businessman, as well as a pastor. He helped
me. He said, come on let's do this. You've
been wanting to do this. Let's do this." Now,
after years of going from label to label, and
pushing through the hard times, she, with the
help of God, has control of her destiny.
To look at Karen, coming from a famous
family, with gifted children doing big things,
along with all the prestigious singing and
songwriting awards under her belt, you might
forget that it hasn't always been smooth
sailing. "I'm not going to say my journey was
easy. It wasn't. But if you can still keep your
eye on the prize and keep God first, you can
be what you want to be, or what you aspire to
be. But many people don't realize how
powerful it is to have God as first priority in
your life."
Karen obviously does understand, and has
understood even from the beginning of her
solo career when she received a potentially
lucrative offer to abandon gospel. "When I
was asked to do a solo record in the secular
world, I was like, wow all these things are
coming to the table and the enemy is really
trying to trick me. And I was like, out of all
people, who would ask me to venture out on
my first solo effort to the secular world? So,
I'm like, wait, OK, now God, you're gonna
have to help me. I know my standards and I
know how I grew up. I know I have morals in
representing God," and she has instilled those
same morals and values in her children, Kierra
and J. Drew, who are both executives at
Karew Records.
From early on, they were groomed and
molded in the ways of God, and are now
walking in their own calling. "I'm not saying
that my children didn't come to a rebellious
phase, but their teaching made that phase
lighter," Karen explains, "because they knew
what was put in them. They knew that
holiness was instilled in them. [I told them]
you're going to church! And now, they get up
on their own, and they're like, nope, I've got to
go to church. God comes first. God is my
priority. So, it's in them, and when I'm on the
road, I'm not as worried [as I once was],
because I know, OK, it's in them now."
As I listened attentively to the CEO of Karew
Records, I got to know a genuinely tender,
reserved, soft-spoken, and authentic woman,
who seems ready to reveal even more of
herself this year. "This record is gonna talk
about who I am," says Karen, "and all of the
hats that I wear. I'm a First Lady, a wife, a
mother, and I'm a business woman... so it's
just all about the people knowing me."
You can keep up with Karen Clark Sheard
online at www.KarewRecords.com.
me. He said, come on let's do this. You've
been wanting to do this. Let's do this." Now,
after years of going from label to label, and
pushing through the hard times, she, with the
help of God, has control of her destiny.
To look at Karen, coming from a famous
family, with gifted children doing big things,
along with all the prestigious singing and
songwriting awards under her belt, you might
forget that it hasn't always been smooth
sailing. "I'm not going to say my journey was
easy. It wasn't. But if you can still keep your
eye on the prize and keep God first, you can
be what you want to be, or what you aspire to
be. But many people don't realize how
powerful it is to have God as first priority in
your life."
Karen obviously does understand, and has
understood even from the beginning of her
solo career when she received a potentially
lucrative offer to abandon gospel. "When I
was asked to do a solo record in the secular
world, I was like, wow all these things are
coming to the table and the enemy is really
trying to trick me. And I was like, out of all
people, who would ask me to venture out on
my first solo effort to the secular world? So,
I'm like, wait, OK, now God, you're gonna
have to help me. I know my standards and I
know how I grew up. I know I have morals in
representing God," and she has instilled those
same morals and values in her children, Kierra
and J. Drew, who are both executives at
Karew Records.
From early on, they were groomed and
molded in the ways of God, and are now
walking in their own calling. "I'm not saying
that my children didn't come to a rebellious
phase, but their teaching made that phase
lighter," Karen explains, "because they knew
what was put in them. They knew that
holiness was instilled in them. [I told them]
you're going to church! And now, they get up
on their own, and they're like, nope, I've got to
go to church. God comes first. God is my
priority. So, it's in them, and when I'm on the
road, I'm not as worried [as I once was],
because I know, OK, it's in them now."
As I listened attentively to the CEO of Karew
Records, I got to know a genuinely tender,
reserved, soft-spoken, and authentic woman,
who seems ready to reveal even more of
herself this year. "This record is gonna talk
about who I am," says Karen, "and all of the
hats that I wear. I'm a First Lady, a wife, a
mother, and I'm a business woman... so it's
just all about the people knowing me."
You can keep up with Karen Clark Sheard
online at www.KarewRecords.com.
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after she was called in and said y'all just keep
going and don't let nothing stop you! Keep going
as long as God has doors opening for you,
despite the criticism and despite people pulling
you down. And I watched that for years. We
have cried and watched my mother cry. I have
even seen my mother go to bed at night saying,
Lord why me? And she'd wake up the next
morning and say, you know what? I'm going to
prayer meeting. I'm still gonna strive through
this. I'm still gonna work in my church. I love
my church. She has been a great example. She
prepared us to follow in her footsteps and carry
along the legacy," says Karen. Even in the face
of adversity and personal hardship, Karen's
mother, who trained choirs nationally, showed
her girls what it meant to keep moving forward.
"A lot of times, my mother wasn't there,
because she had to work. My mother was a
single parent. I think she got divorced around
the time I was 18, and I saw how much
determination she had raising her children, her
girls, by herself, and how unselfish she was."
Even though Karen knew she was loved, many
times she missed her mother and longed for her
to be home.
"My mother, back in the day, was out of town
so much, but yet, she loved her children and
cared for us, and provided for us, and I don't
take that away from her. Still, I think about me
being out of town all these days, and I [at times
have] felt regret because I know how I felt
when I wanted my mother to be there for me in
my teenage years."
Seeing firsthand the hardship of divorce on her
mother, and the grueling demands of single
motherhood, Karen made a request of the Lord.
"The one thing that I prayed is, God give me a
man that loves you more than he loves me.
Because if he loves you, he's gonna be
God-fearing, and he's gonna be careful how he
treats me." From the looks of it, God answered.
going and don't let nothing stop you! Keep going
as long as God has doors opening for you,
despite the criticism and despite people pulling
you down. And I watched that for years. We
have cried and watched my mother cry. I have
even seen my mother go to bed at night saying,
Lord why me? And she'd wake up the next
morning and say, you know what? I'm going to
prayer meeting. I'm still gonna strive through
this. I'm still gonna work in my church. I love
my church. She has been a great example. She
prepared us to follow in her footsteps and carry
along the legacy," says Karen. Even in the face
of adversity and personal hardship, Karen's
mother, who trained choirs nationally, showed
her girls what it meant to keep moving forward.
"A lot of times, my mother wasn't there,
because she had to work. My mother was a
single parent. I think she got divorced around
the time I was 18, and I saw how much
determination she had raising her children, her
girls, by herself, and how unselfish she was."
Even though Karen knew she was loved, many
times she missed her mother and longed for her
to be home.
"My mother, back in the day, was out of town
so much, but yet, she loved her children and
cared for us, and provided for us, and I don't
take that away from her. Still, I think about me
being out of town all these days, and I [at times
have] felt regret because I know how I felt
when I wanted my mother to be there for me in
my teenage years."
Seeing firsthand the hardship of divorce on her
mother, and the grueling demands of single
motherhood, Karen made a request of the Lord.
"The one thing that I prayed is, God give me a
man that loves you more than he loves me.
Because if he loves you, he's gonna be
God-fearing, and he's gonna be careful how he
treats me." From the looks of it, God answered.
glean from media soundbites, and their own
words shared during performances, sermons,
and keynote addresses.
But, do we really know the women behind the
music we love, the sermons we embrace, and
the public images we see? Once the makeup,
stilettos, jewelry, and fancy threads come off,
are we familiar with the stripped down, real
people underneath it all?
With the exception of those who have close
personal relationships with God's leading
ladies, the answer is no. We don't know them.
We don't know their journey, or the numerous
struggles they have faced to stand in the place
they presently occupy. So when the opportun-
ity comes along to know the person behind the
perception, it is a rare privilege of the sort I
recently had when I chatted with Karen Clark
Sheard, the youngest in the legendary group,
The Clark Sisters.
It was around 10:15 on a Friday morning
when, Karen, who was sick that day, sat
down for a very open and transparent one-
on-one chat with EEW Magazine.
The first thing I did was ask about her health.
"I suffer with Vertigo a couple times of year,"
she told me in a semi-faint voice. "It makes me
feel dizzy," she explained, which is a common
feeling among sufferers. It creates a sensation
that the room is spinning, even though nothing
is actually moving.
"I'm so sorry to hear that," I told her, feeling
badly that she had to sit through our interview.
"If you need to stop, just let me know," I
added. But stopping isn't something Karen gets
to do often. In fact, even though she was
feeling poorly that morning, directly after our
interview, she had to leave to attend a funeral
service for a deceased member at Greater
Emmanuel Institutional Church of God In
Christ in Detroit, where her husband,
Superintendent J. Drew Sheard is Pastor.
Needless to say, it wasn't a good day. But had
you been sitting in on our talk, you would have
never known it. The sought-after recording
artist with range and dizzying vocal agility that
mesmerizes audiences around the world, was
gracious, warm, sweet, and most importantly,
honest about her personal journey to a level of
success achieved by few in the gospel music
industry.
With the launch of her very own record label,
Karew Records (In partnership with EMI),
which she co-administrates with her husband,
Karen is excited to be releasing her first solo
album from her own label entitled, All In One,
scheduled to hit stores nationwide on April 6th.
No doubt, she is living her dreams, but the
road has been fraught with challenges, one of
them being her own struggle with extreme
shyness. "I have always been shy," she says.
"First of all, I'm the baby girl of the family and
that has a lot to do with it, because everybody
fought for me. I had big sisters that spoke up
for me," says Karen, which made it challeng-
ing for her to step out on her own, since she
had become so dependent upon her sisters for
support. But a good stern talk from one of
them helped a lot.
"One of my older sisters told me, she said,
you've gotta come out of that, because you're
walking into your own. She said, you're gonna
be doing interviews on your own now and
we're not gonna be around. You've gotta get
out there! And when she said that to me, I felt
like, wow! I'm really out here, but I know
God's not gonna leave me alone."
This pep talk served as the impetus for Karen
to finally branch out, along with words of
wisdom from her mother "The First Lady of
Gospel," the late Dr. Mattie Moss Clark.
words shared during performances, sermons,
and keynote addresses.
But, do we really know the women behind the
music we love, the sermons we embrace, and
the public images we see? Once the makeup,
stilettos, jewelry, and fancy threads come off,
are we familiar with the stripped down, real
people underneath it all?
With the exception of those who have close
personal relationships with God's leading
ladies, the answer is no. We don't know them.
We don't know their journey, or the numerous
struggles they have faced to stand in the place
they presently occupy. So when the opportun-
ity comes along to know the person behind the
perception, it is a rare privilege of the sort I
recently had when I chatted with Karen Clark
Sheard, the youngest in the legendary group,
The Clark Sisters.
It was around 10:15 on a Friday morning
when, Karen, who was sick that day, sat
down for a very open and transparent one-
on-one chat with EEW Magazine.
The first thing I did was ask about her health.
"I suffer with Vertigo a couple times of year,"
she told me in a semi-faint voice. "It makes me
feel dizzy," she explained, which is a common
feeling among sufferers. It creates a sensation
that the room is spinning, even though nothing
is actually moving.
"I'm so sorry to hear that," I told her, feeling
badly that she had to sit through our interview.
"If you need to stop, just let me know," I
added. But stopping isn't something Karen gets
to do often. In fact, even though she was
feeling poorly that morning, directly after our
interview, she had to leave to attend a funeral
service for a deceased member at Greater
Emmanuel Institutional Church of God In
Christ in Detroit, where her husband,
Superintendent J. Drew Sheard is Pastor.
Needless to say, it wasn't a good day. But had
you been sitting in on our talk, you would have
never known it. The sought-after recording
artist with range and dizzying vocal agility that
mesmerizes audiences around the world, was
gracious, warm, sweet, and most importantly,
honest about her personal journey to a level of
success achieved by few in the gospel music
industry.
With the launch of her very own record label,
Karew Records (In partnership with EMI),
which she co-administrates with her husband,
Karen is excited to be releasing her first solo
album from her own label entitled, All In One,
scheduled to hit stores nationwide on April 6th.
No doubt, she is living her dreams, but the
road has been fraught with challenges, one of
them being her own struggle with extreme
shyness. "I have always been shy," she says.
"First of all, I'm the baby girl of the family and
that has a lot to do with it, because everybody
fought for me. I had big sisters that spoke up
for me," says Karen, which made it challeng-
ing for her to step out on her own, since she
had become so dependent upon her sisters for
support. But a good stern talk from one of
them helped a lot.
"One of my older sisters told me, she said,
you've gotta come out of that, because you're
walking into your own. She said, you're gonna
be doing interviews on your own now and
we're not gonna be around. You've gotta get
out there! And when she said that to me, I felt
like, wow! I'm really out here, but I know
God's not gonna leave me alone."
This pep talk served as the impetus for Karen
to finally branch out, along with words of
wisdom from her mother "The First Lady of
Gospel," the late Dr. Mattie Moss Clark.
today's most influential
Black Christian women
leaders, is molded by
what we see when they
ften, our perception of
attend public events, the
tidbits of information we
Black Christian women
leaders, is molded by
what we see when they
ften, our perception of
attend public events, the
tidbits of information we
"One time my mother told me, you never
know when it's gonna be your last time to
speak. You never know when it's gonna be
that opportunity, if it's an interview, or you're
on stage, give it all you have! And ever since
my mother told me that, it was like, I gained
strength. That was actually in my mother's
sick days then, and I said if I don't do this for
nobody, I'm gonna do it for God first, then,
my mother."
The more Karen and I talked, I saw how
much she had been molded and shaped, not
just by her mother's teaching, but by her
personal struggles." I have really seen my
mother suffer. She has been fought by people
right in the organization. There was a time
know when it's gonna be your last time to
speak. You never know when it's gonna be
that opportunity, if it's an interview, or you're
on stage, give it all you have! And ever since
my mother told me that, it was like, I gained
strength. That was actually in my mother's
sick days then, and I said if I don't do this for
nobody, I'm gonna do it for God first, then,
my mother."
The more Karen and I talked, I saw how
much she had been molded and shaped, not
just by her mother's teaching, but by her
personal struggles." I have really seen my
mother suffer. She has been fought by people
right in the organization. There was a time
"We've been married 26 years and my husband
still treats me like a queen to this day," she
says dotingly of the one she also credits with
helping her realize her dream of owning her
own record label. "I've always wanted to have
my record company and I always said back in
the day that, one day I'm gonna make my own
decisions. I'm going to be my own CEO. So, I
have to give it to my husband who is a great
still treats me like a queen to this day," she
says dotingly of the one she also credits with
helping her realize her dream of owning her
own record label. "I've always wanted to have
my record company and I always said back in
the day that, one day I'm gonna make my own
decisions. I'm going to be my own CEO. So, I
have to give it to my husband who is a great
when we (The Clark Sisters) went on the
Grammy Awards and they looked at us as though
we were sinners. My mother was called in
because of her being on the Grammy Awards
with us, because one of my sisters wasn't able to
go on there, and she had to take her place,
because my sister was sick. She looked at us
Grammy Awards and they looked at us as though
we were sinners. My mother was called in
because of her being on the Grammy Awards
with us, because one of my sisters wasn't able to
go on there, and she had to take her place,
because my sister was sick. She looked at us
Dianna Hobbs is Founder & Editor In Chief of EEW
Magazine.
Magazine.
Article & Interview by Dianna Hobbs, Editor In Chief
Karen Clark Sheard at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards
held at Staples Center on January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles,
California. Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
held at Staples Center on January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles,
California. Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
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