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{{Short description|American gospel singer, musician and composer (1931–1991)}}
{{for-multi|the United States Representative|James Colgate Cleveland|the American football wide receiver|James Cleveland (American football)|the American jazz trombonist|Jimmy Cleveland}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name              = James Cleveland
| image             = Seum msu edu-museum-tes-gospel-gospel16 jpg .jpg
| honorific_prefix  = The Reverend
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = James Edward Cleveland
| birth_date        = December 5, 1931
| birth_place       = [[Chicago]], Illinois, U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|1991|2|9|1931|12|5}}
| death_place       = [[Culver City]], California, U.S.
| instrument        = [[Vocals]], [[piano]]
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Gospel music|Gospel]]|[[traditional black gospel]]|[[urban contemporary gospel]]|[[soul music]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Singer|musician|composer|arranger|recording artist|performer|music minister}}
| years_active      = 
| label             = <!--Labels are alphabetical order.-->[[BYG Actuel|Byg]], [[Philadelphia International Records|Gamble and Huff]], [[Sonorous Entertainment|HOB]], HRB Music Company, King James, [[Musidisc]], [[Nashboro Records|Nashboro]], Phoenix, [[Savoy Records|Savoy]], [[Sonorous Entertainment|Sonorous]], Soul Parade, [[States Records|States]], Thunderbird, [[UpFront Records|UpFront]]
| associated_acts   = <!--Associated acts in alphabetical order by first letter.-->[[Albertina Walker]], [[Roberta Martin]], [[The Caravans]], The Gospel All-Stars, The Gospel Chimes, The Gospelaires, The James Cleveland Singers, [[Southern California Community Choir]], [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Gospel Music Workshop of America]], The Angelic Choir, Salem Inspirational Choir, [[Charles Fold Singers]], New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir, Voices of Watts, The Craig Brothers, Henry Jackson, Quentella Caldwell, Marva Hines, Issac Whittmon, [[Sara Jordan Powell]], L.A. Gospel Messengers, Debbie Austin & Unity
}}

'''James Edward Cleveland''' (December 5, 1931 – February 9, 1991) was an American [[Black Gospel music|gospel]] singer, musician, and composer. Known as the "King of Gospel", Cleveland was a driving force behind the creation of the [[Urban contemporary gospel|modern gospel]] sound by incorporating [[traditional black gospel]], [[soul music|soul]], [[pop music|pop]], and [[jazz]] in arrangements for mass choirs.

Throughout his career, Cleveland appeared on hundreds of recordings and earned four [[Grammy Awards]]. He was the first gospel musician to earn a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]. He was inducted into the [[Gospel Music Hall of Fame]] in 1984.<ref>{{cite web|title=James Cleveland|url=http://hof.doveawards.com/speaker-lineup/james-cleveland/|website=Inductees Archive|publisher=Gospel Music Hall of Fame|access-date=14 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315003802/http://hof.doveawards.com/speaker-lineup/james-cleveland/|archive-date=15 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> For his trailblazing accomplishments, he is regarded by many as one of the greatest gospel singers who ever lived.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blackgospel.blogspot.com/2006/05/gospel-festival-to-honor-sounds-and.html |title=Gospel Festival to honor sounds and work of James Cleveland |date=May 28, 2006 |author=Cohen, Aaron |publisher=Tribune |access-date=March 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606085122/http://blackgospel.blogspot.com/2006/05/gospel-festival-to-honor-sounds-and.html |archive-date=June 6, 2008 |url-status=dead }} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/882889054 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/882888997 cite #2 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref>

His best known recordings include "Lord, Help Me to Hold Out", "Peace Be Still", "I Don't Feel No Ways Tired", “Where Is Your Faith", "The Love of God", "God Has Smiled on Me", and "Jesus Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me."

==Early life and career==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2023}}
Born in [[Chicago]], Cleveland began singing as a boy soprano at [[Pilgrim Baptist Church]] where [[Thomas A. Dorsey]] was minister of music<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Otis |date=2009-12-19 |title=James Cleveland (1931-1991) • |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/cleveland-reverend-dr-james-1931-1991/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[Roberta Martin]] was pianist for the choir. He strained his vocal cords as a teenager while part of a local gospel group; this was said to contribute to the distinctive, gravelly voice which became a hallmark of his later in his career.

As a teenager, Cleveland was a part of a missionary group, Soul Winners for Christ which was created by his teenage friend Jessie Jimerson Phillips. Phillips would go on in later years to write Roberta Martin's last recorded song, "I Have Hope". Soul Winners for Christ also included a young Richard D. Henton and was headquartered at Chicago's Greater Harvest Baptist Church; Louis H. Boddie was pastor. The change in his voice led Cleveland to focus on his skills as a pianist, and later as a composer and arranger. Also produced and co wrote songs with [[Aretha Franklin]] for her multi award and multi million sales best selling album ''[[Amazing Grace (Aretha Franklin album)|Amazing Grace]]''. With songs that included "Precious Memories", "God will take care of you" and "Mary Don't You Weep".

==Musical career==
{{More citations needed|section|date=July 2023}}

===The Gospelaires===
In 1950, Cleveland joined the Gospelaires, a trio led by Norsalus McKissick and Bessie Folk.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=David |date=2019-08-30 |title=Black Music: James Cleveland Sings the Horns off the Devil |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/black-music-james-cleveland-sings-the-horns-off-the-devil/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250303173108/https://www.villagevoice.com/black-music-james-cleveland-sings-the-horns-off-the-devil/ |archive-date=2025-03-03 |access-date=2025-06-28 |website=The Village Voice |language=en-US}}</ref> His arrangements modernized such traditional standards as "[[Old-Time Religion|(Give Me That) Old Time Religion]]" and "It's Me, O Lord". After the trio disbanded, an associate of the group, Roberta Martin, hired him as a composer and arranger. The song that brought Cleveland tremendous fame was his rendition of "Peace Be Still".

===Albertina Walker & The Caravans===
Cleveland went to work with childhood friend [[Albertina Walker]], founder of [[The Caravans]], as a composer, arranger, pianist, and occasional singer as well as a narrator.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120202095738/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-10-09/entertainment/ct-live-1009-albertina-walker-obit-20101009_1_bessie-griffin-inez-andrews-chicago-gospel-music-festival Profile], ''Chicago Tribune'', October 9, 2010.</ref>

The Caravans became the launching pad for today's gospel legends. Besides Cleveland, the group counted among its membership several gospel luminaries including [[Shirley Caesar]], known as the First Lady of Gospel; [[Cassietta George]], who co-wrote some of the group's best hits; Delores Washington; Josephine Howard, mother to R&B artist [[Miki Howard]]; [[Inez Andrews]], whose song "Mary, Don't You Weep" became a staple in the industry; [[Dorothy Norwood]], known as Gospel's Greatest Storyteller; James Heron; [[Loleatta Holloway]], who became a legendary dance recording artist in the late 1970s; and several others.

In November 1954, Walker provided Cleveland the opportunity to do his very first recording. By staying out of the studio for a while, she convinced [[States Records]] to allow him to record with her group. He continued to record with The Caravans until States closed down in 1957.<ref name="states">The United and States Labels Part II http://campber.people.clemson7-s.edu/unitedstates2.html{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Accessed August 12, 2009.</ref> Cleveland would later reunite with Walker in the late 1970s with two album releases: ''Reunion'', released in 1977, and the iconic classic ''Please Be Patient With Me'', released in 1979 with the Trinity All Nations Choir of Chicago. This album earned Walker her first gold record.

In 1959, he recorded a version of [[Ray Charles]]' hit "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" as a solo artist. By 1960, Cleveland, who had incorporated blues riffs in his work – and what [[Anthony Heilbut]] described as "sheer funkiness" – had become associated with a new tenor in gospel music. He became known by more than just the professionals within gospel music with his version of [[the Soul Stirrers]]' song, "The Love of God", backed by the Voices of Tabernacle from [[Detroit]]. The success and sensation of the song's recording led to a record contract with an historic label that would change his life forever.

===Savoy Records===
James Cleveland signed with the historic jazz label [[Savoy Records]] in 1962, going on to release a huge catalog of soul gospel recordings from that year until his death in 1991, many of which were recorded in a live concert setting. The live concert recording staple started with [[Reverend Lawrence Roberts]], pastor of the First Baptist Church in [[Nutley, New Jersey|Nutley]], [[New Jersey]], home of the famous Angelic Choir. Roberts liked the idea of capturing worship in song live on a recording where the listeners can feel and become of a part of the service. Working with Savoy's executive producer [[Fred Mendelsohn]], Cleveland and the Angelic Choir of Nutley released two albums before recording the iconic masterpiece, ''Peace Be Still'', in September 1963, which sold thousands of copies at that time and garnered Cleveland his first gold album. ''Peace Be Still'' also stayed on the ''Billboard'' charts for at least fifteen years after its release.

===The Cleveland Singers===
Cleveland moved to [[Los Angeles]] to become Minister of Music at Grace Memorial Church of God in Christ, where he attained even greater popularity working with keyboardist [[Billy Preston]] and the Angelic Choir of [[Nutley, New Jersey]]. He returned to touring with the newly organized James Cleveland Singers, which included Odessa McCastle, Georgia White, Eugene Bryant, and Billy Preston, among others. In 1964, Cleveland re-organized The James Cleveland Singers, which included Odessa McCastle, Roger Roberts, and Gene Viale (who was the first Latin-American to integrate soul gospel and sing with the Cleveland Singers).

In 1965, Cleveland added Clyde Brown and Charles Barnett to his group, which by then was traveling extensively throughout the United States and abroad into the late 1960s, performing in all major venues. This collaboration produced such recordings as "Heaven That Will Be Good Enough For Me", "Two Wings", and "The Lord Is Blessing Me Right Now".

Other singers were added in later years, including Marva Hines and renowned soprano soloist, Cleo Kennedy. They were mainstays until Cleveland's death in 1991.

===The Southern California Community Choir===
Cleveland capitalized on his success by founding his own choir, the [[Southern California Community Choir]]. After being nominated numerous times in previous years, James won his first Grammy Award with the Southern California Community Choir in 1975, for his 1974 album, ''In the Ghetto''.

He recorded several albums with SCC between the years of 1970 and 1990. Their most successful albums were the 1979 Grammy-nominated release, ''It's a New Day'', featuring the industry's signature staple, "God Is"; and their 1981 release, ''Where Is Your Faith''; among many others. His final Grammy Award was issued posthumously after his passing in 1991, for his final album with SCC, ''Having Church'', which features Cleveland's iconic rendition of [[Tramaine Hawkins]]' signature "What Shall I Do?", written and composed by [[Quincy Fielding]].

===Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church===
In November 1970, Cleveland founded his own ministry and church, Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, in Los Angeles which grew from ten to thousands of members throughout the remainder of his life. His first album with the church choir, The Voices of Cornerstone, was released in 1980, which featured a wonderful rendition by Cleveland of "Jesus, Lover of My Soul", and the title track, "A Praying Spirit", written by Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark and recorded by [[The Clark Sisters]]. The church choir's second album, ''My Expectations'', was released in 1981 to moderate acclaim. By the time of his death the church membership was over 7,000.

===James Cleveland Presents===
From the 1970s until 1990, Cleveland would bring together a number of artists to back him on appearances and records. He also continued to introduce, appear, and record with some of the most notable gospel choirs and independent artists of the time – many of whom became legends in their own right including The [[Donald Vails]] Choraleers (Detroit); The Harold Smith Majestics, with whom he recorded the classic "Lord, Help Me to Hold Out"; The Los Angeles Gospel Messengers, the last choir to record with Cleveland before he passed; New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir from [[Flint, Michigan]]; Henry Jackson; The Craig Brothers; The Salem Inspirational Choir from [[Omaha, Nebraska]], with whom he recorded the iconic staple "I Don't Feel Noways Tired"; [[Richard "Mr. Clean" White]]; Bishop [[Albert Jamison]] & the Triboro Mass Choir; Issac Whittmon; Marva Hines; Debbie Austin; The Fourth of May; Quentella Caldwell; [[Sara Jordan Powell]]; The Philadelphia Mass Choir; The Houston Mass Choir; The [[New Jersey Mass Choir]]; and the award-winning [[Charles Fold Singers]], from [[Cincinnati]], Ohio, with whom Cleveland recorded five albums, including the Grammy-winning 1979 release, ''Make Me an Instrument''.

Additionally, Cleveland himself backed other acts, contributing to the recordings of well-known artists such as [[Aretha Franklin]], Ray Charles, and [[Elton John]].

===Aretha Franklin's ''Amazing Grace''===
Cleveland also moved to Detroit in the 1960s to take a position as music director at the famed New Bethel Baptist Church, where [[C. L. Franklin]], father of the Queen of Soul, [[Aretha Franklin]], was pastor. In 1972, James collaborated with Aretha on her historic Grammy-winning and multi-million-selling album ''[[Amazing Grace (Aretha Franklin album)|Amazing Grace]]'', which is known as the Greatest Gospel Album of All Time. Recorded live at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in [[Watts, Los Angeles|Watts]] in Los Angeles, with his Southern California Community Choir,<ref name="Grieving2019">{{cite news |last1=Grieving |first1=Tim |title=Aretha Franklin's 'Amazing Grace' Gets LA Premiere In The Church Where It Took Place |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/04/07/710247560/aretha-franklins-amazing-grace-gets-la-premiere-in-the-church-where-it-took-plac |access-date=13 May 2019 |work=[[All Things Considered]] |date=April 7, 2019}}</ref> his feature on the album and Aretha's success as a pop artist made the album a historic landmark in gospel, and is still selling to this day, with a special CD re-release of ''The Complete Recordings'' (the unedited album recording session of the ''Amazing Grace'' project).

This historic recording was also filmed by director [[Sydney Pollack]] for an intended documentary release, but due to a technical issue of not using a [[clapperboard]] to synchronize the audio with the video, the film was deemed unusable, and was left shelved for the next 47 years.<ref name="Grieving2019"/> Before he died, Pollack authorized producer Alan Elliott to try to complete the film.<ref name="Grieving2019"/> Initially unaware of the sound synchronization problem, Elliot mortgaged his own house to buy the [[film negative]] from [[Warner Brothers]], but was able to use modern technology to bring audio and video together successfully.<ref name="Grieving2019"/> The completed documentary was finally released in April 2019, playing in select theaters across the world, with a premier at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church itself.<ref name="Grieving2019"/>

===''Gospel: The Motion Picture''===
The historic documentary film ''Gospel'', released in 1983, features James Cleveland for the first time on the motion picture screen, along with the Southern California Community Choir, [[Walter Hawkins]] & the Family, The [[Mighty Clouds of Joy]], [[Shirley Caesar]], and [[The Clark Sisters]]. The film was directed by David Leivick and Frederick A. Ritzenberg. Excerpts from the film soundtrack was released on Savoy Records and became a top seller, with Cleveland having the majority feature on side two of the album.

==Gospel Music Workshop of America==
In 1968, Cleveland taught others how to achieve the modern gospel sound and preserve the industry's rich legacy through his annual workshop convention, The [[Gospel Music Workshop of America]] (GMWA), an organization that he co-founded with Albertina Walker and which now has over 150 chapters with 30,000 members. The GMWA has featured and produced the likes of [[Donald Vails]], [[Issac Douglas]], [[Myrna Summers]], Harold Ivory Williams Jr., Sara Jordan Powell, [[Daryl Coley]], [[John P. Kee]], [[Kirk Franklin]], [[Kurt Carr]], [[Donald Lawrence]], and [[Yolanda Adams]]. The purpose of the workshop was to bring together singers from all over the country in order to perpetuate the art of gospel music. The workshops eventually attracted thousands of adherents and laid the groundwork for the popularity of gospel music. The last album Cleveland recorded with the GMWA was their 1990 release from the previous year's annual convention in New Orleans.

==Gospel renditions of pop songs==
Throughout his recording career, Cleveland started a trend and was famously known for taking some of the greatest pop, R&B, and soul songs  and transforming them into gospel anthems. Out of all the mainstream pop songs he rearranged for gospel audiences, his most memorable is his classic rendition of [[Gladys Knight & the Pips]]' "[[You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me]]," which he changed to "Jesus Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me." This rendition earned him a Grammy nomination when it was released in 1975 as his first recording with the Charles Fold Singers of Cincinnati, Ohio. Another memorable gospel rendition was of [[Barry Manilow]]'s "[[I Write the Songs]]," which he recorded on his 1977 Grammy-winning album, ''Live at Carnegie Hall.'' The last song rendition he presented was [[Whitney Houston]]'s "[[Didn't We Almost Have It All]]," known as "Aren't You Glad You Know the Lord," which Cleveland recorded in 1989 with the Northern and Southern California Choirs of the GMWA on the album ''Breathe on Me'', featuring Daryl Coley and current Savoy Records executive producer [[Milton Biggham]].

==King James Records==
From 1985 to 1988, Cleveland launched his own independent record label, King James Records, which was manufactured and distributed by Detroit's own [[Sound of Gospel]]/Nine Records, Inc. Under his label he released three albums with the GMWA; one solo release; Billy Preston's first gospel album; two albums with the Los Angeles Gospel Messengers, which includes their first, most popular release, ''Praise 88''; an album with his iconic Southern California Community Choir; and a resurgence of his James Cleveland Presents series, which brought back The Craig Brothers, The Fourth of May, and introduced The Harmonizing Four. Cleveland's record label folded after the distributor closed.

==Death==
On February 9, 1991, James Cleveland died in [[Culver City, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=2927|title=The Moving Spirit|date=May 2003|publisher=City Limits Magazine|author=Malcolm Venable|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928091304/http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=2927|archive-date=2007-09-28}}</ref> He was 59. Some reports list the cause of death as [[congestive heart failure]] stating that the singer had fallen into a coma shortly before his death. Over 8,000 people <ref>{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/article/676b4dfc7e837d52135908482852a6e7 | title=Thousands Attend Service for the Rev. James Cleveland, 'King of Gospel' | website=[[Associated Press]] }}</ref> gathered for his funeral service at the [[Shrine Auditorium]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="African American Registry">{{cite web|title=James Cleveland, Gospel Voice|url=http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/james-cleveland-gospel-voice|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029183758/http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/james-cleveland-gospel-voice|archive-date=2013-10-29}}</ref><ref name="Graham, Rhonda">{{cite web|url=http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/culture/black/articles/gospel.html|title=And The Choir Sings On|author=Graham, Rhonda|publisher=Sunday News Journal|date=October 23, 1994}}</ref><ref name="Thomas, Stephen B., Ph.D., F.A.A.H.B">{{cite web|url=http://www.thebody.com/bp/jan_feb00/tuskegee.html|title=The Legacy of Tuskegee: AIDS and African-Americans|author=((Thomas, Stephen B., Ph.D., F.A.A.H.B.))|date=January–February 2000}}</ref><ref name="Cobb, J. Matthew">{{cite web|url=http://www.prayzehymnonline.com/articles_happygay.html |title=Oh Happy Gay |author=Cobb, J. Matthew |publisher=Prayze Hymn Entertainment |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927161245/http://www.prayzehymnonline.com/articles_happygay.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref> He is interred at [[Inglewood Park Cemetery#C|Inglewood Park Cemetery]] in [[Inglewood, California]].<!-- The cemetery name is "Inglewood Park Cemetery", not "the Inglewood Park Cemetery". --><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.inglewoodparkcemetery.com |title=The official website for Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California |publisher=inglewoodparkcemetery.com |access-date=May 24, 2014}}</ref>

==Controversy==
===Estate and inheritance matters===
Following Cleveland's death in February 1991, a number of controversies arose surrounding his estate, which at the time was estimated to be worth between $4 and $6 million.<ref name="The Los Angeles Times">{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-09-me-194-story.html |title=Man Seeks Share of the Rev. James Cleveland's Estate |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=9 October 1991 |access-date=May 23, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MADAAAAMBAJ&q=%22christopher+harris%22+%22james+cleveland%22+lawsuit&pg=PA62 |title=James Cleveland estate worth between $4 and $6 million |date=2 March 1992 |publisher=Jet magazine|access-date=May 24, 2014}}</ref>

====Andre M. Cleveland====
In October 1991, music producer Andre M. Cleveland (then aged 34) filed suit against James Cleveland's estate, claiming to be Cleveland's adopted son.<ref name="The Los Angeles Times"/>

====Jean Ervin/LaShone Cleveland====
Also in October 1991, Jean Ervin, a member of the Cleveland-founded Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church, claimed that she was the mother of Cleveland's only biological child, daughter LaShone Cleveland (b. 1965).<ref name="The Los Angeles Times"/> Ervin also said that she believed that Andre M. Cleveland was not adopted as he claimed, but was merely one of the many "homeless" children that the late-singer took into his home over the years.<ref name="The Los Angeles Times"/>

===Abuse and infection allegations by Christopher Harris===
In February 1992, Cleveland's then-foster son, Christopher Harris (formerly Christopher Harris Cleveland), filed a lawsuit against Cleveland's estate, claiming that Cleveland allegedly sexually abused him over a period of five years and infected him with the [[HIV virus]], which he claims Cleveland contracted through same-sex liaisons. The case was settled with undisclosed terms.<ref name="Graham, Rhonda"/><ref name="Thomas, Stephen B., Ph.D., F.A.A.H.B"/><ref name="Cobb, J. Matthew"/><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MADAAAAMBAJ&q=%22christopher+harris%22+%22james+cleveland%22+lawsuit&pg=PA62 |title=James Cleveland Infected L.A. Youth With HIV, $9 Mil. Lawsuit Claims |date=2 March 1992 |publisher=Jet magazine|access-date=May 24, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/culture/black/articles/gospel.html |title=And The Choir Sings On |author=Graham, Rhonda |publisher=Sunday News Journal |date=October 23, 1994 |access-date=May 23, 2014}}</ref> According to Heilbut (2012), Cleveland was widely recognized as gay in the gospel circuit.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Heilbut|first=Anthony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qOfZdhx61wMC|title=The Fan Who Knew Too Much: Aretha Franklin, the Rise of the Soap Opera, Children of the Gospel Church, and Other Meditations|date=2012|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|isbn=978-0-375-40080-3|language=en}}</ref>

==Grammy Awards==
*Grammy Award won for '''Best Soul Gospel Performance 1974:'''<br>James Cleveland & The Southern California Community Choir: ''In the Ghetto''
*Grammy Award won for '''Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional 1977:'''<br>James Cleveland: ''James Cleveland Live at Carnegie Hall''
*Grammy Award won for '''Best Soul Gospel Performance, Traditional 1980:'''<br>James Cleveland & The Charles Fold Singers: ''Lord, Let Me Be an Instrument''
*Grammy Award won for '''Best Gospel Album by a Choir or Chorus 1990:'''<br>The Southern California Community Choir: ''Having Church''

==See also==
• [[Barry White]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}<small>2019 Edits and Additional Historic Information by Miko Evans aka DJ Rev of Rev Productions (Atlanta, Georgia) / February 11–13, 2019</small>{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite video| people = James Cleveland| title = Gospel| medium = DVD| publisher = Golden Door Productions|date = 1983 }}
*{{cite web|url=http://grammy.org/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=&winner=james%20cleveland&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1|title=Grammy Award Wins by James Cleveland|publisher=Grammy.com|access-date=2006-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211181645/http://grammy.org/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx?title=&winner=james%20cleveland&year=0&genreID=0&hp=1|archive-date=2008-02-11|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite book|first=Gene D|last=Viale|title=I Remember Gospel: And I Keep On Singing|year=2010|publisher=[[AuthorHouse]]|isbn=978-1-4490-7681-8}}
*{{Cite Grove |last=Boyer |first=Horace Clarence |title=James L. Cleveland}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[https://archive.today/20130126222810/http://www.jcchorus.com/Biography.htm A biography of James Cleveland at jcchorus.com]
*{{iMDb name|0166482}}
*{{discogs artist|391684}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, James}}
[[Category:American gospel singers]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Chicago]]
[[Category:Savoy Records artists]]
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:Baptists from Illinois]]
[[Category:Baptists from California]]
[[Category:20th-century Baptists]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:Sexual abuse scandals in Baptist Christianity]]