gospel singer; composer
Personal Information
Born in 1961 in Amityville, NY. Religion: Assemblies of God.
Religion: Assemblies of God.
Career
Gospel vocalist. Formed group with sisters, the McClurkin Singers, late 1970s; formed and directed New York Restoration Choir, late 1970s; recorded with group for Savoy/Malaco label; attended gospel-music seminar given by Rev. Marvin Winans, 1983; became associate minister at Winans's Perfecting Church, Detroit, MI, 1989; suffered from leukemia; led choirs in performances at White House twice; recorded debut album Donnie McClurkin, 1996; recorded The McClurkin Project with sisters, 1999; recorded Live in London & More, 2000.
Life's Work
One of gospel music's rising stars and most respected figures, Donnie McClurkin has devoted his musical life to gospel's original mission of providing help and hope to people in need. Forging a gospel style that is traditional in orientation but spiced with modern touches from such musical influences as Andrae Crouch and Take 6, McClurkin enjoyed strong sales with his 1996 debut album, Donnie McClurkin, and seemed poised for even wider success with the release of several new projects in the year 2000. Beyond his success in the musical arena, however, McClurkin has maintained an active career as a minister, remaining in direct contact with the audience to which he directs his music.
McClurkin was born in 1961, and raised in Amityville, New York, on Long Island outside of New York City. Both of McClurkin's parents were substance abusers, and his childhood was a difficult one, plagued by violence and abuse. Often trying to act as a peacemaker between his warring parents, he found a haven in his family church, the Gospel Tabernacle Assemblies of God, and made a commitment to the Christian religion when he was only nine years old. "The only way my mother could punish me was saying I couldn't go to church," McClurkin later recalled in a Detroit Free Press interview.
Mentored by Andrae Crouch
McClurkin's real spiritual awakening, however, came two years later when he encountered one of the great gospel singers of the modern era, Andrae Crouch. McClurkin's aunt, a backup singer for Crouch, had arranged a performance by Crouch at McClurkin's church. Crouch took an interest in the troubled youngster, encouraging him not only musically (McClurkin soon became a pianist with the church's youth choir) but also personally, corresponding with him and suggesting Scripture readings that might bring him comfort.
For McClurkin, the experience cemented a link in his mind between music and a more general effort to reach out to the afflicted. "Andrae fostered ministry, rather than fame," McClurkin explained to the online magazine crosswalk.com. "It was more ministry to him than anything else, not some glamorous career." McClurkin began to sing as a teenager, and with his four vocally talented sisters formed a group called the McClurkin Singers. As his vocal and compositional talents grew, however, McClurkin aimed not at the gospel spotlight, but at a different kind of ideal.
Forming a gospel ensemble called the New York Restoration Choir, McClurkin led the group in performances where gospel music could have a direct impact. The group appeared in prisons and sang on the street. The group recorded for the roots-oriented Savoy/Malaco labels. After telling members of the choir of a divinely inspired premonition that he would one day work with Detroit's renowned minister and gospel-singer Rev. Marvin Winans, McClurkin attended a seminar given by Winans in 1983. Winans likewise sensed a connection. "I don't even know what your name is," he told McClurkin in recollections quoted in crosswalk.com. "I have nothing to offer you, but somehow we're going to work together." The prophecy took a while to come true. However, in 1989, McClurkin relocated to Detroit to join the staff of Winans's 2,000-member Perfecting Church as an associate minister.
Diagnosed with Leukemia
Nestled in the bosom of gospel music's foremost family, McClurkin seemed headed for a bright future as a performer. "I've been trained real well--having the Winans family at your disposal does that," McClurkin told the Detroit Free Press. Early in his career in Detroit, however, McClurkin was diagnosed with leukemia. The disease went into remission, thanks, McClurkin told crosswalk.com, to prayers from members of the Winans family. According to the Free Press, the disease left McClurkin's tenor voice permanently damaged. Doctors gave him a set of vocal exercises to perform in order to regain his strength. On his own web site's biography, McClurkin does not mention the illness.
McClurkin's career blossomed as he performed and led choirs within the Winans fold. He appeared at the White House during the presidencies of both George Bush and Bill Clinton, toured internationally, contributed backing vocals to a number of Winans recording projects, and wrote new music. He also cultivated a friendship with Demetrus Alexander, an executive at the Warner Alliance label. In October of 1996, McClurkin released his self-titled debut album.
McClurkin's debut album benefitted from production work by various top gospel performers, including Crouch, Mark Kibble of the a cappella group Take 6, and former CeCe Winans producer Cedric Caldwell. Effectively mixing traditional and contemporary styles, the album included several songs of McClurkin's own composition, a classical-styled version of the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy," a Christianized Take 6 arrangement of the Pointer Sisters' rousing "Yes We Can Can," and Crouch's "We Expect You." McClurkin himself described his style as "eclectic" in conversation with Billboard magazine's Lisa Collins, and the unique musical assortment appealed to gospel fans. McClurkin's debut album remained in the Top Ten of Billboard's gospel sales chart for over two years.
Worked with Kelly Price
In 1999, McClurkin returned to the studio with his sisters to record The McClurkin Project for the Gospocentric label. The album showcased McClurkin's arranging skills with what the Detroit Free Press described as "tight, soaring harmony," and also featured McClurkin's own vocals on four tracks. In the spring of 2000, McClurkin's second solo release, Live in London & More, was slated for release on the Verity label, with guest appearances by Marvin Winans and Gladys Knight, and a songwriting contribution from R&B singer Kelly Price. Reportedly in negotiations with an Atlanta-based cable network for his own television show, McClurkin seemed to be a star on the rise.
McClurkin did not let his rising success distract him from the spiritual underpinnings of his musical career. Focusing his Perfecting Church ministry on families that, like his own, had suffered through destructive conflicts and sexual abuse, McClurkin laid plans to assume the pastorship of a church of his own. In the spring of 2000, he was conducting monthly services back in his home town of New York City, and hoped to conduct weekly services by the fall of 2000. With Psalm 118:17 as a credo ("I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord"), McClurkin is a performer in touch with the spiritual roots of gospel music.
Works
Selected discography
- Donnie McClurkin, Warner Alliance, 1996.
- The McClurkin Project, Gospocentric, 1999 (with sisters).
- Live in London & More, Verity, 2000.
Further Reading
Periodicals
- Billboard, January 29, 2000, p. 55.
- Detroit Free Press, March 28, 1997, p. D1; January 9, 2000, p. E4.
- Ebony, August 1998, p. 74.
- Additional information for this profile was obtained from http://www.allmusic.com; http://www.donniemcclurkin.com; and http://www.music.crosswalk.com.
— James M. Manheim
