The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel-Movie Spotlight

The Clark Sisters are icons of contemporary gospel music and are credited along with their mother for popularizing this sound. In my novel, What Goes Around Comes Around, the main character, Nikki, aspires to be a gospel singer and The Clark Sisters are one of her favorite groups. When I learned that Lifetime was showing The Clark Sister: First Ladies of Gospel on Saturday, I eagerly tuned in to watch the film.

This is a story of triumph. The Clark Sisters and their mother overcome many obstacles on their journey to greatness. This working-class family from Detroit put everything into their music and are driven by their matriarch. I found myself cheering for them as they confronted and overcame abuse, self-doubt, sibling rivalry, health issues, and sexism.

This family-friendly movie has something that will capture the attention of everyone. It also depicts an important piece of Black history. (If you missed the showing on Saturday, April 10 you can go to this Lifetime link and stream it on your computer.) The music in this movie was excellent and brought back so many fond memories. There was no lip-syncing, the actresses in the movie sang the songs.

My favorite Clark Sisters song “You are the Sunshine” was featured in the film and had me tapping my feet and clapping my hands. The harmonies and the lead singing of the youngest sister Karen, played by her daughter Kierra Sheard, was heavenly. Kierra did her mom proud vocally and in acting. (Click Kierra Sheard to hear how she prepared for this role.)

The performances of the other actresses (Christina Bell as “Twinkie,” Shelèa Frazier as “Dorinda,” Angela Birchett as “Jacky,” and Raven Godwin as “Denise) was top-notch, particularly Aunjunue Ellis who portrayed the mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, a difficult task. Ellis accomplished this beautifully, balancing Dr. Clark’s dominating strength that had many comparing her to Joe Jackson with her motherly qualities. I hope that Ellis is nominated and wins many awards for her outstanding performance.

Not only is this a film about Black women achievement there is also Black women with top roles behind the camera. The executive producers are Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, and Missy Elliot. When Queen Latifah had her talk show, The Clark Sisters performed. (Check out Queen Latifah Show to check out that performance.) The director of the film, Christine Swanson, hails from my alma mater NYU. She has previously nominated for an NAACP award and directed for TV One Love Under New Management: The Micki Howard Story. It took 15 years for the writer of this film, Camille Tucker, to see this project produced. (Please check out Tucker’s Forbes interview about the film.)

I learned so many things about these trailblazers of gospel music. I didn’t know Dr. Clark was among the first to write gospel songs in three-part harmony. She popularized this method at countless workshops. I have taken this format for granted, not realizing that this was one of Dr. Clark, who passed away in 1994, contributions to gospel music.

I would love to hear your thoughts about The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel movie. You can share them in the comment section.

Candace Waller is a Christian fiction author. Her novel What Goes Around Comes Around can be purchased on Amazon.

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