Lena McLin

(née Johnson; September 5, 1928 - died October 3, 2023, aged 95) was the niece of Thomas A. Dorsey, known as the father of Gospel. She moved to Chicago to live with Dorsey when she was a young girl, being immersed in a world of music that would impact her life for nearly a century to come. She went on to receive her Bachelor's degree at the historic Spelman College. McLin would also go on to receive honorary doctorate degrees in Humanities from Spelman and Virginia Union University. McLin has composed and arranged dozens of musical pieces, from classical to gospel works of art, garnering her notoriety not just in the states, but globally. In 1981, Lena founded Holy Vessel Baptist Church in Hyde Park, becoming an ordained minister, and the head pastor, while also serving as the minister of music. Famously known as the "the woman who launched a thousand careers," McLin has worked with some of the biggest celebrities in the music industry, including Chaka Khan, Tony Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin, Jennifer Hudson, and R. Kelly, to name a few.