Coko
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| Cheryl Clemons | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Cheryl Gamble |
| Also known as | "Coko" Cheryl Clemons |
| Born | June 13, 1973 |
| Origin | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States |
| Genre(s) | Gospel, urban Gospel, R&B, hip hop soul, dance, new jack swing, house |
| Occupation(s) | singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1990-1998, 2005-2007, 2008-(Occasional Tour Spots) (With SWV) 1999-Present (Solo) |
| Label(s) | RCA, Light/Artemis |
| Associated acts | Sisters With Voices |
| Website | CokosPlace.com |
Cheryl "Coko" Clemons (born Cheryl Gamble on June 13, 1973) is an American Gospel and R&B singer, and was lead singer of R&B group Sisters With Voices (SWV).
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[edit] Musical career
Clemons began her recording career as a choir member in Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Tabernacle Choir. [1]
[edit] Sisters With Voices
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Why SWV disbanded
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From 1990 to 1998, Coko sang with the platinum recording group, Sisters With Voices (SWV). Altogether the group issued 6 albums. After their 1998 Christmas album SWV disbanded. Two compilation albums were release after the disbanding; Greatest Hits (1999) and the Best of SWV (2001).
[edit] Solo career
After SWV disbanded, Coko went on to release her first solo album under RCA, titled Hot Coko, released August 1999. The first single, "Sunshine," which was dedicated to her son Jazz (son of Digable Planets' member Butterfly)[citation needed], reached the Top 40 position in the R&B charts that summer. However, both the album and singles did not gather the same mainstream success as Coko one did with SWV. Meanwhile, Coko was working on a second solo album titled Music Doll in early 2001, but RCA closed the Black music division and the project was shelved. Since then, the singer concentrated more on her family, and eventually married gospel producer and drummer for Israel and New Breed, Mike "Big Mike" Clemmons, the father of her second son, Jalen.
In 2001 Coko and her Mother Lady "Clyde" Tibba Gamble did a remake of the song "Tears in Heaven" (originally recorded by Eric Clapton) on the album Rhythm and Spirit: "Love Can Build a Bridge". The album featured other artists such as Jennifer Holliday, Patti Labelle, and Tramaine Hawkins. Clemons sang on the Brent Jones & TP Mobb single "Midnite" in 2002. She also appeared on Youthful Praise's 2003 gospel album Thank You For The Change singing lead on "Up There".
Coko's full Gospel solo debut, Grateful, was released in the United States on October 31, 2006 [3] and debuted at #5 on Billboard's Top Independent albums chart. [1] Grateful includes an all-star cover of The Clark Sisters' "Endow Me" which features R&B singers Faith Evans, Fantasia Barrino and Lil Mo. [4] An alternate version, minus Faith Evans was performed on BET's Celebration of Gospel '07. A special edition of Grateful only available through Wal-Mart includes two bonus tracks "I Wish" and Brent Jones' "Midnite" featuring Coko on lead vocals.
Most recently, Coko was reported to have joined an all-black touring cast performing the critically-acclaimed play The Vagina Monologues along with black actresses like Sherri Shepard, Star Jones, Vanessa Williams, and others. [5]. Also it's been rumored that Coko is releasing her first R&B song in 8 years titled Face to Face with fellow R&B crooner Case which is going to be a song on Tyler Perry Meet The Browns.
[edit] Reuniting with SWV
- Main Article: Sisters With Voices
Coko reunited with SWV and performed during their first live performance in eight years in Los Angeles for urban radio station KKBT 100.3 "The Beat"'s Summerjam concert on August 20, 2005. They also appeared on the 2006 New Jack Reunion Tour. SWV was recently featured in the "XXL Hip-Hop Soul Magazine" where they discussed single releases from their debut album It's About Time. In the interview, Clemons mentioned that the group would no longer perform sexually-explicit songs such as "Downtown" and "Can We" anymore out of a new respect for her beliefs as a Christian. The group's final performance took place in Toronto in late June 2007. [6]
On April 4th, 2008,Coko returned with SWV to perform some of their hits for the local Dj Kid Kutts' birthday. [7] Little is known if they are back together.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album information |
|---|
Hot Coko (RCA Records)
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Grateful (Light/Artemis)
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[edit] Other performances
- Will Smith: "Men In Black (featuring Coko)" Men In Black Soundtrack (Columbia, 1997)
- LSG: "All The Times (featuring Faith Evans, Coko, & Missy Elliott)" (Elektra, 1997)
- Johnny Gill & Coko: "Fire and Desire" Booty Call Soundtrack (Jive, 1997)
- Coko: "He Be Back" Why Do Fools Fall In Love Soundtrack (Elektra, 1999)
- Tevin Campbell: "Everything You Are (featuring Coko)" (Qwest, 1999)
- Brent Jones & TP Mobb: "Midnite (featuring Coko)" (EMI Gospel, 2002)
- Coko: "Easy Lover" Urban Renewal: The Songs of Phil Collins (Atlantic, 2003)
- Youthful Praise: "Up There (featuring Coko)" (Evidence Gospel, 2003)
- Onitsha: "My Life" (featuring Mary Mary and Deborah Cox) (Stillwaters Records, 2007)
- Case & Coko: "Face To Face" Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns soundtrack (Atlanta Records, 2008)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Coko Debuts At #5 On Billboard Chart. GospelCity.com (November 08, 2006).
- ^ a b Rosen, Craig (1999-07-21). Coko Talks About SWV Breakup. Yahoo Music. Retrieved on 2006-12-18.
- ^ Interview with Coko: A New Beginning. GospelFlava.com.
- ^ Bonner, Gerald. Grateful Album Review. GospelFlava.com.
- ^ STAR JONES, SHERRI SHEPHERD IN 'MONOLOGUES': New black version of 'Vagina Monologues' to begin tour next month.. EURweb (January 9, 2008).
- ^ The Black Shakespeare Chronicles — The Rebirth of Coko. GospelCity.com (January 23, 2007).
- ^ SWV returns to Toronto 2008 DJ Skimpy and Kid Kutts birthday (April 4, 2008).
- ^ Coko Chart History. Billboard.com.
[edit] External links
- CokosPlace.com
- Coko at MySpace - (official site)
- Coko at Allmusic
