Joe Ligon | |
|---|---|
 Ligon in concert | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Willie Joe Ligon |
| Born | October 11, 1936 Troy, Alabama |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Died | December 11, 2016 (aged 80) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Genres | Traditional gospel |
| Occupation | Member of Mighty Clouds of Joy |
| Years active | 1955-2012 [1] |
Willie Joe Ligon (October 11, 1936 - December 11, 2016), known professionally as Joe Ligon, was an American gospel singer. [2] He was the lead singer for the Mighty Clouds of Joy. [3]
Willie Joe Ligon was born in Troy, Alabama on October 11, 1936. [4] [5] His father was a gospel quartet singer, and his grandfather was a preacher. [6] He started singing when he was just a boy, performing with his cousins in Troy. [7] At the age of 14, he visited an uncle in Los Angeles and decided to stay. He enrolled at Thomas Jefferson High School, and in 1955, he started the group Mighty Clouds of Joy. [6] Ligon recalled in 1985 that he was inspired to form the group after seeing Rev. Julius Cheeks, of the Sensational Nightingales, perform at a concert in Los Angeles. [8] In the 1960s, Ligon turned down an offer from Sam Cooke to help him establish a career as a pop music singer, with Cooke writing and producing songs for him. [6]
Some of the highlights of his career include performing with B. B. King, Ray Charles, appearing on The Mike Douglas Show, and Ligon along with his group, were the first gospel act to appear on Soul Train. [7] He appeared on television specials with Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Flip Wilson and Lou Rawls. [9] Ligon and his band also opened for Al Green, the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind and Fire and Paul Simon. [6] [10] Ligon and his group earned three Grammy awards for best traditional soul gospel performance during his career. [6]
Ligon married Peggy Reece in 1968. In 2016, he died at the age of 80. He was buried in Beaumont, Texas, where his wife was originally from. [11]
Samuel Cooke was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distinctive vocals, pioneering contributions to the genre, and significance in popular music. During his eight-year career, Cooke released 29 singles that charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Pop Singles chart, as well as 20 singles in the Top Ten of Billboard's Black Singles chart. In 1964, he was shot and killed by the manager of a motel in Los Angeles. After an inquest and investigation, the courts ruled Cooke's death to be a justifiable homicide. His family has since questioned the circumstances of his death. Cooke is included on Billboard's 2015 list of the 35 greatest R&B artists of all time.
Robert Dwayne Womack was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career spanned more than 60 years and multiple styles, including R&B, jazz, soul, rock and roll, doo-wop, and gospel.
Andraé Edward Crouch was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as "the father of modern gospel music" by contemporary Christian and gospel music professionals, Crouch was known for his compositions "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power", "My Tribute " and "Soon and Very Soon". He collaborated on some of his recordings with famous and popular artists such as Stevie Wonder, El DeBarge, Philip Bailey, Chaka Khan, and Sheila E., as well as the vocal group Take 6, and many popular artists covered his material, including Bob Dylan, Barbara Mandrell, Paul Simon, Elvis Presley and Little Richard. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was known as the "go-to" producer for superstars who sought a gospel choir sound in their recordings; he appeared on a number of recordings, including Michael Jackson's "Man In the Mirror", Madonna's "Like a Prayer", and "The Power", a duet between Elton John and Little Richard. Crouch was noted for his talent of incorporating contemporary secular music styles into the gospel music he grew up with. His efforts in this area helped pave the way for early American contemporary Christian music during the 1960s and 1970s.
Louis Allen Rawls was an American baritone singer. He released 61 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably the song "You'll Never Find Another Love like Mine". He also worked as a film, television and voice actor. He was a three-time winner of the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance Grammy Award.
Peacock Records was an American record label, founded in 1949 by Don Robey in Houston, Texas, United States.
James Edward Cleveland was an American gospel singer, musician, and composer. Known as the "King of Gospel," Cleveland was a driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound by incorporating traditional black gospel, soul, pop, and jazz in arrangements for mass choirs.
The Chambers Brothers is an American psychedelic soul band, best known for their eleven-minute 1968 psychedelic soul hit "Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions with modern psychedelic and rock elements. Their music has been kept alive through frequent use in film soundtracks. There were four brothers, though other musicians were also in the group.
The Persuasions were an American a cappella group that formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1962, singing under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their style combined gospel, soul, early rock, and jazz into melodic five-part harmonies. Since being discovered by Frank Zappa, the Persuasions have released 23 studio albums to date.
The Blind Boys of Alabama, also billed as The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, and Clarence Fountain and the Blind Boys of Alabama, is an American gospel group. The group was founded in 1939 in Talladega, Alabama, and has featured a changing roster of musicians over its history, the majority of whom are or were vision impaired.
The Mighty Clouds of Joy were an American traditional gospel music quartet.
Tramaine Aunzola Richardson, known professionally as Tramaine Hawkins, is an American award-winning Gospel singer whose career spans over five decades. Since beginning her career in 1966, Hawkins has won two Grammy Awards, two Doves, and 19 Stellar Awards.
Little Johnny Taylor was an American blues and soul singer. He made recordings throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and continued public performances through the 1980s and 1990s.
Chalmers Edward "Spanky" Alford was an American gospel, jazz, and neo-soul guitarist. Alford was born in Philadelphia. He was well known for his playing style, utilizing chord embellishments. He had an illustrious career as a gospel quartet guitar player in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with groups such as the Mighty Clouds of Joy. His most notable contributions are to the D'Angelo album Voodoo, and his contributions to music from other popular artists including Tupac Shakur, Roy Hargrove, and The Roots.
Theodore Taylor, also known as Ivory Lucky, was an American blues singer.
Lee Williams and The Spiritual QC's was an American quartet gospel group originating from Tupelo, Mississippi, which has been in existence since 1968. The group started recording around 1970. The gospel quartet included Lee Williams as lead singer, Al Hollis as guitarist and background vocal, Patrick Hollis as background singer, Leonard Shumpert as second lead vocalist, and new full-time bassist Tommie Harris. Lee Williams was the co-lead singer along with Willie Ligon.
Willie Chambers is an American singer, guitarist, and former member of The Chambers Brothers, a rock band in the 1960s with hits "In The Midnight Hour", "I Can't Turn You Loose", and "Time Has Come Today". He continues to be a regular attraction at various venues in Los Angeles and further afield.
Doris Troy is an album released in 1970 on the Beatles' Apple Records label by American soul singer Doris Troy. It features songs written by Troy and a number of the participants on the sessions, including George Harrison, Stephen Stills, Klaus Voormann and Ringo Starr. Through the extended period of recording, the album became an all-star collaborative effort, typical of many Apple projects during 1968–70, although it was Troy's only album on the Beatles' label. Other guest musicians included Billy Preston, Peter Frampton, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton and members of the Delaney & Bonnie Friends band. Like the Harrison-produced single "Ain't That Cute", Doris Troy failed to chart in Britain or America on release.
James Woodie Alexander II, was an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and entrepreneur who was a key figure in the development of gospel and soul music, most notably through his close association with Sam Cooke.
David Walker, better known by his stage name Bunker Hill, was an American rhythm & blues, rock and gospel singer.
Clay Hammond was an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter. As well as recording in his own right, he is most notable for writing "Part Time Love", a no.1 R&B chart hit in 1963 for Little Johnny Taylor.
