The Mighty Clouds of Joy

Three-time Grammy Award winners and Gospel Music Hall of Fame legends, The Mighty Clouds of Joy have established themselves as one of the longest-standing gospel groups (over 45 years now) with over 35 albums under their belts and shows that have run the gamut from the church-house to the White House. More than a Gospel legend, the “Clouds” are nothing less than a national treasure. Born and raised in rural Alabama, Mighty Clouds founder and lead singer, Joe Ligon, moved to Los Angeles joining with several classmates (including Johnny Martin, who stayed with the Clouds until his death in 1987) as well as Richard Wallace (still a member of the Clouds today.) By 1960, the Mighty Clouds had a major Gospel record deal, with a hit single and album flying up the charts. Adding bass, drums, and keyboards to the previously sparse traditional quartet accompaniment of a lone electric guitar, plus colorful matching outfits and a smooth, choreographed stage presence, the Clouds became major Gospel innovators from the start. Moving to then-giant ABC Records in 1974 brought the first of a decade-long string of R&B-flavored Gospel hits. Even as they began to work a steady rotation of major secular venues, the Clouds never shied away from their identity as a devoutly Gospel group. The Mighty Clouds of Joy, like no act before them, carried the Gospel message into the age of modern R&B and urban music that is today a cornerstone of the genre. Ligon and Wallace, are joined by longtime members and vocalists Mike Cook and Ron Staples; with Johnny Valentine, Orick Ewing, Alfred Hudson, and Ervin “Big Man” Williams making up the band. Joe Ligon says the word “retirement” is not even a part of his vocabulary. “We’ve achieved every dream I ever held in my life,” says Ligon. “Folks find something in Gospel that they don’t find in any other kind of music, and it changes their lives. They know Christ is real— even though they’ve never seen Him— because they can feel His presence in Gospel music. Just to be used by Him like that, even in a small way…who could ever ask for anything greater than that?”

$40/30/20/15. $5 Discount for Outpost Members available in person only with valid Outpost Member Card. No Member passes. Tickets available at Lensic Box Office in person or by phone (505)988-1234; online at ticketssantafe.com; or at The Outpost Performance Space in person 10am-2pm, M-F; or by phone 268-0044