Donnie McClurkin

Donnie McClurkin, born Donald Andrew McClurkin Jr. on November 9, 1959, in Copiague, New York, is an American gospel singer, minister, and Broadway performer. His recording career spans decades and has yielded sales of over 13 million albums, earning him recognition from Variety as a "Reigning King of Urban Gospel." Among his awards are three Grammy Awards, ten Stellar Awards, two BET Awards, two Soul Train Awards, one Dove Award, and one NAACP Image Award.

McClurkin's childhood was marked by significant hardship. When he was eight years old, his two-year-old brother was struck and killed by a speeding driver. Around the same period, McClurkin experienced childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a great uncle and, later, by that great uncle's son. Two of his sisters struggled with substance abuse. During these years, he found stability through church attendance and through an aunt who sang background vocals with gospel musician Andraé Crouch. As a teenager, McClurkin formed the McClurkin Singers and subsequently the New York Restoration Choir, with recordings dating to 1975. He released three albums with the New York Restoration Choir before pursuing a solo career.

His Broadway career includes an appearance in 1987 in Don't Get God Started. On the recording side, a relationship with a Warner Alliance executive led to his signing with the label and the release of his 1996 self-titled debut LP. The album was produced by Bill Maxwell, Mark Kibble of Take 6, Cedric and Victor Caldwell, and Andraé Crouch, and featured the song "Stand," which became one of his most enduring recordings. The disc went gold following public praise from Oprah Winfrey. "Stand" and "We Fall Down" both received heavy rotation on gospel and urban radio. At the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, McClurkin won Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album for Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs.

His subsequent albums continued to perform strongly on the charts. Live in London and More reached near double-platinum sales. Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs followed in 2005, and We All Are One: Live in Detroit arrived in 2009, topping Billboard charts across multiple genres. His 2014 collaborative album Duets featured artists including Erica and Tina Campbell of Mary Mary, Fred Hammond, John P. Kee, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Tramaine Hawkins, Israel Houghton, and Tye Tribbett, debuting at No. 45 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the Gospel Billboard charts. The Journey, released in 2016 as his seventh solo project, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart and included live performances of "Speak to My Heart," "Great Is Your Mercy," "Stand," and "That's What I Believe." His 2019 release, A Different Song, debuted at No. 2 on the Gospel Billboard charts. In 2025, McClurkin released the single "Better Afterwhile," which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart and led the Gospel Airplay chart. Recorded live at Trinity Broadcasting Network Studios, the song was written by McClurkin and produced by Tre' Corley and Trent Phillips. McClurkin announced the single as the lead release for a forthcoming final studio album titled Finally, his first full-length project since 2019.

In his live performances, McClurkin regularly incorporates a language medley sung in Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and Dutch. His television appearances include Good Morning America, CBS's The Early Show, The View, Girlfriends, and The Parkers, and he has appeared in the films The Fighting Temptations and The Gospel. In 1998, he wrote and sang "I Am" and "Humanity" for The Prince of Egypt. In 2009, he launched the cable television series Perfecting Your Faith. A radio syndication deal brokered by Tom Versen and Tony Sisti of T&T Creative, in partnership with Dial Global Local and syndicator Gary Bernstein, brought his voice to listeners nationally, with T&T Creative providing a mobile recording studio for use at his church and on the road.

On the ministry side, McClurkin was hired as an associate minister at Marvin Winans' Perfecting Church in Detroit, Michigan, in 1989, serving in that capacity for over a decade. In 1991, he experienced a sharp pain, swelling, and internal bleeding that he has described as leading to a diagnosis of leukemia; he was 31 at the time and chose not to pursue the treatment his doctor recommended. Winans ordained McClurkin in 2001 and sent him to establish Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, New York, where he serves as senior pastor.

McClurkin has a son, Matthew, born in 2000. He is also related to singer Marsha McClurkin of the new jack swing group Abstrac. In 2018, he survived a serious road accident after losing consciousness while driving. In January 2026, McClurkin was sued for sexual assault by Giuseppe Corletto, a former personal assistant who worked with him from 2004 to 2008. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, states that Corletto met McClurkin in 2003 after reading his autobiography and became his assistant in 2004, and that within two years McClurkin began to grope him during sessions described as "pray the gay away." The lawsuit further states that the abuse occurred at Perfecting Faith Church and during work trips, and that following an alleged assault in 2013, McClurkin sent an email in which he allegedly referred to himself as a "dirty old man." McClurkin's attorney stated the allegations were "categorically false."