Miko Marks Releases Single 'Jubilee' Featuring Fisk Jubilee Singers

Miko Marks has released a new version of “Jubilee,” a track from her critically acclaimed 2022 LP Feel Like Going Home, featuring the GRAMMY Award-winning Fisk Jubilee Singers. “Jubilee” is the first single from a deluxe version of the album due out in 2024.

The song, written by an artist named Lee Bob Watson,” is a true reflection of my inner thoughts,” says Marks. "It gave me hope that as I move through the ever-changing world that we live in, all will be well and I will make it to the place of peace, strength, and happiness."   

The Fisk Jubilee Singers (“FJS”) are an American a cappella ensemble, founded at Nashville's historic Fisk University, that performs Negro spirituals originally sung by slaves prior to the Civil War.

The first group of Singers arranged the music and took it on the road beginning in 1871 introducing the public to a new genre that remains a vibrant musical tradition today. The group has received many accolades including induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, a Dove Award, a National Medal of Arts, and a GRAMMY Award.   

Marks stopped by WSM Radio on October 12th for a chat with Bill Cody and his team on “Coffee, Country, & Cody” to debut and discuss the song on air. Tonight, she and the FJS will appear on the Grand Ole Opry stage to perform the song live together for the first time.

After living what seems to be multiple lives over, Marks has finally come into the life she was born to live. Her life as a Black woman in country and roots music is only a small part of the story. She grew up traveling around in the family van to sing at various church conventions, but even with a show-stopping voice, it seemed singing was mostly just a hobby-not a career to pursue.

After graduating from Grambling State University, she'd planned on becoming a criminal defense attorney, but her law degree was put on hold after she married young and gave birth to ar son. After some encouragement from her husband, she began to sing again and released two country albums–Freeway Bound in 2005 and It Feels Good in 2007. She received great critical praise and was a regular participant at CMA Fest in Nashville, but the growth was stymied by industry gatekeepers.  

After over a decade-long hiatus, with no grand vision of success, Marks recorded a few songs with bandmates Justin Phipps and Steve Wyreman, a collection of songs that became Our Country, released on Phipps' small non-profit record label, Redtone Records. An EP of covers called Race Records soon followed, which shined a light on the arbitrary divisions forced upon artists and audiences in the early days of music marketing in the 1940s.   

Her unique sound deftly blends country, blues, southern rock, and even gospel to create a sound and experience that has literally brought every audience to its feet. This new sound, along with her warm and soulful spirit, catapulted her into a community of change. Feel Like Going Home is an amalgamation of where Marks has been and where she is going, what she has learned and what she wants to teach.

It's an innermost look at the ebb and flow of her past, present, and future - the stories she wants to tell but hasn't been able to speak into existence ever before. The messages are profound: healing, restoration and distinctly individual.  

Marks will finish out 2023 on tour with Little Feat, is set to perform at the Black Women's Roots Festival in Berkeley, CA on December 10th, and is set to perform at the Stagecoach Festival in April 2024. Be sure to follow Miko Marks at the links below for all the latest news and updates.

Photo: Karen Santos

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