she played Carnegie Hall and, later in the 1960s, she regularly appeared on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
"Abraham, Martin and John" was originally recorded by Dion, who returned to the charts with it for the first time in five years. His version reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100; Ms. Mabley's cover version reached #35. I find that the song is too serious for my liking but I am not an American.
Ms. Mabley continued performing after this, soldiering on even after suffering a heart attack in 1974 before passing away the next year. I cannot begin to imagine the depths of perseverance and courage she must have possessed to be able to have had the career and life that she did.
Created March 5, 2026.