The Mighty Clouds of Joy

The Grammy Award winners Mighty Clouds of Joy were formed in Los Angeles during the mid-1950s by Joe Ligon and Johnny Martin. They are one of the greatest Gospel groups of all time, and still have the power to excite and inspire audiences after 40 years. They are one of the first quartets to incorporate movement and choreography into their act, and as a result have pushed spiritual music in new and unexpected directions with a traditional quartet vocal style throughout a period dominated by solo acts and choirs. The Mighty Clouds of Joy dipense a controversial brand of "funkified" Gospel music which is now accepted as the standard. Though more traditional members of Gospel audiences were critical, the Clouds stuck to their commitment to be different from the pack, and they reigned supreme. The group overflows with energy on stage, mesmerizing audiences with their musicianship without losing sight of their commitment to nourish the souls of their listeners, and the lyrics are always a very strong Gospel message.

The Mighty Clouds became the first gospel act ever to appear on television's Soul Train, where they performed their disco smash Mighty High. "We were very nervous that the public wouldn't understand our Soul Train performance," says Joe Ligon. "When our disco hit 'Mighty High' was played, we were shocked at the reaction of the kids dancing." Joe adds, "We were ahead of our time. Now it's one of our most requested songs. The diehard Gospel fans gave us flack like you wouldn't believe, it wasn't churchy enough for them. They said we'd sold out and gone funky." But the Clouds of Joy have indeed stuck to their guns, and have taken Gospel music to places it seldom has ever been. They have won three Grammy awards. The Clouds hold the upmost distinction of being the most highly visible of any Gospel act in history, performing on nearly every major television show in America, including "The Grammy Awards," "The Stellar Awards," "CBS Special," "Prime Time Country," "PBS Special," "The Johnny Cash Show," and "Lou Rawls Parade of Stars.

Joe Ligon is the group's highly talented leader who was born in Troy, Alabama. He began performing when a group of his singing cousins asked him to join them, and it was the beginning of one of the greatest careers in Gospel music. It was Joe's father who encouraged Live In Charleston's track single, "Meeting Tonight." According to Joe, his father would walk through the town shouting "There's gonna be a big meeting tonight with all the preachers." He was referring to what is now called a Revival, a week long Church service of fellowship, worship, and praise. Joe adds, "My father would shout throughout the town every August, 'There's gonna be a meeting tonight.'" "The president of Peacock liked 'Steal Away to Jesus,'" remembers Joe, "but he wanted me to add something to make it longer. I'd been listening to the Reverend C.L. Franklin on the radio for years, so I did this preaching kind of thing in his style to go along with our singing. That was different from what anybody else was doing, and it became our trademark." Today, the Mighty Clouds of Joy are still touring worldwide as they continue to stay true to their form of singing.

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