0
Kierra Sheard
Kierra Sheard
American singer
1
The Clark Sisters
The Clark Sisters
American gospel vocal group
2
Twinkie Clark
Twinkie Clark
American musician
3
Dorinda Clark-Cole
Dorinda Clark-Cole
American singer
4
Donald Lawrence
Donald Lawrence
American musician
5
Kirk Franklin
Kirk Franklin
American musician
6
Richard Smallwood
Richard Smallwood
American singer
7
Mary Mary
Mary Mary
American contemporary gospel duo
8
Thomas Whitfield
Thomas Whitfield
American gospel singer
9
Kim Burrell
Kim Burrell
American musician
10
Tramaine Hawkins
Tramaine Hawkins
American gospel singer
11
Byron Cage
Byron Cage
American musician
12
BeBe & CeCe Winans
BeBe & CeCe Winans
American musical duo
13
J. Moss
J. Moss
American musician
14
Vickie Winans
Vickie Winans
American singer and songwriter
15
James Cleveland
James Cleveland
American musician
16
Anita Baker
Anita Baker
American singer-songwriter
17
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
American singer, songwriter, and pianist
18
Tamia
Tamia
Canadian musician and singer
19
The Winans
The Winans
20
Deniece Williams
Deniece Williams
American singer
21
Philip Bailey
Philip Bailey
American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter, percussionist and actor
22
Fred Jerkins III
Fred Jerkins III
American musician
23
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
American musical duo
24
Faith Evans
Faith Evans
American recording artist; singer
25
Erma Franklin
Erma Franklin
American recording artist; gospel and soul singer
26
The Pointer Sisters
The Pointer Sisters
American vocal group from Oakland, California
27
Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams
American gospel singer and actress
28
Angie Stone
Angie Stone
American singer and actress
29
Carl Carlton
Carl Carlton
Popular American Singer-Songwriter
30
Warryn Campbell
Warryn Campbell
American singer and songwriter
31
Al Green
Al Green
American singer
32
CeCe Peniston
CeCe Peniston
American singer
33
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers
American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group
34
Andraé Crouch
Andraé Crouch
American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor (1942-2015)
35
Mattie Moss Clark
Mattie Moss Clark
American singer
36
Mary Wells
Mary Wells
American pop/soul singer
37
Coko
Coko
American singer (b. 1970)
38
Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Barrino
American actress and singer
39
Kelly Price
Kelly Price
American songwriter, singer
40
CeCe Winans
CeCe Winans
American singer
41
En Vogue
En Vogue
American vocal band from Oakland, California
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Erica Campbell
Erica Campbell
American singer-songwriter
43
Omarion
Omarion
American rapper
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Della Reese
Della Reese
American actress and singer
45
Ledisi
Ledisi
American R&B and jazz recording artist, songwriter and actress.
46
Mississippi Mass Choir
Mississippi Mass Choir
musical artist
47
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & the Pips
American R&B/soul band
48
The Emotions
The Emotions
American vocal group from Chicago, Illinois
49
Honey Cone
Honey Cone
band
50
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire
American band
51
SWV
SWV
American vocal group from New York City, New York
Karen Clark Sheard
American musician and songwriter

Karen Clark Sheard

Intro
American musician and songwriter
Record Labels
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Karen Valencia Clark Sheard (née Clark; born November 15, 1960) is an American Grammy Award-winning Gospel singer, musician, songwriter, and business woman. Clark-Sheard is the wife of the current Church of God in Christ Presiding Bishop J. Drew Sheard and she serves as the current First Lady of the COGIC denomination. Clark–Sheard is best known as the youngest member of influential gospel group the Clark Sisters. Clark–Sheard is also the mother of contemporary gospel singer and actress Kierra "Kiki" Sheard. She has released five solo albums, seventeen with the Clark Sisters and collaborated with her son J.Drew Sheard II and her daughter Kierra Sheard.

During the hiatus of the Clark Sisters, Clark–Sheard rose to fame after she recorded her critically acclaimed and much anticipated solo album Finally Karen, which spawned her hit, "Balm in Gilead" (a re-recording of a song she originally recorded as part of the Clark Sisters back in the 1980s for their Heart & Soul album) the R&B-flavored "Just For Me" and "Nothing Without You" – a contemporary duet with R&B diva Faith Evans. Finally Karen became one of the most successful gospel albums of 1998 earning Sheard a Grammy nomination and earning her a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for "Best Female Vocalist"

After her debut album success and much touring, Clark–Sheard was hospitalized in 2001 after one of her blood vessels burst during a cosmetic procedure, resulting in doctors giving her a 2% chance of survival. Her testimony inspired the title name for her long-awaited sophomore project, 2nd Chance released in 2002. Clark–Sheard recorded two more live albums, including The Heavens Are Telling and It's Not Over (which featured some studio recordings), before releasing All in One, Clark–Sheard's first all-studio-recorded album in 13 years. The album debuted at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Chart and #98 on Billboard's Top 200 albums chart, while its first single "Prayed Up" has so far peaked at #9 on the U.S. Billboard Gospel Songs chart.

Singers Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Faith Evans, SWV, Jovan Lacroix, Blu Cantrell, Lil' Mo, Missy Elliott, Kelly Price, Kanye West and Fantasia all count Karen Clark-Sheard as one of their vocal influences.