Episode 95: Willie Mae Sharpe
Willie Mae Sharpe is a woman who has lived a big life — a life that has taken her to some of the most prestigious stages within the gospel and Christian broadcast worlds. Her improbable journey began in the shotgun house of her grandmother, the woman she was named after.
There, as a young girl, Willie Mae learned the quiet power of service — watching her grandmother offer food and shelter to people in need, people in transition, people trying to get their lives together. That spirit of care became the foundation for her own life’s work and the heart behind her ministry and business, Wiley House Bed & Breakfast in Humble, Texas.
Today, she brings her immense gifts of praise and worship as a soloist to Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, Texas — a church that has been at the center of the political, social, and spiritual life of Houston’s Black community for over 60 years. For many, Willie Mae’s voice has become the soundtrack of Wheeler’s evangelizing spirit.
In our conversation, she talks openly about how “God held on to her when it looked like she would never get it together.” How He pulled her back from the edge of suicide and through years of struggle before she finally found her way to what she calls “walking it out for real” in her relationship with Him.
“Even after I received the Holy Ghost, I didn’t have it all together. I didn’t have it all right. It was years of walking this thing out before I actually got it.”
Willie Mae’s story is one of survival, surrender, and the active power of grace — of what can happen when you fall in love with God, His Word, and His presence.
Below are links to some of Willie Mae’s incredible singing.
