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Personalities: Gloria Mackoy, a Gospel Country Heart

Gloria Mackoy

Gloria Mackoy, a country gospel singer and songwriter and former De Smet resident, visited Chuck Anderson in-studio during August of 1993. South Dakotans know Mackoy for her work in De Smet's "Little House on the Prairie" pageant, performances at the state fair and elsewhere. Mackoy and Anderson talked about her musical career and featured several songs from her first album, "From My Heart".

To begin the interview, Mackoy explained how she initially fell into music during her elementary and high school years, despite an inability to read music.

Credit Gloria Mackoy

The conversation quickly turned to Mackoy’s first recording experience in Omaha, Nebraska. Prior to this, Mackoy had spent her career only performing live at small venues.

FirstRecordOmaha.mp3
Mackoy tells the story of her first recording experience in Omaha, Nebraska.

While a seasoned, live performer, even Mackoy was subject to forgetting the occasional song lyric. Anderson compared her to the famous Bing Crosby and his premire NBC Live performance

Forgottenwords.mp3
Mackoy recalls when she forgot her own song lyrics at the South Dakota State Fair.

While Mackoy grew up in Barnard, Missouri, she traveled across the country to follow her husband’s career in education. She now lives in lives in Topeka, Kansas, but she truly enjoyed her time spent in De Smet, South Dakota.

Credit Homeschool in the Hills

DeSmet.mp3
Mackoy tells of how she loves to live in the Midwest.

Anderson and Mackoy spent much of their time listening to different songs from Mackoy’s album, including the song “Jesus and Me," written with her friend Bonnie Norbury.

JesusAndMe.mp3
Mackoy explains how she originally wrote the song "Jesus and Me".

JesusAndMeSong.mp3
"Jesus and Me" by Gloria Mackoy

Credit Gloria Mackoy

To end their time together, Mackoy requested that Anderson play one of her favorite tracks titled “I’d Leave Here in a Heartbeat”.

IdLeaveHereInAHeartbeat.mp3
Mackoy explains how she originally wrote the song "I'd Leave Here in a Heartbeat".

HeartBeatSong.mp3
"I'd Leave Here in a Heartbeat" by Gloria Mackoy.

Credit Gloria Mackoy

Mackoy now lives in Topeka, Kansas with her new husband and long-time friend Roger Lucas. She has four grown children--Amanda, Phillip, Daniel, and Katie--and one granddaughter. While retired from singing largely due to peripheral neuropathy in her extremities, Mackoy has kept busy sewing, writing children's books, poems, and songs.

For Chuck Anderson's full conversation with Gloria Mackoy, listen here.

GloriaMcKoyFull.mp3
Mackoy's full interview with Chuck Anderson