James Cleveland
James Edward Cleveland (December 5, 1931 – February 9, 1991) was an American gospel singer, musician, and composer. Known as the "King of Gospel," 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.
For the United States Representative, see James Colgate Cleveland. For the American football wide receiver, see James Cleveland (American football). For the American jazz trombonist, see Jimmy Cleveland.
The ReverendJames Cleveland
James Edward Cleveland
December 5, 1931
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
February 9, 1991 (aged 59)
Culver City, California, U.S.
Singer, musician, composer, arranger, recording artist, performer, music minister
Throughout his career, Cleveland appeared on hundreds of recordings and earned four Grammy Awards. He was the first gospel musician to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1984.[1] For his trailblazing accomplishments, he is regarded by many as one of the greatest gospel singers who ever lived.[2]
His best known recordings include "Lord, Help Me to Hold Out", "Peace Be Still", "I Don't Feel No Ways Tired", “Where Is Your Faith", "The Love of God", "God Has Smiled on Me", and "Jesus Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me."
Gospel Music Workshop of America[edit]
In 1968, Cleveland taught others how to achieve the modern gospel sound and preserve the industry's rich legacy through his annual workshop convention, The Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA), an organization that he co-founded with Albertina Walker and which now has over 150 chapters with 30,000 members. The GMWA has featured and produced the likes of Donald Vails, Issac Douglas, Myrna Summers, Sara Jordan Powell, Daryl Coley, John P. Kee, Kirk Franklin, Kurt Carr, Donald Lawrence, and Yolanda Adams. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together singers from all over the country in order to perpetuate the art of gospel music. The workshops eventually attracted thousands of adherents and laid the groundwork for the popularity of gospel music. The last album Cleveland recorded with the GMWA was their 1990 release from the previous year's annual convention in New Orleans.
Gospel renditions of pop songs[edit]
Throughout his recording career, Cleveland started a trend and was famously known for taking some of the greatest pop, R&B, and soul songs and transforming them into gospel anthems. Out of all the mainstream pop songs he rearranged for gospel audiences, his most memorable is his classic rendition of Gladys Knight & the Pips' "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me," which he changed to "Jesus Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me." This rendition earned him a Grammy nomination when it was released in 1975 as his first recording with the Charles Fold Singers of Cincinnati, Ohio. Another memorable gospel rendition was of Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs," which he recorded on his 1977 Grammy-winning album, Live at Carnegie Hall. The last song rendition he presented was Whitney Houston's "Didn't We Almost Have It All," known as "Aren't You Glad You Know the Lord," which Cleveland recorded in 1989 with the Northern and Southern California Choirs of the GMWA on the album Breathe on Me, featuring Daryl Coley and current Savoy Records executive producer Milton Biggham.
King James Records[edit]
From 1985 to 1988, Cleveland launched his own independent record label, King James Records, which was manufactured and distributed by Detroit's own Sound of Gospel/Nine Records, Inc. Under his label he released three albums with the GMWA; one solo release; Billy Preston's first gospel album; two albums with the Los Angeles Gospel Messengers, which includes their first, most popular release, Praise 88; an album with his iconic Southern California Community Choir; and a resurgence of his James Cleveland Presents series, which brought back The Craig Brothers, The Fourth of May, and introduced The Harmonizing Four. Cleveland's record label folded after the distributor closed.
Death[edit]
On February 9, 1991, James Cleveland died in Culver City, California.[7] He was 59. Some reports list the cause of death as congestive heart failure stating that the singer had fallen into a coma shortly before his death. Over 8,000 people [8]gathered for his funeral service at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.[9][10][11][12] He is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.[13]