| Cheryl Clemons | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble |
| Also known as | "Coko", Cheryl Clemons |
| Born | June 13, 1970 |
| Origin | Bronx, New York, United States |
| Genres | Gospel, urban Gospel, R&B, hip hop soul, dance, new jack swing, house |
| Occupations | singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1990 - present |
| Labels | RCA, Light/Artemis |
| Associated acts | Sisters With Voices |
| Website | CokosPlace.com |
Cheryl Elizabeth "Coko" Clemons (born June 13, 1970) is an American gospel and R&B singer, and lead singer of R&B group Sisters With Voices (SWV).
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Clemons began her recording career as a choir member in Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Tabernacle Choir.[1]
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). Though many stories circulated as to why SWV disbanded, it was Coko herself who made the final decision.[2] In an interview, she said it was not a mutual decision and that many people tried to convince her to stay. She states that her reason for leaving was that the group was not communicating well and that she felt she would do better with a solo career.[2]
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, 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 once 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, she has 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, Jaylon. She currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
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.
Coko was reported to have joined an all-black touring cast performing the critically acclaimed play The Vagina Monologues, along with Sherri Shepherd, Star Jones, Vanessa L. Williams, and others.[5] In June 2008, Coko performed in Japan for the Billboard Live Tour. She sang some of her solo hits "Sunshine", "Clap Your Hands", and the SWV song "Right Here/Human Nature".
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 featured in the XXL 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 4, 2008, Coko returned with SWV to perform some of their hits for the local DJ Kid Kutts' birthday.[7]
As SWV was in the midst of new shows for early 2011, Coko posed for a shoot in Jackson, Mississippi with photographer Will Sterling. The photos show off the singer's curvaceous figure in fashionable gowns, set against the natural beauty of the Mississippi Delta.[8]
| Year | Album | Chart positions[9] | Release notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | U.S. Gospel | |||
| 1999 | Hot Coko
|
68 | 14 | — |
|
| 2006 | Grateful
|
— | 40 | 5 |
|
| 2008 | A Coko Christmas
|
— | — | — |
|
| 2009 | The Winner In Me
|
— | 55 | 4 |
|
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot |
U.S. R&B |
U.S. Gospel |
UK | |||
| 1997 | "Men in Black" (with Will Smith)1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | Men in Black: The Album |
| 1999 | "Sunshine" | 70 | 19 | — | — | Hot Coko |
| "Triflin'"(with Eve) | — | 69 | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "I Get Joy" (with Kirk Franklin) | — | — | 20 | — | Grateful |
| "Clap Your Hands" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Endow Me" (with Fantasia, Faith Evans, and Lil' Mo) | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "Wait" (featuring Youthful Praise) | — | — | — | — | The Winner In Me |
| 2010 | "The Winner In Me" | — | — | — | — | |
1U.S. Airplay charts
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