Mighty Clouds Of Joy Founder To Share The Stage With Aretha Franklin
Joe Ligon, founding member and lead singer of the three-time Grammy Award winning Gospel Music Hall of Fame legends The Mighty Clouds of Joy, has been invited by the "Queen of Soul" herself, Aretha Franklin, to perform with her during her three upcoming shows at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden on June 3, 4 and 5, 2005.
The shows will mark Ligon's return to the venue, which is considered by many to be the world's most famous arena, as he had previously spent an entire month performing there with The Clouds and Paul Simon. During the June concert dates, Ligon will be performing songs that Franklin originally recorded with the late Rev. James Cleveland, the founder of Gospel Music Workshop of America - the largest gospel music organization in the world. The two have recently been discussing the possibility of participating on each other's upcoming albums, but nothing is confirmed at this time.
Ligon and The Mighty Clouds of Joy have been molding gospel music since the late 1950s and were a pioneering force behind many of the genre's changes over the years. They were the first gospel group to perform on "Soul Train," and the first gospel quartet to use a full rhythm section and incorporate choreography into their performances. Throughout their illustrious career, the group has performed with such notable artists as Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Paul Simon, Earth Wind & Fire and The Rolling Stones, among others. They have played grand venues such as The White House, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and the Apollo Theatre and have appeared on countless television programs, including the "Grammy Awards."
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The Mighty Clouds of Joy's In the House of the Lord: Live in Houston, which celebrates 45 years of music making, is available on EMI Gospel and is distributed by EMI CMG Distribution.
For more information, please visit www.mightycloudsofjoy.com.
