Mrs. Beatrice Kaiser was born with a God-given talent, and she used that talent to serve the Lord for over 50 years.
Kaiser, best known as the founder of the Kaiser Singers gospel group, died last weekend.
Kaiser was also known to many through her service as a school bus driver for many years and her Sunday school radio broadcasts designed to reach residents who were confined in their homes.
Kaiser formed the Kaiser Singers gospel group around the time her daughters were getting ready for college in 1968. She said it seemed natural because they all loved music. At the time they didn’t realize that they were starting something special that would last a lifetime.
“We were brought up in the Baptist church, and we were always singing,” Kaiser said in a previous interview with The Yazoo Herald. “We’d meet at my house and practice as a group. From then on we just continued to grow musically and spiritually.”
Mrs. Kaiser formed the group with her daughters Annie, Hattie and Estella, and the group soon began singing in churches around Yazoo City.
They began singing a cappella, and they were later joined by Mrs. Kaiser’s sister, Francine, and then by her youngest daughter, Linda.
“We’ve had some musicians, but we made a promise to always keep the family bond,” Mrs. Kaiser told The Herald in 2006.
In 1978 the Kaiser Singers made their first recording featuring the songs “Yes He Will” and “Lord Don’t Move My Mountain.” The group continued to gain recognition over the years.
In 2006 the Mississippi Senate recognized the Kaiser Singers with a proclamation. State. Sen. Joseph Thomas of Yazoo City and Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck presented Mrs. Kaiser with the proclamation.
Mrs. Kaiser said that the secret to success for her family group was to stick with their original approach even as they continued to gain a bigger following.
“We don’t compare our singing to anybody, and we don’t try to compete with anybody,” she said. “We do this for the Lord.”
Visitation will be held Friday from 2-6 p.m. at Scott Memorial Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at St. Matthew Church of God in Christ. Burial will follow at Cypress Gardens Cemetery.
