My Favorite Singer of All Time Salute (African-American Music Month)

When I was a little girl, I wanted to play the organ. I love the sound of the organ. In my mind, Twinkie Clark & Billy Preston cannot be beaten. Then I saw Twinkie Clark and her sisters (The Clark Sisters) on my TV screen on Bobby Jones Gospel on Sunday night.  I had heard their songs all my life on the radio but this was the first time I saw them. As a  little chubby light-skinned black church girl, I saw myself all in The Clark Sisters especially Twinkie. She was playing the organ almost effortlessly. So, I “researched” playing the organ. I found that one had to learn how to play the piano first. Well with my 4-year-old mind, I gave up then learning how to play the organ. I didn't see the correlation then. I was 4. I decided when we went over to my great aunt's house and was allowed to play church, I’ll play the organ there. It was for the best. I have rhythm issues sometimes. They only instrument I play is the Recorder. Awesome" is my favorite song by her. The song I provided in this blog is called “My Soul Loves Jesus”. This song highlights her skills on the piano. This song features her sisters and R&B & Gospel singer, Shirley Murdock. I do have a favorite line though. “I can't sleep, ‘less I dream of him”. How many times have you were experiencing a sleepless night and you decided to prayed and worshiped the Lord to sleep? Well, if you haven’t let me tell you it is a great feeling. I understand that lyric wholeheartedly. It gets a Diva stamp of approval.

I still have mine. I can still play a mean “Twinkle, Twinkle”. What I didn’t give up on was being a fan of Twinkie Clark. You can’t tell me anything bad about her. She writes such sweet & simple music about God. "

So let’s go to Wikipedia to learn about my favorite singer. Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark is a two-time Grammy award-winning American gospel singer, composer, musician, and evangelist. She is a member of The Clark Sisters, an influential gospel vocal ensemble active since the late 1960s. She has been dubbed "Queen of the Hammond Ivory Super CX-1 & Hammond B-3 organs" and "The Mother Of Contemporary Gospel." According to sister Jacky Clark-Chisholm, their mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, began training Twinkie on the piano as an infant and by the age of four, she could play full songs. Around the age of nine, Twinkie began showing interest in the organ and began training. At 12, she made her professional debut as an organist on the Southwest Michigan State Choir's album A Closer Walk with Thee. Twinkie would serve as Dr. Clark's personal organist until Dr. Clark's death in 1994. She has been the force that shaped the sound that has become the Clark Sisters' hallmark (more affectionately known as the 'Clark Sound') since their mother Mattie Moss Clark turned over control of the group to her in the early 1970s. As the 1970s turned into the 1980s, Twinkie gained increasing notoriety through the popularity of The Clark Sisters albums He gave me Nothing to Lose (1979), Is My Living in Vain(1980), You Brought the Sunshine(1981) and Sincerely(1982). Those albums featured the Twinkie penned classics; "Nothing To Lose", "Is My Living In Vain", "Pure Gold", "Expect A Miracle", "Name It Claim It", "Endow Me", "Walking In The Spirit" and the Clark Sisters crossover smash "You Brought The Sunshine." In the summer of 1981, "Is My Living In Vain" stayed atop the Billboard Gospel Songs chart for 13 weeks while the accompanying album would hit #1 and remain there for over a year. Twinkie wrote and produced three more albums for the Clark Sisters: 1986s Heart and Soul, 1988 Conqueror and 1989 Bringing it Back Home-Live. From those albums "Jesus Is a Love Song", "Pray for the USA", "Balm In Gilead", Jesus Forevermore", "My Redeemer Liveth" and "For The Love Of The People" were played on air. Twinkie amassed other hits in the 1980s ("I Tried Him and I Know Him", "The Anointing Breaks the Yoke", "Lord, Let Me Hear From Heaven") from her continued songwriting on her mother's convention records.

Twinkie left the Clark Sisters in 1989 to focus on ministry and family. She continued her solo career recorded the independent solo album Comin' Home in 1992. Twinkie was featured on the COGIC International Choir's Leaning on Jesus album on the hit duet with Richard "Mr. Clean" White's "Accept What God Allows" and in 1996, she produced the album Twinkie Clark Terrell presents the FAMU Gospel Choir which was a staple on the Gospel charts well into 1997. Twinkie and the Clark Sisters were inducted into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999. The Clark Sisters received high honors at the 2007 Stellar Awards when they were presented with the award for Most Notable Achievement. Twinkie reunited with The Clark Sisters on July 8, 2006, to record a new live album, The Clark Sisters did a live recording in Houston, Texas entitled Live... One Last Time. The recording was released as a CD on April 10, 2007, on EMI Gospel, followed by a CD/DVD Special Edition release on June 19, 2007. In support of the reunion album, The Clark Sisters embarked on a 25-city Concert Tour. On January 16, 2009, Twinkie Clark was honored at the 10th Annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon Friday, January 16 in Nashville, TN.

Twinkie has written and/or arranged over 200 songs that have been recorded by the likes of Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers, James Cleveland, Dave Hollister, Kelly Price, Rev. Donald Vails, and others. Richard Smallwood, Jennifer Holiday, Kim Burrell, Shirley Murdock, Donald Lawrence, R&B singer Coko, Missy Elliot, and Fred Hammond count Twinkie was influences/inspirations.  Clark's influences include jazz, reggae, classical, funk and blues. This is evidenced by listening to her first two solo albums Praise Belongs to God and Ye Shall Receive Power recorded for Sound of Gospel Records while still with The Clark Sisters. Twinkie Clark is a Stevie Wonder fan and hopes to one day do a duet with him. You Brought the Sunshine is actually pattern after Wonder's hit "Master Blaster".

What an accomplished lady!!! So I Salute pianist, organist, writer & singer, Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark, on today. Maybe this recorder player and you can jam out to “Twinkle, Twinkle” one day. LMBO.

Okay, who is/are your favorite singers of all time? Leave them below in the comments. I'm off to listen to some Clark Sisters.

As Always, Talking to You in Adult Terms

My Theme Song

Today on Facebook I saw a post that said “What is the song that describes you”. Oh all the songs I have on my Getting Ready playlist (Sacred or Secular) the only song that would come to my mind is the one above these words. It’s called “Nothing to Lose” by The Clark Sisters. It written by Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark, who is on the organ (Remember her name in June).  The main lyrics simply say:

I have walked in the rain
Like Paul, I have strained
I have even felt drained, Yes I Have

I have had a taste of sorrow
From the past I had borrowed
And somehow I always felt
That there was hope for tomorrow

Jesus, Unhooked the chains
And my Lord, eased the pain


And He gave me nothing to lose
But all, to gain

If there is ever a movie made of my life this song needs to be a part of the soundtrack. Matter of fact it is listed in this Blog as the closer. Why is it the closer? Have you ever had a Great feeling and thought wow one day I’ll feel like this forever? Well, when this like is over I believe we will get our just reward. Now if at the end of this life that is not the case I’ll eat crow then. But until then that is what I will believe and will continue to believe. Trouble can’t last always. All the no’s, the yes’s & maybe’s thAT turn in no’s, the heart aches, strife and hardships that everyone including ourselves cause can’t be forever. That song tells me I am not the only one that know there is hope in another day. That makes me smile through anything.

So if you ever hear me play “Southern Girl” by Erykah Badu, “Ebony Eyes” by Stevie Wonder or “Happy and You Know It” by Vickie Winans know that these might have me bouncing around relating to them but there is one song that keeps me going for the long haul. Yes, Ms. Twinkie Clark, God gave me nothing to lose but All, to gain.

So what’s your theme song? Tell me in the comments. And just because it’s not a gospel song don’t be shamed into not listing it. What describes you, Describes you and your story.

As Always, Talking to You in Adult Terms