About
Donnie McClurkin

Donnie McClurkin and his gospel friends celebrate the greatness of God on his latest CD, Duets.

McClurkin and his duet partners—Tramaine Hawkins, Tye Tribbett, Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell, John P. Kee, Marvin Sapp, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Israel Houghton, Preashea Hilliard and Justin Savage—have  come up with an anointed collection of songs that soothe and uplift the soul.  

The idea for the Duets project was sparked during a gospel cruise about two years ago. “All the artists came together in a room,” he recalls. “We had a meeting with no managers, no lawyers, no record companies, just us. We realized that the next wave of gospel music would be a collaboration.”

The collection opens with We Are Victorious with Tye Tribbett, a song that McClurkin penned that soars with hope and assurance, that one can conquer all. “I heard the song, We Are Victorious in a dream. I heard the chorus and grabbed my iPhone and sang it so I wouldn’t forget it. Then I went to the piano and worked it out.  All I could hear was Tye Tribbett singing it with me.”

The three-time Grammy winning singer and songwriter dedicates Duets to his late parents, Frances and Donald McClurkin. One of his mother’s favorite songs was Write My Name, a huge hit by Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, mother of the famed Clark Sisters.  McClurkin sings Write My Name with Dorinda Clark- Cole. “I always loved the song because my mother would clean up the house and then would stop in front of the mirror to direct the choir,” he laughs. “It’s always been with me since I was 3 or 4 years old.”

He calls Dorinda “an anointed singing machine.” He notes, “The more you’d sing, the more she’d sing on you. I wanted to do the song live, so I brought it to our church in New York. We didn’t rehearse any of it. No formalized format, everything was impromptu. The song that you hear now was originally 15-minutes before it was edited. It was nostalgic, it was honoring her mother. That’s where the energy came from. It was her connecting with her mother. We are honoring Dr. Clark.”  

He turned to gospel legend Tramaine Hawkins for My Past, a poignant tune where Donnie shares “all of my faults and failures of my past were done in secret. That song was meant to show that I have a past. That’s where that song comes from…..You are the God of the days I left behind.”

Singing with Tramaine Hawkins was a shining moment for McClurkin. “When you’re working with Tramaine, you’re working with a seasoned professional, a legendary voice.  You will never find another voice like Tramaine’s.  I wanted to write a Walter Hawkins type-of-song.   I don’t know if I succeeded or not, but I wanted to write one that was geared to the voice of Tramaine. When I let her hear it, she said, “Oh, yeah, Mother can do that song.”   She came in and did it.  I wanted to go back to the old Tramaine.  At the end of that song, I said, “Tramaine, trust me.  Give me you!”  And she hit notes that she hadn’t hit since the 70’s.  The rest is history.  I love that song,” he enthuses.  

Rounding out the brilliant collection are:  I Am Amazed (Preashea Hilliard and Erica Campbell; I’m Still Here (Tina Campbell); Anytime (John P. Kee); Let It Go (Dorinda Clark Cole); Encouraged (Justin Savage) and Come As You Are (Israel Houghton and Marvin Sapp.).

One of the busiest men in gospel, McClurkin helps search for the next great gospel voice as a judge on BET’s hit TV series, “Sunday Best.”  For more than six years, he has hosted the syndicated radio program, “The Donnie McClurkin Show” that has attracted more than 5 million listeners in 60 markets as well as London, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The hugely-popular show airs daily on WBLS in New York City and is rated No. 1 in the coveted 25-54 age demographic, and ranks high in the Top 19 radio markets in the country.

As busy as he is, he always makes time for his church ministry. In fact, his church commitments come first—before his music.  He continues to serve as senior pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, N.Y. that has more than 3,000 members.

“My music commitment takes a trunk seat in the back of a car.  I’m not addicted to music or a slave to my music.  My main goal is to reach this entire globe with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The music has given me a global platform to bring this gospel.   There’s no conflict with my pastoring.  If something comes up, I’ll say ‘send another artist’ because I need to be in my church.   I’m dealing with 3,000 wonderful people in New York.  I’m dealing with my ministry around America and around the globe.  God has blessed me with TV and God has blessed me with radio.  God put me in all these places.  But I’m not a slave to what I do.”  

McClurkin won fame in 1996 with his self-titled album featuring the classics, Stand and Speak To My Heart. Before launching his solo career, he started the New York Restoration Choir and won notice with the album I See A World that contained his first rendition of Speak To My Heart.  Other forever- classics include the gospel anthems, We Fall Down and Great Is Your Mercy, both from the top-selling Live In London And More CD released in 2000.  

The acclaimed gospel performer won his first Grammy in 2004 for Again as the Best Soul Traditional Gospel Album. His double CD, Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs, earned a Grammy in 2006 as Best Traditional Gospel Album.  In 2010, he accepted his third Grammy (Best Gospel Performance ) for Wait On The Lord, featuring Karen Clark Sheard from his We Are One: Live in Detroit CD.  Other top honors include nine Stellar Awards; four BET Awards, three NAACP Image Awards and two Dove Awards.

Reflecting on the making of the magnificent Duets, he notes, “Each of the artists I worked with on Duets has a special bond with me. None of them are strangers. We’re family. Every one of these artists took out time just because I called them. My only regret is that I could not bring on more. So there may be a follow-up CD to this.”