When Gospel Royalty Graces the Stage, the Night is ‘Golden’
Gospel music’s “Golden Girls” sang their hits, laughed with the crowd and turned the symphony center into a sanctuary at Together We Sing, Wednesday night. The Clark Sisters‘ time on stage was just as dazzling as their fashion. The gospel legends who were the featured artists came to Dallas to sing and send a message of unity and grace. The annual event shines a light on the breadth of black music, both sacred and secular. The “Together We” vision focuses on driving inclusion and developing unity in shared spaces. It is insufficient and grossly disingenuous if our commitment to exist in separate spaces. Unity as the abiding principle and accompanying power to doing great things together. Coming together in a place less frequented by gospel music listeners gave them a chance to experience sights and sounds in a performance hall, played by chamber musicians, elevated by and accompanied by artistry beyond the sound of Sunday morning.
Your Hosts of Together We Sing
Taking place during black music month and with Juneteenth as a backdrop, the event is a celebration of what unity sounds like and not merely an optical illusion. People of all faiths and backgrounds come together to enjoy, experience, and contribute to a night of unified vision and purpose. The monumental concert punctuates a day of Dallas area activist acknowledgment. This year, Together We awarded the Project Activist Award to Almas Muscatwalla, Co-Founder of Faith Forward Dallas. Timothy Powers, Senior Counsel at Haynes Boone received the Project Unity Advocate Award and Michael Hinojosa, Chief Impact Officer of Engage2Learn and Former Superintendent of Dallas ISD received the Project Unity Legacy Award. Also honored during the concert were Linda Searight, founder of recording group “God’s Property”, Dallas businessman and philanthropist Roland G Parrish, President & CEO of Parrish Restaurants, Founder of the Parrish Charitable Foundation and 95th Linz Award recipient and choral director Clark Joseph, conductor of the 200 Voice chorus.
Performances by award-winning recording artist Blessing Offor, Ethan Kent, Kim Kenny Green and Certrell Russell kept the crowd on their feet between performances by The Clark Sisters. The crowd was ready to capture each moment in song by the Clarks, who didn’t disappoint but cautiously tiptoed down memory lane. With such an extensive catalog, each carefully curated song and meticulously crafted arrangement by Maestro Leon Lacey, the concert crescendoed at just the right time, concluding with a resounding reprise of the unforgettable, “Praise the Lord” (Hallelujah).
A Moment of Remembrance, A Time of Tribute
Derrick Walker performed a piece during the “Piano and Poets” segment of the concert, in tribute to the late composer, artist and producer, Shaun Martin. The closing lines of the piece also honored and mentioned the late Jimmy Wyatt and the late Quennel Gaskin, other locally based, yet globally celebrated artists. Perhaps the greatest influence of 20th century musicians, Quincy Jones was honored and given tribute, as well.
Our ‘Golden’ Moment
No recollection of Together We Sing 2025 would be replete without mention of Jacky, Dorinda, Karen or Twinkie. The formidable foursome proved why they have such staying power. Their songs have stayed blessed listeners for decades and the group has enjoyed success and longevity like only a few other gospel artists. Their 50+ years career span has garnered them the nickname “The Golden Girls” with a legacy that grows with time. Fans young and old bellowed out the unforgettable melodies with fervor, filling the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center with praise. Solange Knowles brought The Clark Sisters to Houston’s Eldorado Ballroom for her Glory to Glory concert series, to rousing reviews. However, Wednesday night’s concert endeared the gospel legends to their friends, fans and family in Dallas. Before taking their final bow, Jacky Clark-Chisolm took a moment to celebrate Dr. Myron Williams and Leon Lacey, who were the first musicians under her direction as a national choir director in the Church of God in Christ. Each sister has served in national leadership roles and Karen Clark-Sheard is currently the 1st Lady of the Church of God in Christ, the largest Black Pentecostal denomination in the United States and fifth largest denomination in the United States.
Virtuosos in Tandem
“All Hail the Queen!” The undisputed queen of the Hammond B-3 organ accompanied her sisters, singing many of the songs that came from her soul to our ears for years. One young man lived the dreams of musicians all over the world as he, along with Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark, accompanied the world-famous Clark Sisters with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. His expressions, though unique to him, are vicarious, expressing what anyone would feel and experience in the presence of royalty as he was. Seated at the organ bench, Twinkie Clark remains enthroned as the lone gospel female organist in the Hammond Hall of Fame.
