Donnie McClurkin opens up about his father

Donnie McClurkin

When GMF spoke with Pastor Donnie McClurkin recently, we asked him to talk to us about his father or father figure as well as the impact his/their presence has made on the ministry.

“Well, there are two,” he concedes.  “There’s a father and a father figure.  My bald-headed, pot-bellied daddy…he is my hero and my friend.”  Donnie’s playfulness makes apparent the close bond that now exists between he and his dad, Donald McClurkin, Sr.  “He is my roommate.  He lives in my house with me–and I emphasize my house.  No matter what he says, it’s not his!”

Pensively, McClurkin, father of two himself, continues, “I didn’t understand him growing up.  He wasn’t the best of fathers, but none of us are [and] I’m finding out as a father.  He made many mistakes, but all of us fathers do, and I’m finding that out as a father too.”  It is quite clear, however, that he holds the elder McClurkin in high regard.

“Now in my older age, my 77 year-old daddy lives in my house and we–in 10 years–have never had an argument…because I respect my dad, and I would never speak ill to him,” McClurkin asserts.  “I would never raise my voice to him….My dad is my heart,” he confesses, on the verge of tears.

“Now my father figure was a man by the name of David Winans.”  The Winans to whom he refers was the patriarch of the Winans gospel music dynasty, fondly known to most as Pop.

“Now everything spiritual that I needed to know?  I got that from him.  Pop Winans was my example of a holy man who loved his family: loved his wife more than his children, loved his children more than life, and loved God more than all of them.”

Recap: An Evening with Brother Joseph "JoJo" Wallace & Friends

By Libra Boyd

Last weekend, a grinning and grateful Brother Joseph “JoJo” Wallace and his family filled the first rows of Durham’s Union Baptist Church.  The occasion was the celebration of his 65 years of ministry with one of the baddest quartets of gospel’s Golden Era, the Sensational Nightingales.  The year he joined as tenor and lead guitarist, 1946, predates the birthdates of most of the people who came to pay homage.

The appreciation musical was delightful.  The ambiance was replete with soft lighting and numerous tributes as family and group photos of Brother JoJo displayed on the projection screen.  Amid the dimly lit sanctuary, Brother JoJo was still quite visible at various times either waving his hand, smiling broadly, applauding joyously or listening attentively.
 
The only disappointments of the evening were the mediocre turnout and the noticeable absence of some well-known nearby gospel music industry comrades (save Reuben and Ruth Cooper, original members of the Triangle area’s legendary Cooper Four, a traditional group who has sung to folks in Radioland live every Sunday since 1952) for whom Brother JoJo was a way-paver.
 
His name is in gospel music books and encyclopedias, etched in the American Gospel Quartet Hall of Fame, and listed among nominees for the coveted Grammy Award.  Brother JoJo would never tell you of these accolades himself, though; maybe this is why some are unaware of his international acclaim.  In fact, the mention of the word “legend” causes him to clasp his jaw-dropped face and announce, “Aw! You’re making me blush!”  He’s just a blessed, spry 84 year-old servant of the Most High, he insists, who has been graced with the health and strength to travel across the country and overseas, ministering to the masses in song.
 
Brother JoJo’s unassuming disposition was spoken of by several who offered tributes during the musical, including former journalists Billy Warden and his wife Lucy Inman.  The celebration also included musical salutes by Carolyn Satterfield, Tony & the Magnificent Voices, Rufus Poole & the Stars of Faith, 12 year-old Kaleb Robinson, John Thorpe, who sang, fittingly, “It’s Your Time,” and New Hope Person Male Chorus with Libra Nicole Boyd, who traveled back in time to 1955 with the Gales’ tune “Somewhere to Lay My Head.” 
 
The most melodic sounds of the celebration came from The Hillian Sisters, a pre-Golden Era sounding trio whose harmonies, minus the soaring vocals, were as sweet as Chicago’s Barrett Sisters.  Darrell Luster (pictured at right), Gales’ former lead singer, took to the platform to sing two selections and to read a tribute from Malaco Records.  The Malaco family praised Brother JoJo for “[being] a rock for us during troubling times.”  Congratulatory letters were also received from President and First Lady Obama, Governor Bev Perdue, and Mayor Bill Bell.
 
The honoree along with the Sensational Nightingales—Horace “Sug” Thompson, Larry Moore, and guest singer and former member Ricky Luster—also treated the audience to two numbers.  Hardly able to contain himself, an overwhelmed Brother JoJo began right away: “You all just don’t know how excited I am.  God be praised!  All honor and all glory belongs to God….My heart is rejoicing.  I want to say to the saints of God, keep your hands in God’s hand, and don’t give up.  Listen carefully.”  Straightway, he strummed opening chords on his guitar, awaiting Luster’s mellow interpretation of  “Don’t Give Up.”  From there, the audience rose to its feet on the brisk-paced “Rapture,” with Thompson and Brother JoJo taking turns with the lead vocals.  The first verse, “some sweet day,” ended with a signature gesture: Brother JoJo swinging his guitar into the heavens.
 
At the close of the evening, the guest of honor trotted to the platform, either shaking hands or hugging everyone on his route, to give remarks.
 
“Thank you, Lord Jesus,” he said toward the sky, his tall, slender frame leaning into the mic.  Then to his guests, he added, “You have given me flowers that I can see today.  I have been on this journey for a long time, and I’m not ready to stop now.”


Top photo: GMF’s Libra Boyd congratulates Brother JoJo.

Second photo: Darrell Luster sings “Every Promise in the Book is Mine.”
Third photo: The Gales render “Don’t Give Up” for the audience.

Lucy Inman talks about compiling a press kit for the Nightingales that caught the attention of then-newspaper reporter Billy Warden (right), led to a front page feature on Brother JoJo, and resulted in Inman and Warden’s courtship and marriage.

The Hillian Sisters perform “All of These Years.”

John Thorpe serenades Brother JoJo with Luther Barnes’ “It’s Your Time.”

Seated at the keyboard, Libra Nicole Boyd cues in lead singer Bernard Thorpe and New Hope Person Male Chorus on the Gales’ 1955 hit “Somewhere to Lay My Head.”

Larry Moore, Ricky Luster, and members of Tony & The Magnificent Voices enjoy a musical tribute.

Program participants Dr. Tonya Armstrong, Dr. W.E. Daye, Pastor Thomas Bannister, III, Dr. Johnny Branch, and Rev. David Bell look on as Brother JoJo is feted.

 

-->Twelve year-old Kaleb Robinson meets Brother JoJo--a dream come true.  Kaleb sang "Face to Face" earlier in the evening.  This is not just some kid who gets props for being young and cute; the boy can sing.  Kaleb brought the house to its feet.  I told him afterwards that I refuse to wait: I want his autograph now.  Trust me when I tell you that "Kaleb Robinson" is a name you want to keep in mind. All photos by Libra Boyd

 

Sizzlin’ This Week (6/13/11) – “Trouble Will Be Over”

“Trouble Will Be Over”
Blest By Four
From the CD, Just Like Fire (2010)
www.mcgrecords.com

They started singing as toddlers.  No one is likely to dispute that, especially once hearing Blest By Four’s close harmonies on the punchy, mid-tempo horn-laden quartet track, “Trouble Will Be Over.”  It’s pretty obvious they’ve sung together enough to present a seemingly effortless blend in their live performances.

Marry the lyrical theme of Luther Barnes and the Sunset Jubilaires’ “When I Get Home” (from the Oh My Lord album) with the overall musical architecture of Williams Brothers’ tunes and the offspring is “Trouble Will Be Over.”

Sizzlin’ This Week (6/6/11) – “God Made Me”

“God Made Me”
Mississippi Mass Choir
From the CD, Then Sings My Soul (2011)
http://www.mississippimass.com

When Mississippi Mass Choir’s current project was released earlier this year, “God Made Me” was one song in particular that came with an abundance of encouragement.

Penned by Jules Bartholomew (“Calling My Name,” “Faithful is Our God,” “God Favors Me”) and led by Benjamin “Benjie” Cone, III in the reminiscent spoken-word fashion of his father, the number is filled with personal affirmations: “I’m a conqueror, I am victorious, I won’t be stopped–I won’t be stopped!  I’m a believer, I’m an achiever, I won’t be blocked–I won’t be blocked!”

Already enjoying a nice ride on radio waves and gospel charts, you can expect church music departments all over the country to add “God Made Me” to their repertoire of inspirational choir music.

"Spiritual" – Donald Lawrence & Company

“Spiritual”
Donald Lawrence & Company
From the upcoming CD, Your Righteous Mind (Available Aug 9, 2011)
Available on iTunes

Donald Lawrence’s songs are often lifted right from the Scriptures, reminding you that the Bible is as timely as it is timeless.  Such is the matter of “Spiritual” from his forthcoming Your Righteous Mind album.

Blanche McAllister-Dykes (whom you know from Lawrence’s Tri-City Singers) delivers this number’s rich lead vocal atop a soul-infused music and choir arrangement, before Lawrence shouts out the band in the brassy musical interlude.  Die-hard Clark Sisters fans will recognize that the song’s climactic vamp makes its ascent sampling the sisters’ early 1980’s tune, “Walking in the Spirit.”

“Spiritual” is the second single from Your Righteous Mind.  The first single, which is the album’s title song and features Dorinda Clark-Cole, has been making waves since its radio debut.

Lawrence recently announced that the full-length project will drop August 9th.

McClurkin headlines McDonald’s Gospelfest, talks about competitiveness in gospel music

By Libra Boyd

Shaundria Williams contributed to this feature

This is the second of a two-part feature with pastor and singer Donnie McClurkin.
 
Donnie McClurkin
“If you take a drive through any community, you will see the golden arches,” speaks Donnie McClurkin of the most recognized fast food chain in the world, “and if you drive through any community, you will see the entity of McDonald’s…has been wise enough to discern that the real pulse of the community is the church.”
 
McDonald’s Gospelfest returns to the New York Tri-State area on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.  The auditions are complete and competitors are preparing to share the stage with some of the biggest names in Gospel including Kirk Franklin, Bishop Hezekiah Walker, James Fortune & FIYA, Bobby Jones, Bishop T.D. Jakes, and the one and only Donnie McClurkin.
 
The competition, originated in 1983, showcases talent in several categories ranging from soloists and choirs to dance, step, groups, instrumentalists and gospel rappers. 

McClurkin is headlining this particular talent competition, and he will soon be seen in the judge’s chair on another.  McClurkin, who has signed onto BET’s Sunday Best again this season, recently talked with GMF about the McDonald’s Gospelfest, competition in gospel music, and some of his favorite new artists.

GMF:  Please explain the appropriateness of competition in the body of Christ.
 
McClurkin:  I don’t see it as competition.  I see it as iron sharpening iron.  I don’t see it as us competing; I see it as me being able to draw from you or critique you.  If you’re doing something right, I want to learn from it; if you’re doing something wrong, I gotta critique it and I gotta tell ya, “Hey, hey, that’s not gonna work.”  Even with Sunday Best, we’re sitting there…a thousand people come past us in every city, and [we’re] sitting there going, “Next!  Oh my God, no–don’t ever sing again!  Please, don’t ever–”  It’s all in fun, but it’s also to make sure people stay in their lane and in their place. So from that level, there’s no competition.  
On the level of myself…Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin, CeCe Winans, Kim Burrell…there’s no competition.  Donald Lawrence–no competition.  We sharpen each other, and we sit back and wait to see who’s coming out with what CD…and it inspires us to go in and do more.  So that keeps the fresh move in the gospel industry, musically.  It keeps us on our toes and it makes sure that we get the best of quality, because we don’t compete, we compel and we push one another to do better.
 
GMF:  Along the lines of iron sharpening iron, who are some of your favorite up and coming artists?
 
McClurkin:   There’s a girl named Preashea Hilliard; she’s got a great CD!  “Fresh Fire” is one of the greatest songs.  Then you’ve got Forever Jones–the whole family–mother, father and kids.  They’ve got a great song out called “He Wants It All.”  There are some great artists coming up that you have never even heard of like Brittney Wright, people like Maurice Griffin, and even Duward Davis, and the list goes on…LeAndria Johnson…they are the new guys coming up and it’s our job to make space for them….Kirk Franklin is pushing Isaac Caree, and I’m taking Andrea Mellini and pushing her.  So, all of us are taking artists and pushing them; Donald Lawrence took DeWayne Woods and Sheri Jones-Moffett.  We’re bringing up these new artists, putting them out in the foreground, so that we can disappear one day.
 
GMF:   The Gospelfest takes place Father’s Day weekend.  Talk to us about your father or father figure and the impact he has had on your ministry.
 
McClurkin:  Well, there are two. (Read McClurkin’s complete response Father’s Day weekend right here on GMF, where he’ll talk openly about his biological father.)
 
GMF:  Beyond the gentlemen that are featured in the Gospelfest, will there be community leaders that will be honored as men of valor?
 
McClurkin:  Possibly.  We always do something for people who’ve passed away like Walter Hawkins and Albertina Walker; so some people will be honored.
_______________________________
 
Tickets for McDonald’s Gospelfest can be purchased at the Prudential Center Box Office or through Ticketmaster by calling 800.745.3000, or at www.ticketmaster.com. For further information, please call the McDonald’s Gospelfest Hotline at 866.898.7772.
 

Sizzlin’ This Week (5/30/11) – “Judgement”

“Judgement”
Witness
From the CD, 4 Righteousness Sake – The Process (2010)
Available on iTunes

Secular-turned-gospel rapper Darnell Deshaun Woods, also known as Witness, is fulfilling his purpose.  Rap, which his pastor says stands for “reaching all people,” is his forte.

The proof is in the pudding.  In this case, the pudding is “Judgement,” through which Witness flows over layers of electric piano, wah-wah effects, finger snaps, and luscious background vocals.  Of course, all of this is after the startling intro of shrieks, sirens, and shots followed by his plea: “Father, help me get it right before You return.  I don’t want to hear you say those words, ‘Depart from me, I know you not.'”

“Judgement” is a personal and soulful track brought to us by a talented and reflective witness.

Donnie McClurkin talks church, fame, and relationships

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
Shaundria Williams contributed to this feature

Donnie McClurkinThis is the first of a two-part feature with pastor and singer Donnie McClurkin.

Donnie McClurkin is a giant in gospel music.  From his early days of recording with New York Restoration Choir to his solo albums that have achieved gold and platinum status, the singer/songwriter/musician is among the most gifted male vocalists of our time.  Yet, while McClurkin’s singing virtuosity is unmatched and draws audiences of thousands, the multiple Grammy winner spends more time these days discussing another calling that is dear to his heart: being a pastor.
 
For ten years, Donnie McClurkin has also been known as Pastor McClurkin, shepherd of the flock of Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, NY.  It is a calling that he fully embraces, and he recently spoke with us about a vision to which he is wholeheartedly devoted.  McClurkin’s music reaches across cultures, denominations, and generations; he envisions the same impact for his church and churches across the globe as well.
 
“What I see the Lord doing is tear[ing] down all of these divisive walls–tear[ing] down the walls of culture and race, tear[ing] down the walls of denomination, tear[ing] down all of these walls and teach[ing] us how to function with one another…that’s what I see God doing in the ministry he’s given me and the ministry of a few others,” McClurkin explains.  “There’s no victory, there’s no power, there’s no real accomplishment in the division,” he continues.  “Jesus said the house that’s divided against itself cannot stand–so why did we turn around and start dividing the house?”
 
The pastor’s passion for unity over traditionalism, oneness over denominationalism, is glaring.
 
“With denominations…we have made [the church as a whole] everything that God said He did not want it to be,” he asserts.  McClurkin is confident that when churches align with the purposes of God, they will experience unity that will cause the gospel to be preached freely with its effects far reaching.
 
“[God] never ordained the gospel to be preached in the church,” he declares.  “He ordained the gospel to be preached in all the world, on the streets where the people are.”
 
If McClurkin comes across emphatically, it’s because he is all about the people.  Everyday people.  Commoners.  Persons from every walk of life and upbringing.  He himself carefully avoids the trappings of fame in order to be an effective servant among the people that he leads.  This down-to-earthiness, he believes, allows him to strengthen relationships with his members, all the while pointing them to Jesus rather than himself.
 
“My church doesn’t see me as ‘Donnie McClurkin’; they see me as Pastor.  My church doesn’t really hear me in concert because I do very few concerts in New York [where the church is].”  McClurkin recalls the time one of his young members became aware of his renown.  “One of the 17 year-olds came to me two years ago…and he said, ‘Dog, Pastor, I didn’t know you rolled like that!’ And that’s the key–that I make sure that I am not an icon to them, [but that] I’m a servant to them.”
 
McClurkin has often spoken of leaving the music industry.  The tone in which he speaks on the subject even nowadays enigmatically suggests that a superb vocalist, with both gospel and mainstream success, is a misfit for the business and ready to bow out.  When McClurkin considers the next ten years for instance, he remarks, “I see me being iconically spoken about and never found musically, because I’ve hung up my musical ‘cape.'”  Accordingly, McClurkin looks forward to devoting himself entirely to his pastoral duties and to developing ministries across the country.  Not finished with his thoughts on being iconic, he grapples with the notion again, this time further emphasizing his need to relate to people from all walks of life.
 
“In the music world people serve you–it’s about visibility,” he expounds.  “How many people have your CD, how many awards do you win, how many platforms of great renown can you stand on, how global is your ministry, how commercial is your appeal.”  Then he elaborates on his personal convictions.
 
“See, I’ve never been iconic. I don’t like the hoopla; so I travel without an entourage.  I don’t believe in all this security stuff; I don’t like the stuff….I like to sit behind the scenes, and I like to serve.”  Sensing that he still hasn’t qualified his aversion to fame, McClurkin opens up even more about his disinterest in the fortune, glitz, and bling that so frequently accompany celebrity status.
 
“I don’t receive a salary from my church–never have in ten years, not a red Abraham Lincoln penny.  I don’t have a car–forget about driving a luxury car–I don’t even have a car.  I don’t live in a gated community; I live in the ‘hood in Lakeview, where people throw beer cans over in my yard!  ‘Why Donnie?’ Because that’s where the people live, and if I’m a servant, I’ve got to live where the people are.  I can’t drive around in a Bentley and see people taking the bus to church….It may be lawful, but it’s not expedient to me,” he says flatly with a biblical reference to 1 Corinthians 10:23.
 
Dog, Pastor, we didn’t know you rolled like that!  This is McClurkin’s point precisely.
 
“As a minister, you can’t serve me; I gotta serve you!”  In pastoring, he says, “It’s gotta be ‘how low can you go and how high can you lift somebody else?'”
 
 

Next week, Donnie McClurkin talks to GMF about McDonald’s GospelFest and what he really thinks about competition in gospel music.

Sizzlin’ This Week (5/23/11) – “I Hear the Sound”

“I Hear the Sound”
Maurette Brown Clark
From the upcoming CD, The Sound of Victory (Summer 2011)
www.maurettebrownclark.com

Maurette Brown Clark’s new single, “I Hear the Sound” has been heating up radio and is now available on iTunes.

The energetic praise song is from her soon-to-come fourth project entitled The Sound of Victory, which was recorded live in Norfolk, VA on AIR Gospel/Malaco and features a DVD component.

Encouraging lyrics and a contagious melody make “I Hear the Sound” the perfect soundtrack for your victory party.

“Back To You” – Dorinda Clark-Cole

“Back To You”
Dorinda Clark-Cole
From the upcoming CD to be released late summer 2011
www.dorindaclarkcole.net

This is not your mama’s Dorinda Clark-Cole.

You–and your mama–have come to know her as the jazzy, churchy one.  Her new single “Back To You” is fresh and her riffs are indeed jazzy; but this track is definitely not churchy.  Nevertheless, such a departure from the Clark-Cole blueprint demonstrates what fans have known all along: this sister can sing anything, and rest assured it will be packed with punch, passion, and power.

Vocally, the legendary Clark sister skillfully sprinkles in some R&B flavor while remaining true to her signature stylings.  It’s obvious that “Back To You” is intentionally urban and deliberately Dorinda.

Generations of Clark-Cole fans should truly expect the forthcoming full-length project to have a little something on it for everybody–and their mama.