"Coming Out" Party
by LaTonya Taylor
posted 12/08/03
Her mother, the late Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, was one of the most powerful and revered people in gospel music during her day. During the mid-1980s, Dorinda Clark and her sisters broke new ground as The Clark Sisters, paving the way for groups like Witness, Trinitee 5:7, Virtue and Commissioned.
But with the release of her self-titled solo album, Dorinda Clark-Cole took a major step toward forging her own musical identity. And hits like "I'm Coming Out [With My Hands Up]" and "I'm Still Here"—and a stack of awards including the Soul Train Lady of Soul Best Gospel Album, and a Stellar Award for Female Vocalist of the Year—proved that she had what it took to make it on her own.
Christian Music Today spoke to Clark-Cole about her mother's legacy, her vision for gospel music and the story behind one of her most poignant songs.
Many people probably still think of you as "Dr. Clark's daughter" or "one of the Clark Sisters." Tell us how this album represents you as an individual.
Dorinda Clark-Cole: The title of the album is one way it really represents me! When I sang with my sisters, people always thought of me as the one with the odd name. For some reason, people couldn't pronounce my name. They would call me Sorenda, Lucinda, Malinda, Lorinda! They would never get my name right, and I would think, "These people really don't know me. I would like them to know who I am."
So when I was asked what I'd like to title the CD, I said, "I want them to know my name, to know more about my identity." Some people knew me as the little preacher of the group, the one who spoke all the time, but they never really knew my name. We didn't have a title cut at the time, so giving the CD my name wouldn't single out one particular song. So now, I'm glad I don't have a name like anyone else's. I'm the only Dorinda out there.
Were you nervous about returning to the gospel music scene, since it had been a few years since you and your sisters recorded an album?
Clark-Cole: I was. I was also very nervous because this was my first solo project. I knew that people were going to reflect back to the Clark Sisters' earlier work, and they might compare our work together to this album. But I finally had to get to the place where I felt free to be myself, and to do things the way I wanted to on the album. My record company gave me a lot of freedom that way.
Is there anything on the album that would surprise your mom?
Clark-Cole: I think most of the CD would surprise her. I was just getting started as a writer when my mom died. At that time, she was mentoring me, critiquing my songs and giving me a lot of instruction—moving me toward the point where I could do my own thing. As my writing began to take off, with songs like "Got to Hold On" and "It's in the Name of Jesus," I developed my own identity as a songwriter.
From then on, she started affirming me, saying "Okay, girl, go on. You can keep on writing." I produced her last album, and we sang together. As we worked together and sang together on that album, I felt like she was giving me her approval, saying, "Okay, Dorinda, you've got what it takes. I'm going to push you out there. Go on, and always keep God first."
I really benefited from her training—and her occasional scolding! Because she produced so many albums and "groomed" so many artists over the years, she kept me from making a lot of the mistakes young artists make.
A new generation is hearing your music now. You've talked about the challenge of people comparing your music to projects you did with your sisters. What about younger folks who might not know you at all?
Clark-Cole: That is a real challenge. A lot of the younger listeners don't really know about us. They've heard of us—thank God for history! But I've noticed this generation is really, really embracing me. I'm meeting a lot of "babies," young kids who are coming up and saying, "Oh, I like that song, 'I'm Coming Out.'"
In some ways, it feels like regeneration—but this time I'm experiencing it as myself, not only as a Clark sister. It's a blessing, too, for this new generation to see that I'm a young woman. I'm an older one, but I'm young!
You definitely sound young, hip, and urban on some of those tracks.
Clark-Cole: I wanted to give the listener something for everybody, not just for the older people, not just for the middle-aged, but for everybody and all walks of life. I want them to hear more than a religious-sounding song, but something they can enjoy everyday. I think that's something everybody can relate to.
I'm excited about this hip-hop thing. We're speaking and singing about the good news of Jesus Christ, and that's what gospel music is about—trying to reach everybody, however we can do it. At my annual music conference, we've implemented a gospel rap segment. I want to give young people an outlet to share how they express themselves in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Gospel music is being opened up in so many ways.
One song, "I'm Still Here," sounds like you had to earn the right to sing it through experience. What's the story behind that song?
Clark-Cole: I faced a very difficult situation about seven years ago. I had an experience that made me feel very disillusioned, very betrayed, because it involved a conflict between Christians.
I was raised in church, and somehow I didn't think this kind of conflict would take place in my life, because I knew God. It was a terrible challenge, and it helped me to see that anyone can have challenges that can cause you to say, "I don't understand this. Where is God?" I felt like God had left me, and I came very close to attempting suicide. My pain was that severe.
How did you resolve that?
Clark-Cole: One day, I'd cried until I ran out of tears. I got into my car and onto the highway, driving along a river here in Detroit. I really sensed a spiritual conflict. The enemy was talking to my mind, saying, "You might as well just go on and end it all." I began to drive my car 80 miles an hour, and God spoke to me, plain as day, and said, "Dorinda, have I not blessed you? I am with you." And when I heard his voice I began to slow down and coast to a stop instead of turning into the river. If I hadn't heard God's voice, I wouldn't be here now.
I share this story because I want people to understand that we all go through situations we can't handle—only God can help us, only he can be the source of our light, our joy, our inner peace. There on that highway, I sensed him saying to me, "Are you going to let everything I've invested in you go down the drain?" He stopped me before death took me. His grace pulled me back, and I want people to know that you don't have to let your problems take you out. God is greater than those problems. A lot of my songs come from that ministerial standpoint.
You've been able to minister to a lot of young women who've faced similar pain.
Clark-Cole: Yes, God has really moved me in the area of the women's ministry. At my church, I work with my sister Karen (Clark Sheard) in the women's ministry, trying to mentor a lot of young women to understand their calling. I've done lots of women's conferences too.
God has allowed me to have a two-fold ministry, speaking and singing. In fact, the idea for the song "I'm Coming Out [With My Hands Up]" came from a message I gave. We all go through hard times, but we're coming out of them, too. And when we come out, we should have our hands up in praise.
We've got to ask: Might there be a Clark Sisters reunion album anytime soon?
Clark-Cole: Everybody's been asking. Actually, we're working on it. I don't know exactly when it's going to happen, because everybody is really kind of working on their own little thing. Karen's new CD is out, Jackie's coming out with hers, and I'm getting ready to work on my new one. So I don't know how we're going to get it in, but we are definitely working on it.
Dorinda Clark-Cole expects to release her next solo album in 2004. Visit www.theclarksisters.com to learn more about the musical legacy of Dorinda and her sisters. Click here to read a review of her self-titled solo debut, and visit Christianbook.com to listen to sound clips and purchase your own copy.
