The nun who nearly ousted Elvis in the Grammy Awards
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (340203)
Rockingham, Australia
April 11, 2024 9:58pm CST
Who among my friends here is old enough to remember Sister Janet Mead and her inspirational singing of the ‘Our Father’?
Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Sister Mead (1937-2022) joined the Sisters of Mercy Catholic order of nuns. Mead taught music in local Catholic schools and introduced ‘rock masses’ in an endeavour to make the Mass more accessible and meaningful to her students.
In 1974, her rendition of the prayer ‘Our Father’ was a surprise hit, not just in Australia but also in America. It was the first Australian recording to sell over a million copies in the US and led to a nomination for a Grammy Award in 1975, losing out to Elvis Presley’s rendition of How Great Thou Art. The category was ‘Best inspirational performance (non-classical)’. She was apparently extremely relieved that she didn't win the award.
Mead donated all her royalties to charity and in 2004 was named South Australian of the Year for her work with the homeless.
I couldn’t find a ‘free to use’ photo of Sister Mead but here is one of a little country church.
21 people like this
18 responses
@snowy22315 (180805)
• United States
12 Apr
Never heard of her but the nuns that sang Dominque were a big hit on the Ed Sullivan show. (big variety show of the day) That was approximately 1963 I think.
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (180805)
• United States
14 Apr
@JudyEv Yes, she was and I loved that song, although I was a child of tender years. I remember hearing it often. Back when music was music...insert old people rant here..
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@JudyEv (340203)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Apr
@snowy22315 I'm happy to rant along with you. We did our 'movement for seniors' today to some great music from the 60s and 70s. So good to hear those old tunes again.
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@Tampa_girl7 (50256)
• United States
12 Apr
I recall a bit of controversy over the song, but we didn’t get why. She sang it beautifully.
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@Tampa_girl7 (50256)
• United States
12 Apr
@JudyEv I imagine that was it. We loved it though.
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@mildredtabitha (16126)
• Nairobi, Kenya
12 Apr
The photo is very beautiful.
I'm glad learning about sister Mead.
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
13 Apr
I could be wrong but I don't think you have to worry about copyrighted photos here since anymore can't be access unless your a member. Even so I do try to stay away from those too.
I don't remember that song but I'll look it up later. I went ahead and checked it out now. It's a catchy tune.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
15 Apr
@JudyEv what other version? Do you mean by a different singer?
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@JudyEv (340203)
• Rockingham, Australia
15 Apr
@MarshaMusselman They sing the 'Our Father' here to a completely different tune but it's not as upbeat as this one. I tried to find a clip to it but it seems there are a lot of other versions.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178877)
• United States
12 Apr
I don't remember the song. Very interesting post. Have a good day.
2 people like this
@dgobucks226 (35615)
•
13 Apr
That is stiff competition going up against "The King." What the sister needed was some "Devine intervention."
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@Beestring (14561)
• Hong Kong
12 Apr
Nice looking church.
I remember the song "Our Father" very well.
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (79892)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
12 Apr
That is a lovely church, I love Elvis singing How Great Thou Art it always tears me up, So wonderful she helped out the homeless,
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (19942)
• United States
16 Apr
I never heard of her. I did look up the song though. It's a nice song.
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