Mighty Clouds of Joy

Mighty Clouds of Joy
Also known as	"The Temptations of Gospel"
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	gospel, disco
Years active	1960–present
Labels	Light Peacock Epic ABC Word Myrrh Intersound EMI Gospel CBS Dunhill/ABC Records
Website	Official website
Members
Joe Ligon Richard Wallace Michael McCowin Wilbert Williams Johnny Valentine Ron Staples Ronald Clark
Past members
Artis Turnbough (d. 1999) Paul Beasley Elmeo Franklin Dwight Gordon Johnny Martin Michael Cook (d. 2008) Ermant Franklin Leon Polk Hamp Carlton Tony Jeter

The Mighty Clouds of Joy is an American gospel quartet.

Career

The Mighty Clouds of Joy were formed in 1960 and started out in a tradition-based style. Eventually they added soul, R&B, and rock flourishes into their musical mix (one of their early hits was produced by Gamble and Huff) without diluting the essential religious essence of their material. The long-lived group flourished throughout the rest of the 20th century, scoring numerous Grammy Awards and nominations, as well as several hit albums along the way.

Based in Los Angeles, California, the original group members include Joe Ligon, Johnny Martin (died 1987), Ermant Franklin Jr., Artis Turnbough (d. 1999), Elmo Franklin (d. 2008), Richard Wallace, Rodney Hamilton, Leon Polk and David Walker (who also recorded several tracks with Link Wray under the name "Bunker Hill").

Discography

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Albums

• Steal Away To Jesus (Peacock, 1960)
• A Bright Side (Peacock, 1961)
• The Best Of The Mighty Clouds Of Joy (Peacock/ABC 1973) (Reissue-MCA)
• It's Time (Dunhill/ABC 1974)
• Kickin' (ABC 1975)
• The Truth Is The Power (ABC 1977) (Reissue-Myrrh)
• Live And Direct (ABC 1977)
• The Very Best Of The Mighty Clouds Of Joy (ABC 1978)
• Changing Times (Epic/CBS, 1979)
• Cloudburst (Myrrh/CBS, 1980)
• Request Line (Myrrh/Word 1982)
• Sing and Shout (Myrrh/Word, 1983)
• Night Song (Word, 1989)
• Power (Intersound, 1995)
• I Want to Thank You (EMI Gospel, 2002)
• In The House Of The Lord: Live In Houston (EMI Gospel, 2005)
• Movin' (EMI Gospel, 2007)
• At The Revival (EMI Gospel, 2010)
• 50 Year Celebration (EMI Gospel, 2011)

Singles

• "Amazing Grace" (1975); US#3 R&B#4 UK#15 US Hot Dance Club Play #2
• "Mighty High" (1976); US Hot Dance Club Play #1

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

External links

• Mighty Clouds of Joy at Allmusic
• The Mighty Clouds of Joy official website