Donnie McClurkin: gospel music's hidden treasure

Jet, Jan 6, 2003 by Clarence Waldron

When gospel singer Donnie McClurkin sings his big hit We Fall Down, you really believe that God wants you to "get back up again."

And when McClurkin sings his signature hit, Stand, you understand that the Lord wants you to stand and wait for an answer--stand on God's word that He will see you through.

McClurkin is gospel music's hidden treasure. Music lovers everywhere know his music if not his name. And that's all right with him, as long as the message about the goodness of the Lord is being heard and souls are being healed and lifted.

"God comes first," he tells JET during a break in the studio where he is working on his upcoming album Donnie McClurkin ... Again, slated for release March 4. Yolanda Adams joins him on the album's single The Prayer.

"It's got nothing to do with me. I'm just standing back amazed at what God's doing. I never wanted to sing."

Fortunately, he does sing. His smooth, clear, calming voice brings comfort and joy to his fans worldwide.

He is currently winning cheers from critics and fans on the Hopeville Tour that also features his gospel-singing friends Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams. The tour is selling out in every city and has been extended through March. Each night he sings his fans' favorites--We Fall Down, Stand and Speak To My Heart--and a selection of others from his two top-selling albums Live From London And More and the self-titled Donnie McClurkin.

The gifted, contemporary gospel performer will host the annual Stellar Awards with Michelle Williams and Mary Mary. The gospel awards ceremony will air in syndication starting Jan. 18.

McClurkin is also the pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in Long Island, NY, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.

"Preaching is my passion, and music is a by-product of that. My church duties are first and foremost. Church takes priority. I work everything around the church schedule--even the Hopeville tour. We do the tour five nights a week, sometimes six nights. We also have Sunday night shows. I have to fly from wherever we are Saturday back to New York to do our church service on Sunday. Then I have to catch a plane or charter a plane and fly back Sunday to the Hopeville Tour. I do this every, single, solitary week. The church takes priority. We have some of the most wonderful people in the world in church. That's my focus."

In his No. 1 hit We Fall Down, which was released last year, McClurkin sings, "We fall down, but we get up ... for a saint is just a sinner who fell down, and got up."

He explains, "This is one of the most powerful songs I've ever heard, and it's the perfect summation of the Christian life. As saints, we are nothing more than sinners who fell down and then got back up again by the power and forgiveness of God."

He recalls what made him record the tune that he first heard at a Dove Awards ceremony years ago. "I was in a place of really hurting, a place of disappointment. I had messed up so badly, and I know most Christians won't tell on themselves, but I don't have anything to hide because that's the nature of God--He's forgiving. If you have a problem, you give it to Him."

The tune remained No. 1 on gospel charts for more than 40 weeks and also reached the Top 20 on R&B charts and was in heavy rotation on R&B radio stations.

"I almost got to the point of giving up, not giving up my relationship with God, but my ministry," he recalls. "I had jacked up so badly, then the song came. I realized that I am no better than anyone else, but then, I am no worse either. My sin showed me that I was no better. No matter how much Jesus I spoke about, I was no better than anyone else. But then the mercy of God showed me that a saint is just a sinner who falls down, but he gets back up again. But when we mess up, we punish ourselves because we don't realize that everybody in this world messes up--sometimes royally."

He wants people to realize that "God has not given up on you. You can keep going on."

McClurkin thanks his No. 1 fan, talk show host Oprah Winfrey, for making Stand such a smash. "She stood on television, held the CD up and said, `This is my favorite CD in the world. "After you've done all you can, stand." You all need to buy it.' And within two weeks, it went gold. Right now, she won't let me sing anything else on her show," he laughs.

He reveals how he wrote Stand, which is on his 1996 album Donnie McClurkin: "Stand was a temper tantrum. I was on a plane on my way to Atlanta from Los Angeles. I was tired, it was a red-eye. I was at the back of the plane. I was angry that I was flying. `God why can't I be normal like everybody else? Why do I have to do this traveling? I am always giving out to everybody else, but nobody's there for me.' I had a little pity party going on the plane. And then a response came back," he recalls as he cites lyrics from the song: "`What do you do when you've done all you can, and it seems like it's never enough? How can you smile while your heart has been broken and filled with pain?' This is what was going through my mind; this is what God was giving me on the plane. He said, qrou just stand, when there's nothing left to do, you just stand.' Stay right there. Stand on God's word and He will take care of you.' And 20 minutes later, the melody came. That was the first time that God gave me a complete song at one time."