Wow, I know she was married to the guy from Shalamar at one point, but I did NOT know that the Rev. Clara Ward sang about faith that moved mountains and Ruth Davis sang of higher ground, but these seemed beyond my reach. By reputation, Cleveland could arrive in any town and assemble a 300-voice choir in three days. Son of Thomas Russell Cleveland and Mabel Francis (Lind) Cleveland. In the late 1960's, Cleveland moved to Los Angeles, formed the Southern California Community Choir, opened his own church, Cornerstone Institutional Baptist, and established a national organization, the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Check out the interesting posts of the young Cleveland. When I joined the church I laid sex, drugs, and rock and roll down at the altar. Two years before he died from a respiratory disease, the singer battled with some health issues. Over 8,000 people [7]gathered for his funeral service at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Each album to include his albums Stood On The Banks Of Jordan in 1964 and Give Me My Flowers 1965 gave the listener the feeling that they were listening in and experiencing a church service- with James Cleveland ministering in song and word just to them. At the center of the controversy is the James Cleveland Trust, set up to help fund the Cornerstone church and the Gospel Music Workshop of America. His funeral was held at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, lasted four hours, was attended by over 4,000 people, and included at least two clothing changes for the deceased. It grew to 200 chapters with 20,000 members nationwide. Most of the singers I listened to were queer, like me, but I didn't know that then. word is that James had another wife b/4 he married Jean. Her drinking was getting out of. James Cleveland, revered by the music world as the king of gospel who taught a 9-year-old Aretha Franklin to sing gospel and inspired countless other artists, died Saturday. Lashone's Instagram posts see her having fun around people who really matter and impact her life. Recorded live at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts in Los Angeles, with his Southern California Community Choir,[5] his feature on the album and Aretha's success as a pop artist made the album a historic landmark in gospel, and is still selling to this day, with a special CD re-release of The Complete Recordings (the unedited album recording session of the Amazing Grace project). Then theyd say All right. James Cleveland and his wife also had a daughter, who died shortly after her marriage to Henry Smeathman. His arrangements of songs such as (Give Me That) Old Time Religion and Its Me O Lord transformed them, giving a rocking lilt and insistent drive to old standards. James was not only a gospel singer whose voice impacted the industry and his listeners, but he was also a preacher of the word. Born Nov.. At the church, being queer was only one of my problems. He was 59. He strained his vocal cords as a teenager while part of a local gospel group, leaving the distinctive gravelly voice that was his hallmark in his later years. Franklin's New Bethel Baptist Church, lived on and off with the Franklins, and taught nine-year-old Aretha her first piano chords. ", Billy Preston, a Cleveland protege, said as much to David Ritz, Aretha's biographer. President Obama's recent announcement that he supports same-sex marriage turned the spotlight on reservations many blacks harbor about gay rights. "But a lot of these choirs or choir directors, or ministers of music, will not be open about their sexuality for fear of repercussion from their pastors and church members, but they allow the church to exploit their talent," says Johnson, also a Northwestern University professor whose expertise includes black studies and sexuality. The Gospel Sound: Good News in Hard Times (25th Anniversary Edition) by Anthony Heilbut, Limelight, 1997. In exchange, ministers received federal funds for their community programs through Bush's faith-based initiative. The live concert recording staple started with Reverend Lawrence Roberts, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Nutley, New Jersey, home of the famous Angelic Choir. Acknowledgment of Cleveland's gay life and death from AIDS was a noisy affront to a system of secrecy. I still listen to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (whose possible lesbian encounters were carefully detailed in Gayle F. Wald's biography of her), the Caravans, Clara Ward, The Davis Sisters, The Roberta Martin Singers, Alex Bradford, James Cleveland, and many more. The James C. Cleveland Papers are held by the Cleveland, Colby, Colgate Archives of Colby-Sawyer College in New London. Having more than 400 gospel songs to his name and more than ten of his albums being highly recognized, James became the first gospel singer to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Youth With HIV, $9 Mil Lawsuit Claims. [8][9][10][11] He is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. Gospel music legend James Cleveland was born on December 5, 1931 in Chicago. I grew up with his music. By 1960, Cleveland was well known for his work with choirs, incorporating bits of blues, jazz, and soul, then re-arranging it, much like Dorsey had done with spirituals. She even sang with them at James Cleveland Funeral(I was there) she the one got Kurt an addition with her Dad to help Kurt start a new Group and the rest was history. Annual conventions of the GMWA, the organization Cleveland led, functioned as a queer safe space where men walked hand in hand. The Fan Who Knew Too Much by Anthony Heilbut, Random House, 2012. Living the Dream: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From Jump Street: The Story of Black Music, Varnette's World: A Study of a Young Artist. I miss you, I love you, & I thank you for above all being my father! She stood next to a window and had her braided hair packed in a bun. mutually agreed that I become his common-law son, bearing his name, he said. The Caravans. Rev. ", Billy Preston, a Cleveland protege, said as much to David Ritz, Aretha's biographer. Relatives: Son of James Cleveland (1793-1881) and Elizabeth 'Betsey' (Parker) Cleveland (1796-1879); married, January 19, 1868, to Katherine M. 'Kate' Peters; third cousin twice removed of Ephraim Safford and Isaiah Kidder; fourth cousin once removed of Jonathan Usher, Chauncey Fitch Cleveland, Charles Stetson, James Safford, Luther Kidder and Isaiah Stetson (1812-1880). He forbids LGBT people from participating in the choir or any other church ministries. I prayed earnestly to "get right." Andre held a press conference in Los Angeles and alleged that he had a right to his father's property. Andre mentioned being born fatherless but insisted that the Reverend adopted him and became his role model. Gospel, the old stuff, helped fill the musical void. James was the son of Richard H. Sims and Rebecca Anderson Sims. Living the Dream: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. From Jump Street: The Story of Black Music, Varnette's World: A Study of a Young Artist. Sixteen of his albums went gold. He debuted at Pilgrim Baptist as a boy soprano, and as a teen sang hard enough to damage his voice. He could not perform at a tribute concert to him at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in October because of a tracheotomy. In the late 1960's, Cleveland moved to Los Angeles, formed the Southern California Community Choir, opened his own church, Cornerstone Institutional Baptist, and established a national organization, the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA). . His ship went aground off the Banana Islands in 1730. Her marriage to Ted White was falling apart. Persons who are in the closet serve on the deacon boards, serve in the ministry, serve in every capacity in the church. As a child, he attended Pilgrim Baptist Church, where Thomas Dorsey was minister of music. hide caption. Lashone Cleveland is the only daughter of her gospel singer dad, James Cleveland who passed away in 1991. Unable to afford a piano, he crafted one out of odds and end and taught himself how to play. Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image, Drew Alexander/Courtesy of E. Patrick Johnson, Courtesy of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ, Presbyterians Have Varied Views On Gay Marriage, Iowa On Same-Sex Marriage: It's Complicated, Gay Republicans Still Look For Romney's Support, Same Bible, Different Verdict On Gay Marriage. "The Old Prejudices" by Anthony Heilbut, Harper's, March 2017. (Sacred Scroll XXXI) - theleronebakerstory.com - Malehogany Reflections Behind The Purple Robe - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Ju. 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Sundays at Pilgrim Baptist, Cleveland watched Roberta Martin play piano. I'd never spent time in church, and in any case I'd never heard of one like this. Christopher Polk/WireImage via Getty Image Acknowledgment of Cleveland's gay life and death from AIDS was a noisy affront to a system of secrecy. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. I still listen to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (whose possible lesbian encounters were carefully detailed in Gayle F. Wald's biography of her), the Caravans, Clara Ward, The Davis Sisters, The Roberta Martin Singers, Alex Bradford, James Cleveland, and many more. In 1972, James collaborated with Aretha on her historic Grammy-winning and multi-million-selling album Amazing Grace, which is known as the Greatest Gospel Album of All Time. Settling there with other survivors, his father appointed himself as king. [12][13], Following Cleveland's death in February 1991, a number of controversies arose surrounding his estate, which at the time was estimated to be worth between $4 and $6 million. The Rev. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Cleveland was born Dec. 5, 1931, and grew up on the South Side of Chicago. In the comment section, a fan quipped that she is the spitting image of her dad. Cleveland capitalized on his success by founding his own choir, the Southern California Community Choir, as well as a church,[Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church],that went from a handful of congregants(10)to thousands of members during his life. Setting his mind to matters of faith, Dorsey incorporated elements of blues and jazz in a new form he called "gospel," something altogether new. [14], In February 1992, Cleveland's then-foster son, Christopher Harris (formerly Christopher Harris Cleveland), filed a lawsuit against Cleveland's estate, claiming that Cleveland allegedly sexually abused him over a period of five years and infected him with the HIV virus, which he claims Cleveland contracted through same-sex liaisons. When I do, I celebrate their queer existence, and mine. Peter Scolari's Biography, Spouse, Net Worth. Required fields are marked *. Their marriage coincides with my favorite music from her. The Bay Area in the 1970s had arguably the most visible presence of LGBT members in black churches, just as the broader gay rights movement had gained momentum in the region. Their most successful albums were the 1979 Grammy-nominated release, It's a New Day, featuring the industry's signature staple, "God Is"; and their 1981 release, Where Is Your Faith; among many others. A few days before that, Lashone celebrated her dad on Father's Day. But Garner said Thomas, who started more than 25 years ago as Clevelands church secretary, acted properly and in accordance with James Clevelands wishes. Thomas could not be reached for comment Tuesday. I was still with the church when Cleveland died, but I was beginning to see my way out. As Keith Boykin, author of One More River to Cross: Black and Gay in America, wrote, "The church might be the most homophobic and most homotolerant of any institution in the black community.". "Some of my colleagues protest too greatly," Wiley says. . Martin hired him as a composer and arranger after the group disbanded. Cleveland had worked with Miss Franklin, Quincy Jones and Edwin Hawkins. The virtuosity of gay singers, musicians and composers has been the driving force in developing popular gospel choirs even chart-topping, Grammy-winning acts that make money for a church, help expand congregations and raise the profiles of pastors. 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