Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams was born on the 13th October 1938, in Durham, North Carolina USA, and is best known for being a Gospel musician – singer and songwriter – the “First Lady of Gospel Music”, who has won 11 Grammy Awards. Beside that, Shirley is an actress as well. Her career has been active since 1951.
So, have you ever wondered how rich Shirley Caesar is, as of early 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the total sum of Shirley’s net worth is currently over $16 million. The main source of this amount of money is not only her successful career as a musician, but also as a pastor. Additional to these, she has appeared in several commercials for MCI Communications as well as in several films, which have also added a lot to her net worth.
Shirley Caesar Net Worth $16 Million
Shirley Caesar was brought up by parents in her hometown of Durham. Her father James was a tobacco worker and the lead singer in the Just Came Four, a gospel quartet, thus, under the influence of her father, Shirley started singing gospel music at the age of 10. Two years after, although her father passed away, Shirley continued to sing with evangelist LeRoy Johnson. Parallel with that, she attended high school, and later Shaw University, from which she graduated with a BA degree in Business Administration in 1984. Then, she earned doctorates from Southeastern University and Shaw University, too.
Shirley’s professional career began in the 1950s at the age of 12, when she recorded her first song entitled “I’d Rather Have Jesus”. Later in 1958, when she was 18 years old, she joined the Caravans, a popular gospel group,.firstly approachingAlbertina Walker, who was impressed by Shirley’s talents, and soon brought her into the group, and she stayed with them until 1966.
After eight years of touring and recording with the group, Shirley left to pursue a solo career. In no time, she released two albums, with help from the Institutional Radio Choir, “My Testimony”, and the second one “I’ll Go”. Ever since then her career has gone only upwards, and so has her net worth. So far she has released 20 studio albums, including “Jesus, I Love Calling Your Name” (1983), “Just A Word” (1996), “You Can Make It” (2000), “Hymns” (2001), “Still Sweeping Through The City After 40 Years” (2008), “A City Called Heaven” (2009), and “Good God” (2013). Most recently she has released a single “It’s Alright It’s Okay” (2016), which has also increased her net worth.
Over the course of her career, she has collaborated and performed with several other notable musicians, such as Whitney Houston, Patty LaBelle, Dorothy Norwood, and Kim Burrell, among others. Thanks to her successful career, Shirley has received numerous prestigious awards, and recognitions, including 18 Dove Awards, 11 Grammy Awards, and 14 Stellar Awards. Furthermore, she won the SEAC Lifetime Achievement Award, NAACP Achievement Award, and she was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2010, and also inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Shirley’s net worth has benefited also from her acting talents, as she has appeared in such productions as “The Unseen” (2005), and “The Parkers” (2003), among others. Other than that, she has also performed in gospel musicals on Broadway, including “Mama I Want To Sing”, “Sing: Mama 2”, and “Born To Sing: Mama 3”.
If to talk about her personal life, Shirley Caesar was married to Bishop Harold I. Williams from 1983 to 2004, when he passed away. Her current residence is in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she is also recognized as a Pastor of Mount Calvary Word of Faith Church.
