James Cleveland
James Cleveland is one of the iconic figures of gospel music. He as a gospel artist, that sang songs about people in slavery and people who march for freedom cherished. James Cleveland is looked to not as just a gospel artist, but to some he was more than an artist. He was a man who inspired acts today. A man who also experienced oppression yet came up to be one of the best gospel artist today. Cleveland was a driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound by incorporating traditional black gospel, soul, pop, and jazz in arrangements for mass choirs. Throughout his career, Cleveland appeared on hundreds of recordings and earned four Grammy Awards.
Born in Chicago, Cleveland began his career as a boy soprano at Pilgrim Baptist Church where Thomas Dorsey was the minister of music. Roberta Martin played the piano for the choir. His vocal chords changed as a teenager while he was part of a local gospel group, getting the voice that was his hallmark voice in his later years. His change in voice led him on becoming a pianist. Then he would become a composer and arranger for mass choirs. For his accomplishments he is regarded as one of the greatest gospel singers who ever lived.
In 1950, Cleveland joined the Gospelaires, a trio led by Norsalus McKissick and Bessie Folk. His arrangements modernized such traditional standards as “(Give Me That) Old Time Religion”. Cleveland went to work with childhood friend Albertina Walker, and joined the Caravans, as a composer, arranger, pianist, and occasional singer as well as a narrator. The Caravans also became the launching pad for today’s gospel legends. In November 1954, Walker provided Cleveland the opportunity to do his very first recording. By 1960, Cleveland, who had incorporated blues riffs in his work and had become associated with a new tenor in gospel music.
James Cleveland became an ordained minister in the early 1960s. Cleveland capitalized on his success by founding his own choir, the Southern California Community Choir. In November 1970, Cleveland founded his own ministry and church, Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, in Los Angeles which grew from ten to thousands of members throughout the remainder of his life. Rev. Cleveland mentored a young Aretha Franklin and remains a giant, not only in the gospel music scene, but for his influences on a variety of other musical genres.