Cora Harvey Armstrong

About

Gospel artist Cora Harvey Armstrong hasn’t always lived the life she sings about. While she’s been singing and playing piano in churches on Sundays for most of her life, she spent decades drinking, partying and living a “hellacious life” the other six days a week. Health problems and an abusive relationship compounded her struggle. When her father passed away in 1999, Armstrong rededicated herself to her faith and music, and has started to earn the recognition that her talent as a singer, songwriter and pianist deserves.

Armstrong still lives in her tiny hometown of Newtown, Virginia, 40 miles northeast of Richmond. Her father was a deacon at First Mount Olive Baptist Church where Armstrong served as minister of music for four decades.

“When I was coming up my mother was a real big fan of Mahalia Jackson and the Clara Ward Singers so that’s a lot of the music I heard around the house,” says Armstrong. “She and Daddy both used to sing in the choir at church so they knew all the hymns.” Her songwriting was inspired by the verses of her poet grandfather Rev. Watson Harvey.

In recent years Armstrong left her secretarial job to pursue music full-time and has also become a minister, earning a master’s in divinity. Tours have taken her to Italy and Japan.

Music remains a family affair for Armstrong. In Lowell she’ll be joined by her sisters Clara and Virginia and her nieces Kimberly, Ruthy, and Clarissa. The group is rounded out by bassist Juan Nelson and drummers Kevin Jackson (nephew) and Davin Jackson (great-nephew).

While her nieces convinced Armstrong to update the group’s attire, the sound remains traditional gospel. “We do my own songs,” she says, “but I also like to do traditional songs like ‘Precious Lord’ and ‘Amazing Grace’—I’m a fan of singing music that says something, so people can leave with a good feeling.”