Debbie McClendon (born June 15, 1960) is an American

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

ian and

Christian R&B Christian R&B (also known as gospel R&B, rhythm & praise music, and R&P) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music consisting of tracks with Christian-based lyrics or by musicians typically known for writing such songs. Music in this genre intends t ...

singer, who is a

traditional black gospel Traditional Black gospel is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding African American Christian life, as well as (in terms of the varying music styles) to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular mu ...

urban contemporary gospel Urban/contemporary gospel is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched prima ...

, and

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

recording artist. She started her music career, in 1985, and released four studio albums until 1990, ''I Can Hardly Wait'', ''Count It All Joy'', ''Morning Light'', and ''Get a Grip''. McClendon was nominated for two

GMA Dove Awards A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...

in 1987 and 1988, in the Contemporary Black Gospel Album category. She was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, in 1988, for Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female.

Early life

McClendon was born on June 15, 1960, in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

Music career

Her music recording career began in 1985, when she released, ''I Can Hardly Wait'', with

Light Records Light Records is a gospel record label founded in 1966 by Ralph Carmichael, as a joint venture with the Waco, Texas-based Word Records. It is a subsidiary of the MNRK Music Group. History Light Records' first roster included Ralph Carmichael, ...

. This album was nominated for a

GMA Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...

in the Contemporary Black Gospel Album category, at the 18th GMA Dove Awards in 1987. The subsequent studio album, ''Count It All Joy'', was released in 1987, from

Star Song Communications Star Song Communications is a Christian record label that was started in 1976 by Wayne Donowho, who recruited his friend Darrell Harris. It gained notoriety when it issued Resurrection Band's ground-breaking debut album, Awaiting Your Reply in 19 ...

. Her

nomination came at the

30th Grammy Awards The 30th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 2, 1988, at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Album of the Year went to U2 for ''The Joshua Tree'', and Song of the Year went ...

ceremony in 1988, for the Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female of the song, "Count It All Joy". It was also nominated for the Contemporary Black Gospel Album, at the

19th GMA Dove Awards The 19th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on 1988 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 1987. The show was held in Nashville, Tennessee. Award recipients *Song of the Year **"In The Name Of The Lord"; Phil McHugh, Gloria Gaither, ...

, in 1988. The third studio album, ''Morning Light'', was released in 1989 by

Frontline Records Frontline Records was a Christian rock record label, founded in 1986 by James Kempner in Santa Ana, California. The label focused primarily on modern rock, rap, dance-pop and hip-hop. The label closed in the early 1990s, and then resurfaced in ...

. She released, ''Get a Grip'', with Frontline Records, in 1990. McClendon had three radio hits during her career, "He Won't Let Me Down (Every Time I Call)", that was No. 12 in 1987, "In the Valley" that was No. 13 in 1989, and "Fear Not" that was No. 19 during 1990. In 2011, McClendon and husband Scott Smith became the worship leaders at the

Crystal Cathedral Christ Cathedral (Latin: ''Cathedralis Christi''; Spanish: ''Catedral de Cristo''; Vietnamese: ''Nhà Thờ Chính Tòa Chúa Kitô''), formerly and informally known as the Crystal Cathedral, is an American church building of the Diocese of Or ...

and televised

Hour of Power ''Hour of Power'' is a weekly American Evangelist television program broadcast from Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California, near Los Angeles. It is one of the most watched religious broadcasts in the world, seen by approximat ...

services, a shift away from the church's longtime focus on traditional music with organ and orchestra.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''I Can Hardly Wait'' (1985,

Light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

) * ''Count It All Joy'' (1987,

StarSong Star Song Communications is a Christian record label that was started in 1976 by Wayne Donowho, who recruited his friend Darrell Harris. It gained notoriety when it issued Resurrection Band's ground-breaking debut album, Awaiting Your Reply in 197 ...

) * ''Morning Light'' (1989,

Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...

) * ''Get a Grip'' (1990, Frontline)

References

External links

AllMusic artist profile''Cross Rhythms'' artist profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McClendon, Debbie 1960 births Living people African-American songwriters African-American Christians Musicians from Pasadena, California Songwriters from California 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people