Video has been viewed 1.3 million times
Rowena Smith has always been able to draw a crowd with her powerful voice, but she never dreamed her singing would be heard by more than a million people all over the world.
Smith, 84, has been singing at churches and religious conventions throughout the country for decades, from Florida and Texas to California and Illinois.
But she started out singing with her siblings on a bench on the side of 1st Street in St. Rose when she was just 5 years old.
“There was no TV back then and people would gather and listen to us sing,” Smith said.
A resident and native of St. Rose, Smith has been singing with the choir of Mt. Zion and Fifth African Baptist Churches since she was a child.
Three years ago, an unknown person recorded a video of her singing “To God be the Glory” and posted it on YouTube. That video has now been viewed more than 1.3 million times.
Smith did not even realize someone had taken a video of her singing, much less that it had become an internet sensation.
She said that her nephew had to burn the video onto a DVD to show her because she doesn’t even own a computer.
While she said that she was surprised by the amount of views the video had, being praised for her voice is not unusual for her.
“It’s a gift from God that I have and I like sharing it with others,” she said. “My philosophy in life is that life’s not worth living if you can’t help others.
“Most every time after I’ve sung, someone will come up to me and congratulate me and thank me for helping them.”
Smith has received dozens of awards from city councils, church organizations, mayors and more. An entire room in her house is lined with the trophies, plaques and certificates she has received over the years.
For now, she sings almost every Sunday to a 500-member congregation at Fifth African Baptist. She said she also sees a lot of visitors at the church.
“She is one of the gifts from God; she is angelic,” said Rev. Gerald Vinnett Sr. of Fifth African Baptist. “She’s an inspiration to all who hear her sing…her singing inspires and encourages those who hear.”
Vinnett said he hopes Smith will continue to sing at the church “as long as God will give her a voice.”
The video of Smith singing can be found by visiting www.youtube.com and searching “This Little Old Lady WIPED the church OUT!”
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