Maurice Jean Bradley
Maurice was born April 3, 1949 to the union of Freddie Diggs, Sr and Lizzie Mae Diggs in Quincy, Florida. She has four siblings: Larriel Diggs, Freddie Diggs, Jr., Robert Diggs and Mary Diggs-Hobson.
Maurice was educated at Midway Elementary and Crooms High School, both in Sanford, Florida. She later attended Monroe Community College, Rochester, NY. and Allen School of Health Sciences, Jamaica, NY.
My first steel was an 8-string Fender. It belonged to my first Pastor, the late Bishop Sylvester J. Burke. He would let me use it to try to play during Church services. My first lessons were by Andre Miller at about the age of 28 or 29 years old. Maurice served at The House of God Church, Rochester, NY under the leadership of Trial Bishop Harry H. Haygood, Sr.
She was influenced by several players: Andre Miller, Calvin Cook, Maurice Beard, Chuck Campbell, and Lonnie Bennett. Maurice was inducted into the 2019 Queens Hall of Fame in Toledo, Ohio.
FAQS
What is Sacred Steel?
Sacred Steel is an African-American gospel tradition that features the steel guitar in religious services. It originated in Pentecostal churches in the 1930s
Where did Sacred Steel originate?
It developed in the Church of the Living God, particularly in the Keith and Jewell Dominions.
How did Sacred Steel gain popularity?
Sacred Steel gained wider recognition through performances by artists like Robert Randolph, Calvin Cooke, Aubrey Ghent and the Campbell Brothers, who brought the genre to international fame.
God Bless Sacred Steel!
