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It’s been an incredible run for one
of Gospel music’s best known and
most revered artists of the last
half century. The amazing Mighty
Clouds Of Joy have been churning
out memorable church music for over
45 years, from their unceremonious
days in Southern California to their
current status as International pop
icons.
 Outlasting
legends like The Caravans and
Sam Cooke, the Mighty Clouds
of Joy are still riding the mighty
high and there’s no sign of them
losing momentum. Much like today’s
luminaries – Kirk Franklin,
Yolanda Adams and Mary
Mary – Joe Ligon and the
Clouds were responsible for making a
likeable impression with music fans,
who had no affinity nor interest in
the church. Their trendsetting
suits and cutting-edge choreography
caused a buzz that could be heard
from coast to coast.
Joe Ligon, the heart and soul of the
group, has been the unofficial voice
and showman of the Mighty Clouds Of
Joy, with his gleaming stage
presence and tried-and-tested
vocals. With songs like Ride The
Mighty High and I’ve Been
Through The Storm Too Long, the
Clouds have found a diverse audience
that includes both glove-wearing
Sunday parishioners and i-pod goatee
sporting music heads. Whether
you’re a Bible-totin’ believer or a
prolific digital downloader, you’ve
probably heard a tune from the
Clouds that still gets you shoutin’.
BLACKGOSPEL.COM
spoke with Joe Ligon, the man who’s
given a voice and face to the Clouds
since its early days doing the
‘store-front’ church circuit in Los
Angeles, California. His delightful
stories and original insights add up
to a memorable interview with a
living legend.
Christopher Heron:
Joe, the first question I’ve got to
ask goes back to the late 1950’s
when The Mighty Clouds of Joy
started with Johnny Martin,
Richard Wallace and Elmo
Franklin. All of you came from
all parts of the U.S.: Louisiana,
Georgia, you, of course, from
Alabama, and Johnny from Los
Angeles. What brought the four of
you together in Los Angeles?
Joe Ligon:
I met another gentleman who went on
the road with me; he’s now a
professor and a preacher out in
California. I met him in junior
high school. His name was Jerome
Brown. Jerome knew I was a
singer so he invited me to
rehearsals. Johnny Martin and I
first met at rehearsal. Now we were
all from different groups in
Southern California, at the time.
The original Mighty Clouds of Joy
consisted of members from three
different groups from Los Angeles
Rich Wallace was singing with his
relatives, Johnny Martin was singing
with a local group down in Los
Angeles, and I had met Jerome Brown
in junior high school. Before we
really teamed up as The Mighty
Clouds of Joy, we would all sing on
the same programs in the city. We
all liked each other and would watch
one another. We picked the best
singers from different groups and
formed The Mighty Clouds of Joy
CH:
Whose idea was it to name the group
– The Mighty Clouds Of Joy - and
what was the inspiration?
JL:
There was an older gentleman who’s
deceased by the name of Dale
Goldsmith. He gave me the name
because I was the first one to make
the record to get us going. There
was another group at that time in
Los Angeles called the Clouds of
Joy. So when they quit, he said we
shouldn’t just be called Clouds of
Joy. We should be called the Mighty
Clouds of Joy. That is a unique
name, when you think about it.
We started rehearsing two nights a
week, and luckily enough, a
gentleman who played Gospel music
came to our rehearsal one night and
heard me sing. He said, ”My God,
you sound wonderful. You could make
it. Would you like to make a
record?” This was something I had
prayed for and I said, “Ooh la.” He
then said, “Cut me a demo.” We cut
a demo on reel-to-reel back in those
days and signed on to Peacock
Records. Don Reuben,
Houston, Texas, had the big groups
like the Blind Boys, Sensational
Nightingales and the Dixie
Hummingbirds. Our first record
was Steal Away To Jesus.
That record was so good. It was so
different from anything else out
there. People started asking other
groups that traveled across the
country like The Caravans, The
Davis Sisters, The Nightingales
and The Blind Boys, “who is
that group?” They said that little
group is from our label. We began
to get feedback about what the
groups were saying. Promoters
started looking for us. Our big
program was in Raleigh-Durham, North
Carolina. It was the anniversary of
the famous Dixie Hummingbirds.
It was jam packed; there were 5,000
people there. The people were
saying “Wow, what a group.”
It began to be said there was a
group out of California that was
unique. They move onstage, they
dress different - they just got it!
CH:
The Mighty Clouds Of Joy formed a
reputation not only for being gifted
singers, but for having
choreographed moves. You were later
dubbed ’The Temptations of
Gospel music.’ Who introduced the
idea of choreography in your
performance?
 JL:
I did! We knew we could do
everything The Temptations did. But
that’s not the reason I did it. Our
record was Steal Away to Jesus,
[sings I ain’t got long to stay
here]. We had never heard anyone
who did it fast ‘cause most people
sing it [he sings the song slow].
We
were the first group to sing it fast
with the beat.
I told the guys that since we dance
so different, why not do some steps?
So every time we said “Steal away…”
we slid to the left, “Steal away…”
we slid to the right, “Steal away…”
we slid to the left again, come back
to the middle then we turned around
and came back to the mike.
CH:
You guys always did things
differently, not only from the way
you moved but also using
instruments. In the 70’s, you
performed with mainstream artists
like Marvin Gaye, The Rolling
Stones and Paul Simon.
How was that received? Did you –
Joe - feel comfortable performing
with Pop artist, as you did with
Gospel artists?
JL:
I felt a little different performing
with secular artists because I
didn’t know what the public was
going to say. We sang with James
Brown, Aretha Franklin and the
Rolling Stones. We were used to
singing what we sang. The promoter
told us not to worry about it. He
said many doors were going to open.
We started to play at places like
Carnegie Hall, Music Hall and the
Kennedy Center. A lot of the R&B
audiences saw us. They went home
and said “Mama, we saw a Gospel
group and they were different. They
didn’t just stand there and sing;
they had choreography!” Don
Cornelius called us to go on
Soul Train. We kind of
got in a kettle because we were
doing contemporary songs on national
TV before it was cool.
CH:
Joe, it’s been 45 years as a member
of the Mighty Clouds Of Joy and
you’re still in the game, as a
living legend in Quartet Gospel
music. You’ve been an inspiration
to a lot of artists. Who has been
inspirational to you as an artist
and as a minister of Gospel music?
JL:
There were two of them and both are
gone. Rev. Julius Cheeks,
the lead singer for the
Sensational Nightingales, was an
awesome lead singer, one of the best
I’ve ever heard. The other person
was Sam Cooke. Sam was a
personal friend of mine; in fact I
was with him two nights before he
got killed. He tried to get me into
R&B. I didn’t want to do that; I
was far more comfortable singing
Gospel music and he understood that.
But Sam Cooke was a Gospel sex
symbol; the women went crazy, even
when he sang Gospel. When he went
into R&B, I saw he had that
personality to work the audience, he
had that unique voice. It was
perfect. When he sang, you could
understand every word, crystal
clear. I watched his mannerisms.
He would talk to people; he would
talk to everybody. He wouldn’t hide
from you. He’d sign your
autographs. I said when I get my
group I want to be like these guys,
lovable, good onstage. They were
different and those two artists were
my mentors, Rev. Julius Cheeks and
Sam Cooke. I wanted to be somewhat
similar to him but in my own style.
CH:
You’ve done some incredible works,
you know Grammy award winning
albums. I think of Cloud Burst,
God is Not Dead…
JL:
You know them all!
CH:
Yeah, yeah, you know the first one,
‘A Bright Side’ and in later
years like Power on
Intersound and The Mighty Clouds
Above. You’re on EMI now and
you’ve just released your new
project – In The House Of The
Lord...Live In Houston, your
hometown. Is it still The Mighty
Clouds of Joy or are you taking some
of what you’re hearing today and
reinterpreting it?
JL:
It’s still The Mighty Clouds of Joy,
I feel better about this project
than I do about any recording in 25
years. What (Sanchez Harley) said
is true. He said “Joe, I’m supposed
to produce you on EMI. I’m going to
make you the biggest record you ever
had.” I laughed because we have had
some great records. But you know,
now I’m not laughing because the
reaction we’re getting from this
record, there’s no limit about how
big this record can be!
I’m just excited, I haven’t been
this excited ‘bout a project with
the Clouds in many years. My whole
group is excited, my band is
excited. They want to rehearse.
They are ready to sing and deliver
it onstage like we did at the
recording. I’m also glad to hear
how you’ve kept up with the Clouds
through the years and how you know
all our records. I’m gonna tell you
the exact truth, and I don’t know
how I mean this. It feels like
we’re going to be reborn. And you
know we’ve done a lot…the Stellars,
the Grammys, the Doves. But it
feels like we’re reborn. I looked
at people through the night and saw
something that I haven’t seen on
people’s face in a long time. I saw
that look!
I saw it years ago; I thought “You
see those people, see the reaction?”
It wasn’t like “Oh that’s The
Mighty Clouds, I seen them many
times, they’re good. They were like
“Wow, this group has re-arrived!”
It’s really exciting, this is going
to be good!
CH:
It’s been about fifty years for you
as an artist and performer. Do you
still get excited singing in front
of crowds, still witnessing for the
Lord? Or has your performance
matured to a point where you take
everything in stride?
JL:
I feel very energized, even though I
have to travel and do interviews in
Oklahoma, Virginia, D.C. and
Maryland. When I see the smiles on
people’s face, I know we’re doing
something special. I think about
all the people who come and say, “I
made it through a critical time;
I had a little record player
and played your music or “When it
was your music, I made it through
prison.” One man said, “I was gonna
kill myself. Then I heard somebody
in a record saying, ‘I’m now saved,
born again and I’m preaching.’”
Things like that to me is better
than money. I just love what I do.
That’s the bottom line. For more
information on the Mighty Clouds Of
Joy, visit
www.emigospel.com.
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