FAMU and Twinkie Clark-Terrell are not currently on tour.

To recieve the latest on FAMU and Twinkie Clark-Terrell, register with their FAN CLUB and receive your favorite news via email notices. DON'T MISS OUT, JOIN NOW

AVAILABLE
ON HOME VIDEO

$14.99
+ Shipping & Handling

FAMU's most noted brush with musical notoriety comes through its famed band, FAMU Marching "100" Band. The band has received numerous awards and was even invited by then President-Elect Bill Clinton to appear in the Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington, D. C. But an even larger part of musical history, is that this prestigious university is proud of their gospel choir, the Florida A&M Gospel Choir. At the onset, things weren't easy for the choir and the student members. They were initially denied use of the school's pianos, organs as well as the auditorium. The school went as far as to tell the students that their scholarships would be revoked if they were caught participating in the choir while on campus.

Formed in 1957, the FAMU Gospel Choir is considered to be the first Black College Choir in the country.

Equating the choir's struggles with the African-American's fight for racial equality, three local Florida ministers stood behind the student's and encouraged them to fight on. Pastor J.J. Sanders, Rev. C.K. Steele, and Father David Brooks exhilarated the students to fight for their rights to sing gospel music on the FAMU campus. In yet another show of support for the students, Rev. Steele opened up the doors of the church he pastored, the Bethel Baptist Church, to the choir and its founder, Mr. J.D. Olds.

Since the turbulent period, the choir has gone to enormous heights. Today, under the direction of Min. Daniel L. James, the choirs musical repertoire now includes a mixture of traditional and contemporary gospel music. Their talent and diversity in sound has afforded them the opportunity to share the stage with such gospel luminaries as the late Rev. James Cleveland, Shirley Caesar and Vickie Winans. Also seeing the talent and potential this choir possessed was another gospel notable, Evangelist Twinkle Clark Terrell. She became the guiding force behind the choir's latest musical milestone, their debut recording, entitled, Twinkle Clark Terrell Presents the Florida A&M Gospel Choir for Detroit, Michigan based Crystal Rose Records.