Early life and education Clark-Sheard was born
Karen Valencia Clark on November 15, 1960, in
Detroit, Michigan, the youngest child of Reverend Elbert Clark and
Dr. Mattie Moss Clark, a gospel choral director. The youngest of six children, Clark-Sheard's siblings are Leo,
Jacky,
Denise,
Elbernita "Twinkie" and
Dorinda. Clark-Sheard began singing gospel with her sisters at age 5 in what became known as
the Clark Sisters. For high school, Clark-Sheard attended
Mumford High School in Detroit, Michigan, graduating in 1978.
Career The Clark Sisters Debut album Clark-Sheard's involvement in the Island Inspirational All Stars' "
Don't Give Up" in 1996 (along with
Donald Lawrence,
Hezekiah Walker, and
Kirk Franklin) led to her signing with Island Records. Clark-Sheard's solo career began with the release of her debut album
Finally Karen in 1997. The album, consisting of half studio recordings and half live recordings, was nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 1998, won Clark-Sheard the Lady of Soul award for Best Gospel Album that same year and peaked at No. 28 and No. 2 on the
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and
U.S. Billboard Gospel Albums charts respectively.
2nd Chance After
Yolanda Adams, Clark-Sheard became the 2nd gospel artist to sign to
Elektra Records. She released her Elektra debut album
2nd Chance in 2002 (so named because of the "second chance" she was given by
God after her near-death experience – which is referenced in her daughter Kierra's song "
You Don't Know"). The album was led off by the single "Be Sure". The album reached No. 82 on the U.S.
Billboard 200, No. 27 on the U.S.
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart (her highest placements on those charts to date) and No. 2 on the U.S.
Billboard Gospel Albums.
The Heavens Are Telling The 2003 follow-up
The Heavens Are Telling (exactly six years after her heralded debut album
Finally Karen) came when Elektra Records was being dissolved into
Atlantic Records, and failed to match the commercial success of Clark-Sheard's previous albums, peaking 106 places below
2nd Chance at No. 188 on the U.S.
Billboard 200 – though it managed to reach No. 44 on the U.S.
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, a high No. 3 on the U.S.
Billboard Gospel Albums chart and was her first album to chart on the
U.S. Billboard Christian Albums chart, where it peaked at No. 11.
''It's Not Over'' In 2005, after a bidding war with several labels, Clark-Sheard signed with Word Records and issued ''
It's Not Over (originally titled Finally Karen Returns
), the sequel to her 1997 debut album Finally Karen'' was set to be released November 15, 2005, Clark-Sheard's 45th birthday, but was delayed and released the following year. Most of ''It's Not Over'' was recorded in 2005 at Karen's home church in Detroit, Michigan, while the last three tracks were studio-recorded. It was Clark-Sheard's first solo album not to feature guest vocals from her daughter (Kierra Sheard) and was the first to include production from
Israel Houghton – who handled the majority of the project. It charted at No. 124 on the U.S.
Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the U.S.
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. As the songwriter, on February 10, 2008, Clark-Sheard won the
Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song for "Blessed & Highly Favored" sung by
the Clark Sisters.
Karew Records, fifth album and present In early 2009, Clark-Sheard and her husband, J.Drew Sheard, partnered together and launched a new record label entitled
Karew Records (Karew being a combination of both their forenames: Karen and Drew, pronounced: Kuh-rue); Distribution is via EMI Gospel. The Clark Sisters' Christmas album – which was released in October 2009 – was the first project to be released from Karew Records. On January 31, 2010, Clark-Sheard won the
Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance for
Wait on the Lord which she was featured with
Donnie McClurkin. On April 6, 2010, Clark-Sheard released her fifth album (and first on her newly founded own record label – Karew Records) titled
All in One, which features additional vocals from her daughter Kierra Sheard, son J. Drew Sheard II, sister
Dorinda Clark Cole, niece Angel Chisholm and cousin
J. Moss. Her first all-studio-recorded album since her 2002 release
2nd Chance,
All in One debuted and peaked at No. 98 on the U.S.
Billboard 200 (her second highest charting on that chart to date) and No. 3 on the U.S.
Billboard Gospel Albums chart, while the album's lead single – "Prayed Up" – peaked at No. 9 and stayed over 22 weeks on the
U.S. Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart. Clark-Sheard released her latest single "Sunday A.M" in 2014, which was nominated for the
Best Gospel Song in the
57th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2015, Clark-Sheard released her sixth album,
Destined to Win. The album would become Clark-Sheard's highest charting and fastest selling album in her solo career, as well as her first live album since ''It's Not Over'' in 2006. In 2019, Clark-Sheard was in talks to play Kitty Parham, a member of the Famous Ward Singers in
Aretha Franklin's biopic
Respect. Karen was portrayed by her daughter,
Kierra Sheard in the
Lifetime TV biopic
The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, released April 11, 2020. ==Personal life==