Donnie McClurkin
| Donnie McClurkin | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Donald Andrew McClurkin, Jr. |
| Born | November 9, 1959 |
| Origin | Copiague, New York, U.S. |
| Genres |
Gospel, Contemporary Christian, Inspirational/Worship, Hymns |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Website | www.DonnieMcClurkin.com |
Donald Andrew "Donnie" McClurkin, Jr. (born November 9, 1959) is an American gospel singer and minister. He has won three Grammy awards, ten Stellar awards, two BET awards, two Soul Train awards, one Dove award and one NAACP Image award. He is one of the top selling Gospel music artists, selling over 10 million albums worldwide.
McClurkin was born in South Carolina and raised in Amityville, on Long Island. When he was eight years old, his two-year-old brother was hit and killed by a speeding driver. Soon after the loss, McClurkin experienced family turmoil due to the loss of his brother and shortly there after he was a victim of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of his great uncle, and years after that by his great uncle's son. Two of his sisters dealt with substance abuse problems, and that's when the young McClurkin found solace in his going to a church; and, also through an aunt of his who sang background vocals with gospel music musician, Andraé Crouch. By the time that he was a teenager, he had formed the McClurkin Singers, and later he formed another group, the New York Restoration Choir.
He was hired, as an associate minister, at Marvin Winans' Perfecting Church in Detroit, in 1989. McClurkin served as an assistant to Winans for over a decade.
In 1991, a sharp pain and swelling, followed by internal bleeding led, he says, to his being diagnosed as having leukemia. The doctor suggested immediate treatment, but McClurkin, who was then 31, decided to take his own advice. "I tell people to believe that God will save you," he says, "[and] I had to turn around and practice the very thing that I preached."
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