Clark Sisters
| The Clark Sisters | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Dynamic Clark Sisters (1980) |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres |
Gospel Urban contemporary gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Singers |
| Instruments | Vocals, organ, piano, drums |
| Years active | Late 1966–present |
| Labels | Billmo, Sound Of Gospel, Westbound/Elektra, Rejoice/Word, Sparrow, EMI Gospel |
| Associated acts | Mattie Moss Clark, Kierra "Kiki" Sheard, J Moss |
| Website | www |
| Members |
Jacky Clark Chisholm (1966–present) Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark-Terrell (1966–1990, 1996–present) Dorinda Clark-Cole (1970–present) Karen Clark Sheard (1970–present) |
| Past members | Denise Clark Bradford (1966–1986, 2016) |
The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group consisting of five sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm (b. 1948), Denise Clark Bradford (b. 1953), Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark-Terrell (b. 1954), Dorinda Clark-Cole (b. 1957), and Karen Clark Sheard (b. 1960). The Clark Sisters are the daughters of gospel musician and choral director Mattie Moss Clark. They are credited for helping to bring gospel music to the mainstream and are considered as pioneers of contemporary gospel. Their biggest crossover hits include: "Is My Living in Vain?", "Hallelujah", "He Gave Me Nothing to Lose", "Endow Me", their hit song "Jesus Is A Love Song", "Pure Gold", "Expect a Miracle", and their largest mainstream crossover gold certified, "You Brought the Sunshine". The Clark Sisters have won threeGrammy Awards. With 16 albums to their credit and millions in sales, the Clark Sisters are the highest-selling female gospel group in history.
The Clark Sisters were honored at the 2016 Essence Music Festival. During their speech Karen said that all five sisters (including Denise) will reunite and sing together again.
The Clark Sisters were born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. They each began singing at an early age, and by the late 1960s they were all performing together in church services, usually singing songs written and arranged by their mother. A few years later, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark turned over control of the group to Twinkie, who would then go on to write, arrange, conduct, and produce all of the Clark Sisters' recordings. In 1973, the sisters recorded their first album, Jesus Has A Lot To Give, on their uncle's local label Billesse Records.
The following year, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark Presents The Clark Sisters was released and people around Detroit began to take notice of the group. The Clark Sisters signed to Sound of Gospel Records in 1974. Under this association, the group released albums such as Unworthy, Count It All Joy, and He Gave Me Nothing to Lose. It was not until the early 1980s that The Clark Sisters began to become more widely known. Their popularity soared with the release of the live recording Is My Living In Vain. The first live recording by The Clark Sisters spent an entire year at number one on Billboard's Gospel Music chart. Opening with the bluesy title track, each sister vocally declares that their dedication to Christ is not a useless effort. The innovative "Hi ya" was funky enough to find its way into a Tonex produced track over two decades later. Karen Clark's lead on "Speak Lord" expresses deep faith while the call to worship is raised on "Now Is The Time". Another hit from this release, "Expect Your Miracle", is still a staple in black churches across the country.
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Wikipedia