Early life

McClurkin was born in South Carolina and raised in Amityville, on Long Island. When he was eight years old, his two-year-old brother was hit and killed by a speeding driver. Soon after the loss, McClurkin experienced family turmoil due to the loss of his brother and shortly there after he was a victim of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of his great uncle, and years after that by his great uncle's son. Two of his sisters dealt with substance abuse problems, and that's when the young McClurkin found solace in his going to a church; and, also through an aunt of his who sang background vocals with gospel music musician, Andraé Crouch. By the time that he was a teenager, he had formed the McClurkin Singers, and later he formed another group, the New York Restoration Choir.

Ministry

He was hired, as an associate minister, at Marvin Winans' Perfecting Church in Detroit, in 1989. McClurkin served as an assistant to Winans for over a decade.

In 1991, a sharp pain and swelling, followed by internal bleeding led, he says, to his being diagnosed as having leukemia. The doctor suggested immediate treatment, but McClurkin, who was then 31, decided to take his own advice. "I tell people to believe that God will save you," he says, " I had to turn around and practice the very thing that I preached."

He was ordained and sent out by the Winans in 2001 to establish Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, New York, where he is now Senior Pastor.

Music

A friendship with a Warner Alliance executive resulted in his signing to the label for his 1996 self-titled LP, with producers Bill Maxwell, Mark Kibble of Take 6, Cedric and Victor Caldwell plus Andraé Crouch. The disc, which featured the perennially popular "Stand," 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". McClurkin is best known for his hit songs "Stand" and "We Fall Down" which were played in heavy rotation on both Gospel and Urban radio. His three solo albums have topped the Billboard charts.

Dovetailing off the success of his near double-platinum selling album,"Live in London and More" McClurkin released "Psalms,Hymns and Spiritual Songs" in 2005 and "We All Are One: Live In Detroit" in 2009 which also topped Billboard charts across various musical genres. McClurkin's love for people and desire to share gospel music,globally, is why he includes a language medley:Japanese, Russian, Spanish, and Dutch in most live performances.

Radio and television

Tom Versen and Tony Sisti of T&T Creative signed 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 can also take on the road. He 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 people."

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

Criticism of sexual orientation

McClurkin, in 2002, told a Christian website that, due to the sexual abuse, he had struggled with homosexuality, although there's no evidence he was ever homosexual. He also said that he had rejected that lifestyle: "I’ve been through this and have experienced God’s power to change my lifestyle. I am delivered and I know God can deliver others, too."

In 2013, McClurkin was "asked not to attend" a ceremony in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, in Washington, DC, in which he had been scheduled to appear as a featured performer. A spokesman for the city mayor stated "The Arts and Humanities Commission and Donnie McClurkin’s management decided that it would be best for him to withdraw because the purpose of the event is to bring people together," but McClurkin denied having agreed, stating the mayor had "uninvited me from a concert where I was supposed to headline."

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album	Chart peaks			Certifications
1996	Donnie McClurkin Released: October 29, 1996 Label: Warner Alliance	—	—	4	RIAA: Gold
2003	Again Released: March 4, 2003 Label: Verity Records	31	12	1	RIAA: Gold
2004	Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs Released: October 26, 2004 Label: Zomba Label Group	12	5	1	RIAA: Platinum
2014	Duets Release Scheduled: February 28, 2014 Label: RCA Inspirational	45	—	4

Live albums

Year	Album	Chart peaks			Certifications
2000	Live in London and More... Released: August 22, 2000 Label: Verity Records	69	22	1	RIAA: Platinum
2008	We All Are One (Live in Detroit) Released: December 2, 2008 Label: Verity Records	26	7	1

Compilation albums

Year	Album	Chart peaks
2001	The Collection Released: May 29, 2001 Label: Savoy	—	—
2007	The Essential Donnie Released: September 25, 2007 Label: Verity Records	—	10
2009	Playlist: The Very Best of Donnie McClurkin Released: September 15, 2009 Label: Verity/Legacy Recordings	57	9
2010	Donnie McClurkin: Double Play Released: 2010 Label: Verity Records	—	—

Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions		Album
1996	"Stand"	—	—	Donnie McClurkin
	"Speak To My Heart"	—	—
2000	"We Fall Down"	40	—	Live in London and More...
2003	"The Prayer"	—	—	Again
2005	"I Call You Faithful"	—	1	Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs
	"Ooh Child"	—	13
2006	"Church Medley"	—	13
2009	"Wait on the Lord"	—	13	We All Are One (Live in Detroit)
2013	"I Am Amazed"	—	15	Duets

Videography

• Live in London and More... (VHS) (2001)
• Again (VHS) (2004)
• Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs (VHS) (2005)

Music Videos

• "Stand"
• "We Fall Down"
• "The Prayer"
• "Ooh Child"

Filmography

• Hopeville (2007)
• The Gospel (2005)
• The Prince of Egypt (1998) wrote and sang "I Am" & "Humanity"
• 25 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary Special
• The Donnie McClurkin Story: From Darkness to Light (2004)
• Apollo at 70: A Hot Night in Harlem (2004)
• The Fighting Temptations (2003)

Notable television appearances:

• Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (2012)
• CNN Saturday Morning (2012)
• CNN Pierce Morgan Tonight (2012)
• BET Sunday Best Judge (2012)
• Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (2011)
• BET Awards-performance (2011)
• BET Sunday Best -Judge (2011)
• BET Sunday Best - Judge (2010)
• 25th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards-Hosted (2010)
• 24th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards-Co-Hosted (2009)
• An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Stevie Wonder (2006)
• 20th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards (2005)
• 19th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards (2004)
• 18th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards Preshow (2003)
• 17th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards (2002)
• Essence Awards (2003)
• The Parkers (2002)
• Girlfriends (2001)
• 1st Annual BET Awards (2001)
• Essence Awards (2001)
• An Evening of Stars: A Celebration of Educational Excellence (2001)

Awards

Over his storied career, McClurkin has won a number of awards, including three Grammy Awards, two BET Awards and two Soul Train Music Awards.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]