She left her mark on both the Black Urban Gospel and White Southern Gospel and I don't think I've seen anything about her on here. The only extensive bio on her is from wiki but you can find more on her in google books...

Doris Mae Akers, the brilliant African-American composer, was born in Brookfield, Missouri on May 21, 1923, to Floyd and Pearl Akers. She had nine siblings; Edward, Floyd, Evelyn, Marian, Donald, Nellie, Bernice, Harley, and Charles. She was born into a very musical family; her father had a beautiful singing voice, her mother was a self-taught musician, and most of her siblings, too, were blessed with musical talent. The family moved to Kirksville, Missouri when she was five years old. Her stepfather John taught her to play 3 chords on the piano when she was about 8 years old. From then on, she could play virtually any song she wanted. Within 2 years, her teacher had passed on all piano-playing duties over to her. Her brother Donald played trumpet and she was quite fascinated by it. Picking it up, she tried to play it, but it didn't come as easy to her as the piano had. Later that night, as she slept, she dreamed she could play Bud Greene's "Once In A While", somehow playing the song with no difficulties. When she awoke, she picked up the trumpet and played the song straight through!

During the 1930s she formed a group with her siblings, Edward, Marian and Donald, who went by the name of "Dot and The Swingsters". They played the music of the 30s and 40s. "Doe"-as she was affectionately known by family and close friends-wrote her first song at the age of 10 called, "Keep The Fire Burning In Me"-the first of over 500 songs she would go on to write in her lifetime. In her teens, she dedicated her life and talents exclusively to the service of the Lord. She attended Lincoln High.

In 1945, at the age of 22, Doris moved to Los Angeles, where she encountered a thriving Gospel music scene. She would sometimes sing and play piano for the Sallie Martin Singers, and began her own group, the "Doris Akers Singers". In 1947, Doris published her first song with Martin & Morris, entitled "I Want A Double Portion Of God's Love". The following year, she teamed up with Dorothy Simmons and Hattie Hawkins-who at that time were both in the Sallie Martin Singers-and formed the Simmons-Akers Trio. With Doris' phenomenal compositions and piano skills, and Dorothy Simmons' mesmerizing soprano voice, they became nationally known, and traveled the country performing at many churches and venues. They also released many recordings on several labels: Score, Superb, Super, Songs of the Cross, Imperial Records, and RCA Victor; they even had a session with Art Rupe's label Specialty Records in February, 1951, in which they recorded several songs, "Canaan's Shore", "Tell Jesus All", and "Glory To His Name"(these were released on CD by Specialty in 1994). There was also another track, which was never released, "In The Name of Jesus", a song written by Mary Johnson Davis. Doris and Dorothy also launched their own music publishing company, "Simmons and Akers Music House", to distribute the many songs Doris had composed by this time. Among those that were published by "Simmons and Akers" were, "It Means A Lot to Know Jesus for Yourself", "He's Everywhere", "God Spoke to Me One Day", "I Never Knew Joy Before", "Jesus is The Name", "He's Alright with Me", "He Delivered Me", and "Lead Me, Guide Me".

In the mid-fifties, Doris began an association with Manna Music, founded by Tim Spencer of the Sons of the Pioneers. While planning a big musical at Wrigley Field, she learned that Tim Spencer (who was head of religious records at RCA at that time) would be recording that day. She went to the studio to invite him. He agreed, and while at the musical he heard Doris' choir singing, "God Is So Good To Me". He called her the next day to ask who had written that song; Doris related that it was hers and that she had published it with her Simmons-Akers Music House years back. Tim requested her to come to his house and bring all her music. By the time she was finished singing every one of her songs, Tim said, "I haven't heard one song I don't like-how would you like to record?" Not having much confidence in her vocal abilities, she replied, "But I don't sing." Nevertheless, just a couple days later Tim called and told her, "We are flying to New York on Tuesday and you are recording for RCA!" All of her songs from then on were published by Mr. Spencer's company. Much of her early music also, was reissued by Manna.

Early career

In early 1957, Doris recorded her first solo album called, "Sing Praises Unto The Lord" (RCA Victor 1481). The album featured many of her early compositions such as, "I Found Something", "Lead On (Lord Jesus)", and "Jesus Is The Name". She was backed by her group the Simmons Akers Gospel Singers; this was also the last recording the group made together. Dorothy Simmons continued to do solo work in Gospel music, often as a choir director, and eventually relocated to Colorado. She died in 1996, at the age of 86.


"Miss Gospel Music"

In 1958, Doris, along with her friend Mahalia Jackson, co-wrote the song, "Lord, Don't Move the Mountain", which sold over a million records.

That same year, Doris' prominence grew tremendously when she founded and became director of the Sky Pilot Choir, becoming one of the first artists to help bridge the barrier between black and white Gospel. The Sky Pilot Choir was extremely popular, and people would travel long distances just to hear them perform. They were also featured on many recordings, television shows, and radio broadcasts across the country. They released three albums with Doris, "The Sky Pilot Choir", "The Sky Pilot Choir Vol. 2" (with the Sutton Sisters), and "Doris Akers Sings with The Sky Pilot Choir". She ended her collaboration with the Sky Pilot Choir in 1965, but they reunited again in 1974 to record their fourth effort, "Doris Akers and the Original Members of the Sky Pilot Choir".

Doris continued recording for RCA Victor into the mid-sixties, cutting such albums as "Forever Faithful" (1963), a collaboration with The Statesmen Quartet entitled, "Sing for You" in 1964, and "Highway to Heaven". As well as consistently releasing records on a variety of labels, she also traveled all across the country "conducting choir conferences and workshops, sharing her technical knowledge and organizing ability".

After having lived in Los Angeles since the mid-forties, she moved to Columbus, Ohio in 1970. She continued recording, composing and traveling. Her final album, "The Artistry of Doris Akers", was released in 1979.


Legacy and Honors

She received many awards including back-to-back "Gospel Music Composer of the Year" in both 1960 and 1961. Doris Akers Day was held in Kirksville, MO in 1976, approximately 20,000 attended the evening concert. In 1992, she was honored by the Smithsonian Institution as "the foremost black gospel songwriter in the United States." She was posthumously inducted to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Her songs appear in the hymnals of many denominations and have been sung by countless people in churches around the world; standards such as, "Sweet, Sweet Spirit", "Lead Me, Guide Me", "You Can't Beat God Giving", "Grow Closer","I Cannot Fail The Lord", "He Delivered Me", "God Is So Good" and "My Expectation".

Her compositions have been recorded by many Gospel and secular artists, including Mahalia Jackson, The Statesmen, The Caravans, Willie Mae Ford Smith, Clara Ward, Sallie Martin Singers, Brother Joe May, Bill Gaither, Ernie Haase, George Beverly Shea, Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty and many others.