The biggest-selling female gospel group of all time, The Clark Sisters reshaped the genre during the ’70s and ’80s and continue to impact both secular and spiritual music today.
∙ At the behest of their mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark—a celebrated gospel singer in her own right—The Clark Sisters began performing together in Detroit in the late ’60s. ∙ Their 1979 LP, He Gave Me Nothing to Lose, reached No. 18 on Billboard’s Spiritual albums chart, and 1980’s live LP Is My Living In Vain was the group’s first crossover success. ∙ “You Brought the Sunshine,” the title track of their 1981 LP and one of The Clark Sisters’ biggest hits, became an anthem at churches and clubs alike, including New York City’s Studio 54. ∙ They received the first of seven career Grammy nominations in 1983, but they didn’t win until 2007, when the reunion LP Live - One Last Time and “Blessed & Highly Favored” earned awards. ∙ In 1986, Heart & Soul hit No. 2 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart, and their next two LPs, 1988’s Conqueror and 1994’s Miracle also reached the Top 10. ∙ The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, the 2020 TV biopic about the group, was executive produced by Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, and Mary J. Blige.
