Who was the first sg soloist to record and travel on a full time basis?

my guess is the late Jimmie Davis??   ..( help us on this one you SGM Experts..OK?)

Jimmie Davis sang both gospel and country (remember “You Are My Sunshine”?). If you want the first strictly-gospel soloist, actually I think it was Little Steve Sanders, who started singing in the early 60’s. In fact, there is footage I have of him on the Ed Sullivan show singing with his father at the age of 8, I believe. I guess he would qualify as one of the earliest, if not the first full-time gospel soloist....

You are prolly right, I just recall hearing the J. Davis, is younger years AND have always liked “You Are My Sunshine “ too!!  Maybe some of our ‘experts’   on SGM can remember the very ‘first’ soloist?