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  • A trailblazer of the gospel mass choir movement, Mattie Moss Clark was a gifted singer, musician, arranger, songwriter, and director whose influence reshaped modern gospel music
  • In 1973, she organized her daughters as The Clark Sisters, who went on to international acclaim with hits like You Brought the Sunshine.
  • In 1968, she was appointed Director of the International Music Department for COGIC, serving more than 25 years and founding its International Mass Choir.

Saturday Night Live Gospel Song of the Night

Dr. Mattie Moss Clark was the mother to the Legendary Clark Sisters. here’s more about her.

A trailblazer of the gospel mass choir movement, Mattie Moss Clark was a gifted singer, musician, arranger, songwriter, and director whose influence reshaped modern gospel music. Born in Selma, Alabama, in 1925, she began playing piano at age six and quickly emerged as a musical leader in the church.

After moving to Detroit, Clark’s work with the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) helped define the sound of Pentecostal worship nationwide. As director of the Southwest Michigan State Choir, she led a series of groundbreaking recordings on Savoy Records in the 1960s, setting a new standard for live gospel choir albums. In 1968, she was appointed Director of the International Music Department for COGIC, serving more than 25 years and founding its International Mass Choir.

In 1973, she organized her daughters as The Clark Sisters, who went on to international acclaim with hits like You Brought the Sunshine. Over her lifetime, Clark wrote more than 100 songs, recorded more than 35 albums, founded the Clark Conservatory of Music, and mentored generations of artists.

Dr. Mattie Moss Clark passed away in 1994 and was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1997, leaving a legacy that continues to shape gospel music around the world.

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