Arkansas-born Roberta Martin was a composer, arranger, choral organizer, pianist, and singer who helped launch the careers of many others through her group, The Roberta Martin Singers. After moving to Chicago at the age of 17, she studied concert piano. Her group set the gospel choir standard and had a successful recording career. It was the first to consist of both male and female voices in a small-group format. Loved in the Africa-American community, her 1969 funeral in Chicago attracted more than 50,000 mourners.