Music >> Artists >> Christian & Gospel

Dorinda Clark-Cole

February 24th, 2015

Birth Name:
Dorinda Grace Clark

Genre:
Christian & Gospel

Years Active:
'70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s






Dorinda Clark-Cole

Biography

As part of contemporary gospel phenomenon the Clark Sisters, Detroit-based Dorinda Clark-Cole helped hone the inimitable Clark sound, an intricate harmonic blend that would go on to influence scores of performers in the R&B, pop, and hip-hop realms. Born Dorinda Grace Clark in 1957, the singer first took to the church stage when she was five and, like sisters Jacky Clark-Chisholm, Elbertina "Twinkie" Clark, and Karen Clark-Sheard, she learned the tools of the music trade under the tutelage of her mother, church music matriarch Mattie Moss Clark. A stern, demanding instructor, Moss Clark had high expectations for her daughters, going beyond the typical "raised singing in the choir" approach of other black vocalists. In time, all the Sunday specials, tough rehearsal schedules, and late-night practice sessions Moss Clark imposed on her offspring paid off, serving as a springboard for the launch of the Clark Sisters as a bona fide quartet sensation in the early '70s. . Clark-Cole, in particular, earned the reputation of being the "jazzy one" of the group — a potent mezzo-soprano with a distinctive command of escalating runs, scats, and riffs. Clark-Cole's surefire rasp was featured front and center during the apex of the Clark Sisters' run in the '80s, when she took the lead of the funkafied "Overdose of the Holy Ghost," a B-side to the foursome's career-defining single, "You Brought the Sunshine." The songbird stuck it out with the group after sister Twinkie left to pursue a solo career in the early '90s, but then refocused her energies on other ventures as the group's star dwindled in the middle of the decade. Clark-Cole took a more active role preaching and ministering at the Clarks' longtime denomination, the Church of God in Christ, where she also held various administrative and music-related titles both regionally and nationally.

Following in the footsteps of Twinkie and younger sister Karen, Clark-Cole stepped out as a solo artist in 2002 with the release of her self-titled debut on Gospo Centric, a disc that yielded the hits "I'm Coming Out" and the showstopping "I'm Still Here." She issued the live follow-up, The Rose of Gospel, in 2005, and the all-studio Take It Back appeared in 2008. While the singer earned acclaim and a number of awards for this solo material — most notably two Stellar Awards and a Soul Train Lady of Soul statuette for her first disc — it took a 2006 reunion with the Clark Sisters, the smash comeback album Live: One Last Time, for Clark-Cole to score her first two Grammy Awards.

Top Albums


1. Living It
I Survived, Dorinda Clark-Cole
2. I Survived
Take It Back, Dorinda Clark-Cole
3. Take It Back
The Rose of Gospel (Live from Houston), Dorinda Clark-Cole
4. The Rose of ..
Dorinda Clark-cole, Dorinda Clark-Cole
5. Dorinda Clar..
In the Face of Change - EP, Dorinda Clark-Cole
6. In the Face ..
Setlist: The Very Best of Dorinda Clark-Cole (Live), Dorinda Clark-Cole
7. Setlist: The..
Take It Back, Dorinda Clark-Cole
8. Take It Back
Victorious & Write My Name (Sunday Best Performance) [feat. Dorinda Clark Cole & Tye Tribbett] - Single, Donnie McClurkin
9. Victorious &..
Blessing Me (feat. Dorinda Clark Cole) - Single, Eric Sanders
10. Blessing Me ..
Back to You - Single, Dorinda Clark-Cole
11. Back to You ..
Back To You - Single, Dorinda Clark-Cole
12. Back To You ..
YRM (Your Righteous Mind) [feat. Dorinda Clark Cole] - Single, Donald Lawrence & Company
13. YRM (Your Ri..

Top Songs

NameAlbumTimePrice
1.
Bless This HouseLiving It5:14$1.29
2.
Write My Name (with Donnie McClurkin..Living It9:01$1.29
3.
Living ItLiving It5:08$1.29
4.
HolyLiving It4:53$1.29
5.
Save Me NowLiving It4:59$1.29
6.
You AreLiving It4:37$1.29
7.
He Brought MeI Survived4:50$0.99
8.
He Still Loves MeLiving It3:26$1.29
9.
Use MeLiving It3:54$1.29
10.
Take It BackTake It Back6:44$0.99
11.
NameLiving It3:11$1.29
12.
No Not OneRisen Powerful Gospel Resur..4:18$1.29
13.
AntidoteLiving It3:18$1.29
14.
In the DarkLiving It4:01$1.29
15.
He Brought MeWalking In the Light Vol. I..4:51$0.99
16.
Back To YouBack To You - Single3:06$0.99
17.
Don't Give UpI Survived5:10$0.99
18.
This Is WhyI Survived4:17$0.99
19.
Thank You (feat. Twinkie Clark)I Survived7:17$0.99
20.
God Is Everything to MeI Survived4:53$0.99
21.
WelcomeI Survived5:28$0.99
22.
Back to YouI Survived3:05$0.99
23.
For My GoodI Survived5:45$0.99
24.
We BelieveI Survived6:18$0.99
25.
God Will Take Care of YouI Survived5:00$0.99

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