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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Karen Valencia Clark Sheard| image = Karen Clark Sheard-photo-by-raymond-boyd.jpg| alt =| caption = Karen Clark-Sheard performs at the DuSable Museum in Chicago.(photo by raymond boyd) 2010| image_size = 300| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Karen Valencia Clark| alias =| Born = Birth date and age|1960|11|15 http://twitter.com/#!/officialkcs/status/4716036284743681 Clark-Sheard's Twitter| Died = | origin = Detroit, Michigan| instrument = Singing|Vocals , Musical Keyboard|Keyboard , Organ (music)|Organ , Drum kit|Drums | genre = Gospel music|gospel , urban contemporary gospel|urban gospel , Contemporary Christian music|CCM | occupation = Singing|Singer , songwriter , actress | years_active = 1970–present| label = Island Records|Island Black Music , Elektra Records|Elektra , Word Records|Word , Karew Records| associated_acts = The Clark Sisters Kierra "Kiki" Sheard Twinkie Clark|Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark Dorinda Clark Cole Jacky Clark Chisholm Mattie Moss Clark J. Moss | website = http://www.KarewRecords.com KarewRecords.com| notable_instruments = Karen Clark-Sheard (born Karen Valencia Clark on November 15, 1960) is an United States|American gospel music|gospel four-time Grammy Award winning singer, musician, and songwriter. The youngest daughter of pioneering gospel choral director Mattie Moss Clark , Sheard began her career as a member of the Grammy-Award winning, gospel legendary female group, The Clark Sisters .www.squidoo.com/theclarksisters She is the mother of Urban contemporary gospel|contemporary gospel singer and actress Kierra "Kiki" Sheard .
During the hiatus of the Clark Sisters, Sheard rose to fame after she recorded her critically acclaimed and much anticipated solo album Finally Karen (album)|Finally Karen , which spawned her hit, "Balm in Gilead" (a re-recording of a song she originally recorded as part of The Clark Sisters back in the 1980s for their Heart & Soul album) the R& B-flavored "Just For Me" and "Nothing Without You" - a contemporary duet with R& B diva Faith Evans . Finally Karen became one of the most successful gospel albums of 1998 earning Sheard a Grammy nomination and earning her a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for "Best Female Vocalist". http://www.theclarksisters.com/karen.html
After her debut album success and much touring, Sheard was hospitalized in 2001 after one of her blood vessels burst during a minor surgery, resulting in doctors giving her a 2% chance of survival. Her testimony inspired the title name for her long-awaited sophomore project, Second Chance released in 2002, featuring a "Secret Place" - which is now considered a classic amongst fans. Sheard recorded two more live albums, including The Heavens Are Telling (album)|The Heavens Are Telling and '' It's Not Over (album)|It's Not Over (which featured some studio recordings), before releasing All in One (Karen Clark Sheard album)|All in One '', Sheard's first all-studio-recorded album in 13 years. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts|U.S. Billboard Gospel Chart and #98 on Billboard 's Billboard 200|Top 200 albums chart, while its first single "Prayed Up" has so far peaked at #10 on the U.S. Billboard charts| Billboard Gospel Songs chart.cite web|url= http://www.billboard.com/#/song/karen-clark-sheard/prayed-up/15759829|title=Crazy Praise - Karen Clark Sheard|publisher=Billboard|accessdate=July 11, 2010
Sheard is in talks to play Kitty Parham (a member of The Famous Ward Singers) in Aretha Franklin 's upcoming biopic. http://praiseindy.com/national/donnas/karen-clark-sheard-in-talks-to-play-aretha-franklin/
Biography
Karen Clark Sheard was born November 15, 1960. She has five older siblings : Leo, Jacky Clark Chisholm , Denise Clark-Bradford, Twinkie Clark|Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark , and Dorinda Clark Cole . Her parents are Pastor Elbert Clark and Mattie Moss Clark|Dr. Mattie Moss Clark , a pioneering Detroit-based gospel choral director. Clark-Sheard is best known for being a member of iconic gospel group The Clark Sisters . She is the Soprano of the group, The Clark Sisters. Clark Sheard is known for her high vocal ranging abilities, going into Whistle Register .
Personal life
On June 16 , 1984 , Karen Clark-Sheard wed John Drew Sheard, a minister. Her husband is senior pastor of Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ in Detroit, Michigan|Detroit . Together they have 2 children: Kierra Sheard|Kierra (1987), who is also a gospel recording artist, and John Drew Sheard II (1989), a young musician and up-and-coming producer. Kiki is also a gospel recording artist, with four albums, plus various projects to her credit.
In 2001 , Clark-Sheard was faced with a life-threatening crisis when a blood vessel burst during a scheduled hernia surgery. Her doctors only gave her a 2% chance of survival due to her complications. After the blood clot was surgically removed, Clark-Sheard fell into a coma . The coma lasted three and a half weeks,cite web|url= http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/interviews/2006/karenclarksheard-0206.html|title=Back From The Dead|publisher=Christianity Today|date=February 20, 2006|author=Taylor, LaTonya but Clark-Sheard says she made a miraculous http://www.gospelcity.com/dynamic/artist-articles/interviews/54 Gospel City Interview http://www.christianmusicplanet.com/magazine/viewarticle.asp? id=525 Christian Music Planet recovery. Despite citing hernia surgery, which led to complications of hernia and brain aneurysm since after the ordeal Sheard returned in 2001 looking 1/3 of her sizeCitation needed|date=January 2011.
Recording career
Singers Mariah Carey , Faith Evans , Coko of SWV , Jovan Lacroix, Blu Cantrell , Lil' Mo , Missy Elliott , and Fantasia (singer)|Fantasia all count Karen Clark Sheard as one of their vocal influences.cite web|url= http://www.gospelflava.com/articles/karenclarksheardinterview2006.html|title=An interview with Karen Clark Sheard|author=Jones, Steven|publisher=GospelFlava.comcite web|url= http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/artists/karenclarksheard.html|title=Karen Clark Sheard Biography
The Clark Sisters
Main|The Clark Sisters
Debut album
Main|Finally KarenKaren's involvement in the Island Inspirational All Stars' " Don't Give Up (Kirk Franklin song)|Don't Give Up " in 1996 (along with Donald Lawrence , Hezekiah Walker , and Kirk Franklin ) led to her signing with Island Records.cite web|url= http://www.gospelcity.com/dynamic/artist-articles/artists/36|title=Karen Clark Sheard|publisher=GospelCity.com|date=March 22, 2000
Her solo career began with the release of her debut album Finally Karen in 1997 in music|1997 . The album, consisting of half studio recordings and half live recordings, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 1998, won Sheard the Lady Of Soul award for Best Gospel Album that same year cite web|url= http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/awardsdb/env-awards-db-search,0,7169155.htmlstory? searchtype=person& query=finally+karen|title=Award Nominations at The Envelope|publisher=Los Angeles Times and peaked at #28 and #2 on the Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums|U.S. Billboard Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums and Billboard charts|U.S. Billboard Gospel Albums charts respectively.
A second chance
Main|2nd ChanceAfter Yolanda Adams , Karen Clark Sheard became the 2nd gospel artist to sign to Elektra Records . She released her Elektra debut album 2nd Chance (album)|2nd Chance in 2002 (so named because of the "second chance" she was given by God after her near-death experience - which is referenced in her daughter Kierra's song " You Don't Know (Kierra Sheard song)|You Don't Know ").cite web|url= http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur7588.cfm|title=Karen Clark Sheard Gets '2nd Chance'|publisher=EURweb.com|author=McIntyre, Donald and Kiel, Danna|date=August 1, 2002
The album was led off by the single "Be Sure" and though Clark Sheard was in excellent form vocally, the slick, progressive sound of the disc was not received well in the gospel community. However, the album still performed well commercially and critically reaching #82 on the U.S. Billboard 200, #27 on the U.S. Billboard Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums chart (her highest chartings on those charts to date) and #2 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Albums.
Third album
Main|The Heavens Are TellingThe 2003 followup The Heavens Are Telling (album)|The Heavens Are Telling fared well, but came at an awkward time when Elektra Records was being dissolved into Atlantic Records and so failed to match the commercial success of Sheard's previous albums, peaking a whole 106 places below 2nd Chance at #188 on the U.S. Billboard 200 - though it managed to reach a respectable #44 on the U.S. Billboard Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums, a high #3 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Albums chart and was her first album to chart on the Billboard charts|U.S. Billboard Christian Albums chart, where it peaked at #11.cite web|url= http://www.billboard.com/album/karen-clark-sheard/the-heavens-are-telling/604107|title=The Heavens Are Telling - Karen Clark Sheard|publisher=Billboard.com
It's Not Over
Main|It's Not Over (Karen Clark Sheard album)In 2005, after a bidding war with several labels,Sheard finally signed with Word Records and issued '' It's Not Over (Karen Clark Sheard album)|It's Not Over , the following year. Most of It's Not Over'' was recorded live in 2005 at Karen's home church in Detroit, Michigan while the last three tracks were studio-recorded. It was Sheard's first solo album not to feature guest vocals from her daughter (Kierra Sheard) and was the first to include production from Israel Houghton - who handled the majority of the project. Despite having a much grander sound than her previous albums, it was another critical success for Karen and charted modestly at #124 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and #4 on the U.S. Billboard Top R& B/Hip-Hop Albums.cite web|url= http://www.billboard.com/#/album/karen-clark-sheard/it-s-not-over/755284|title=It's Not Over - Karen Clark Sheard|publisher=Billboard.com
As the songwriter, on February 10, 2008, Sheard won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song for "Blessed & Highly Favored" sung by The Clark Sisters .
Karew Records and fifth album
Main|All in One (Karen Clark Sheard album)In early 2009, Karen and her husband, J.Drew Sheard partnered together and launched a new record label entitled Karew Records (Karew being a combination of both their forenames: Karen & Drew, pronounced: Kuh-rue); Distribution is via EMI Gospel. The Clark Sisters' Christmas album - which was released in October 2009 - was the first project to be released from Karew Records.
On January 31, 2010, Karen won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance for Wait on the Lord which she was featured with Donnie McClurkin .
On April 6, 2010, Sheard released her fifth album (and first on her newly-founded own record label - Karew Records) titled All in One (Karen Clark Sheard album)|All in One , which features additional vocals from her daughter Kierra Sheard, son J. Drew Sheard II, sister Dorinda Clark Cole , niece Angel Chisholm and cousin J. Moss. Though her first all-studio-recorded album since her 2002 release 2nd Chance , All in One managed to debut and peak at #98 on the U.S. Billboard 200 (her second highest charting on that chart to date) and #3 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Albums chart, while the album's lead single - "Prayed Up" - peaked at #9 and stayed over 22 weeks on the Billboard charts|U.S. Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart.
There has also been un-official talk of a reality show in the works for Karen. Highlighting the highs and lows of touring with an all female band set to start filming sometime by the end of this yearCitation needed|date=June 2010.
Tours and concerts
2010-2011: All in One World Tour
2007-2008: The Clark Sisters Live One Last Time Tour
2003: The Heavens Are Telling (album)|The Heavens Are Telling
2006: '' It's Not Over (album)|It's Not Over
2010: All in One (Karen Clark Sheard album)|All in One
2011: The Ultimate Collection (Karen Clark Sheard album)|The Ultimate Collection
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.theclarksisters.com/ Official website of The Clark Sisters
The Clark SistersMoss-Clark-Sheard Persondata | NAME =Sheard, Karen Clark | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =November 15, 1960 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Sheard, Karen Clark Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Gospel artists from Detroit, Michigan Category:Musicians from Detroit, Michigan Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:American female singers Category:American gospel singers Category:African American singers Category:Members of the Church of God in Christ Category:American Pentecostals
