DONNIE MCCLURKIN

Donnie’s Music Career

Donnie McClurkin’s close friendship with a Warner Alliance executive resulted in his signing to the label for his 1996 self-titled LP. 

The album featured the incredibly popular “Stand” and went gold shortly after being publicly lauded by Oprah Winfrey. At the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, he won in the category Traditional Soul Gospel Album for “Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs”. 

Donnie McClurkin is best known for his hit songs “We Fall Down” and “Stand”, which were played in heavy rotation on both Gospel and Urban radio. This exposure saw his three solo albums top the Billboard charts. 

Off the back of the success of his near double-platinum selling album, “Live in London and More” Donnie McClurkin released “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs” in 2005 and “We All Are One: Live in Detroit” in 2009. These albums were released to critical and commercial praise topping the Billboard charts across various musical genres. McClurkin’s desire to share gospel music globally, is the reason he includes a Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Dutch language medley in most live performances.

From 2D to 3D

Tom Versen and Tony Sisti of T&T Creative signed Donnie McClurkin to a radio syndication deal with advertising giant Dial-Global and syndicator Gary Bernstein. T&T Creative provided a mobile recording studio in Pastor Donnie’s church that he takes on the road to spread his faith outside his own community. 

On this development in his career, Donnie McClurkin is quoted as saying, “As much as I love music and singing, I really love doing radio and the direct feedback I get from my listeners all over the country. I never thought I would be having this much fun doing radio and I could touch and impact so many beautiful people.” 

In 2009, he also broadcast his own television series, Perfecting Your Faith, on cable television. He has also featured on Good Morning America, CBS’s The Early Show, The View, Girlfriends and The Parkers, and appeared in such films as The Gospel and The Fighting Temptations.

What’s Next for Donnie McClurkin?

After such a successful and fulfilling professional life, Donnie McClurkin has shifted his focus into nurturing and developing his personal life. 

In 2021, McClurkin in an interview on TV One’s Unsung, spoke about his relationship with partner Nicole C. Mullen, explaining that he had never had a long-term relationship and he believes that this, as well as his previous relationships with men and women, had made him oblivious about what women want in a relationship. 

Despite this and all the challenges in his life, McClurkin told TV One he has found joy. “Happiness is something that’s relative,” he said. “I’ve got joy. Joy is consistent. Happiness is based on what happens. But joy is a constant type of assurance that everything’s going to be OK.”