Karen Clark Sheard

Karen Clark Sheard
Clark-Sheard in 2010
Clark-Sheard in 2010
Background information
Birth nameKaren Valencia Clark
Also known asKaren Clark-Sheard, First Lady Karen Clark-Sheard
Born (1960-11-15) November 15, 1960 (age 63)[1]
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • organ
  • drums
Years active1966–present
Labels
Member of
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1984)​
Websitetheclarksisters.net
karewrecords.com

Karen Valencia Clark Sheard (née Clark; born November 15, 1960) is an American gospel singer and songwriter. Clark-Sheard is the youngest member of gospel group the Clark Sisters, which was formed in 1973. She is also the mother of contemporary gospel singer and actress Kierra "Kiki" Sheard, with whom she frequently collaborates. She has released five solo albums and 17 with the Clark Sisters.

During the hiatus of the Clark Sisters, Clark-Sheard recorded her debut studio album Finally Karen (1998), which spawned the single, "Balm in Gilead" (a re-recording of a song she originally recorded as part of the Clark Sisters in the 1980s for their Heart & Soul album) the R&B-tinged singles "Just for Me" and "Nothing Without You" (with Faith Evans). Finally Karen was among the highest-selling gospel albums of that year, and earned Clark-Sheard a Grammy Award nomination and a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for "Best Female Vocalist".[2]

Clark-Sheard then was hospitalized in 2001 after a blood vessel burst during a bariatric surgery, resulting in doctors giving her a 2% chance of survival. The experience inspired the title for her second album, 2nd Chance (2002). Clark-Sheard recorded two more live albums—The Heavens Are Telling (2003) and It's Not Over (2006)—before releasing All in One (2010), her second studio album. It debuted at number two on the Billboard Gospel Chart and entered the Billboard 200, while its single "Prayed Up" peaked at number nine on the Gospel Songs chart.[3]

Singers Beyoncé, Mariah Carey,[4] and Faith Evans have named Clark Sheard and her sister Twinkie Clark as musical influences.

  1. ^ "Clark-Sheard's Twitter". Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  2. ^ "The Clark Sisters Fan Club". Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  3. ^ "Crazy Praise – Karen Clark Sheard". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  4. ^ Jones, Steven. "An interview with Karen Clark Sheard". GospelFlava.com.