Mighty Clouds of Joy

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Mighty Clouds Of Joy
Background information
Also known as	"The Temptations of Gospel" and "Bunker Hill"
Origin	Los Angeles, California USA
Genre(s)	gospel music, disco
Years active	1960-present
Label(s)	Light, Peacock, Epic, ABC, Word, Myrrh, Intersound, EMI Gospel
Members
Joe Ligon, Richard Wallace, Michael McCowin, Wilbert Williams, Johnny Valentine, Ron Staples
Former members
Paul Beasley, Elmo Franklin, Dwight Gordon, Johnny Martin, Michael Cook, Ermant Franklin, Leon Polk

The Mighty Clouds of Joy is the world's best selling gospel quartet. They are based in Los Angeles, California. Group members included Joe Ligon, Johnny Martin (d. 1987), Elmo Franklin, Richard Wallace, Leon Polk and David Walker (who also recorded several tracks with Link Wray under the name "Bunker Hill"). 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 Philadelphia soul czars 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.