Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble (formerly Clemons; born June 13, 1970), known professionally as Coko, is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer of the R&B vocal trio

Sisters With Voices SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl "Coko" Gamble, Tamara "Taj" George, and Leanne "Lelee" Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B ...

(SWV). Aside from her R&B career, Gamble also has a solo

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

career. As a member of SWV, Coko has sold 10 million records in the US, and 25 million records worldwide, and is a four-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nominee.

Early life

Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble was born in

The Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County to its north; to its south and west, the New York City bo ...

to gospel singer Mother Lady "Clyde" Tibba Gamble, Gamble was raised in the

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

section, Gamble also lived in Brooklyn before moving back to The Bronx. Gamble began singing at age 3.

Career

She began her recording career as a choir member in

Hezekiah Walker Hezekiah Xzavier Walker Jr. (born ) is an American gospel music artist and the pastor of Love Fellowship Tabernacle in Brooklyn, New York. Walker has released several albums on Benson Records and Verity Records as Hezekiah Walker & The Love F ...

's Love Fellowship Crusade Choir.

Sisters With Voices (SWV)

From 1990 to 1998, Gamble sang with the platinum recording group, Sisters With Voices (SWV). Collectively the female trio released five albums - with their debut '' It's About Time'' (1992) selling over three million copies making SWV a big hit and earning the group numerous awards and accolades, including a nomination for the

Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960 (except in 1967) "for a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that art ...

at the

1994 Grammy Awards The 36th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 1, 1994. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Whitney Houston was the Big Winner winning 3 awards including Record of the Year and Album of the Year while opening ...

. After their 1997

Christmas album Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of Je ...

, SWV disbanded. To commemorate their tremendous success and huge contribution to the

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...

genre in the early 1990s, six compilation albums were released compiling their best efforts. Gamble made the final decision to disband the group. In an interview, Gamble stated it was not a mutual decision, that many people tried to convince her to stay but it was inevitable. Gamble went on to say that she didn't feel appreciated, that there was no unity within the group and the communication was gone. Gamble did not speak to founding member Leanne "Lelee" Lyons for several years. SWV eventually reunited and released two albums in the 2010s.

Solo career

After SWV disbanded, Gamble went on to work with other artists such as

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

, most notably on his

-winning hit single "

Men in Black In popular culture and UFO conspiracy theories, men in black (MIB) are government agents dressed in dark suits, who question, interrogate, harass, and threaten unidentified flying object (UFO) witnesses to keep them silent about what they have ...

" from the blockbuster film of the same name (1997). Gamble went on to release her first solo album under

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

, titled ''

Hot Coko ''Hot Coko'' is the debut solo studio album by American R&B singer Coko. It was released by RCA Records on August 10, 1999. ''Hot Coko'' served as the singer's debut effort following the release of her band SWV's third album '' Release Some T ...

'', released in August 1999. The first single, "Sunshine," which was dedicated to her son

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, reached the Top 40 position in the R&B charts that summer. However, both the album and singles did not gather the same mainstream success as Gamble once did with SWV. Meanwhile, Gamble was working on a second solo album titled ''Music Doll'' in early 2001, but RCA closed the black music division and the project was shelved. In 2001, Gamble and her Mother Lady "Clyde" Tibba Gamble did a remake of the song "

Tears in Heaven "Tears in Heaven" is a song by English guitarist, singer, and songwriter Eric Clapton and Will Jennings, written about the death of Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor. It appeared on the 1991 ''Rush'' film soundtrack. In January 1992, Clapto ...

" (originally recorded by

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

) on the album ''Rhythm and Spirit: "Love Can Build a Bridge"''. The album featured other artists such as

Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American singer and actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as ''Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), '' Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

, and

Tramaine Hawkins Tramaine Aunzola Richardson , (née Davis) known professionally as Tramaine Hawkins (born October 11, 1951), is an American award-winning Gospel singer whose career spans over five decades. Since beginning her career in 1966, Hawkins has won two ...

. Gamble sang on the Brent Jones and the T. P. Mobb single "Midnight" in 2002. Gamble also appeared on Youthful Praise's 2003 gospel album ''Thank You for the Change'' singing lead on "Up There". Coko's full gospel solo debut, ''Grateful'', was released in the United States on October 31, 2006 and debuted at #5 on Billboard's Top Independent albums chart. ''Grateful'' includes an all-star cover of

The Clark Sisters The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group originally consisting of five sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm (born 1948), Denise "Niecy" Clark-Bradford (born 1953), Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark (born 1954), Dorinda Clark-Cole (born 1957), ...

' "Endow Me" which features R&B singers

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...

Fantasia Barrino Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor (born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American singer and actress. She rose to prominence in 2004 for her performance of the ''Porgy and Bess'' standard " Summertime" during th ...

and

Lil Mo Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2001 single " Superwoman Pt. II" (featuring Fabolous), which peaked at number 11 on the ''Billboard ...

. An alternate version, minus Faith Evans was performed on

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

's ''Celebration of Gospel '07''. A special edition of ''Grateful'' only available through

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

includes two bonus tracks "I Wish" and Brent Jones' "Midnite" featuring Gamble on lead vocals. Gamble was reported to have joined an all-black touring cast performing the critically acclaimed play ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run at the Westside Theatre. The play explores ...

'', along with

Sherri Shepherd Sherri Evonne Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author, podcaster, television presenter and talk show host. She currently hosts the daily syndicated daytime talk show, '' Sherri''. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was ...

Star Jones Starlet Marie Jones Lugo (born March 24, 1962), better known as Star Jones, is an American lawyer, journalist, television personality, fashion designer, author, and women's and diversity advocate. She is best known as one of the first co-hosts ...

Vanessa L. Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, model, producer and dancer. She gained recognition as the first Black woman to win the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She would later res ...

, and others. In June 2008, Coko performed in Japan for the Billboard Live Tour. Gamble sang some of her solo hits "Sunshine", "Clap Your Hands", and the SWV song "

Right Here/Human Nature "Right Here" is the debut single of American R&B girl group SWV, released on August 20, 1992, by RCA Records as the lead single from their debut album, '' It's About Time'' (1992). The song was written by Brian Alexander Morgan, who also prod ...

Reuniting with SWV

Gamble reunited with SWV and performed during their first live performance in eight years in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

for urban radio station KKBT 100.3 "The Beat"'s Summerjam concert on August 20, 2005. They also appeared on the 2006 New Jack Reunion Tour. SWV was featured in the '' XXL'' where they discussed single releases from their debut album ''It's About Time''. In the interview, Gamble mentioned that the group would no longer perform sexually-explicit songs such as "Downtown" and " Can We" anymore out of a new respect for her beliefs as a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. The group's final performance took place in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in late June 2007. On April 4, 2008, Coko returned with SWV to perform some of their hits for the local DJ Kid Kutts' birthday. As SWV was in the midst of new shows for early 2011, Gamble posed for a shoot in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

with photographer Will Sterling. The photos were in fashionable gowns, set against the natural beauty of the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazo ...

Personal life

Coko has a son, Jazz, with

Digable Planets Digable Planets () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987. The trio is composed of rappers Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving. The group is notable for their contributions to the subgen ...

member

Ishmael Butler Ishmael Reginald Butler (born July 3, 1969) is an American rapper, record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his work with such groups as Digable Planets in the 1990s and Shabazz Palaces in the 2010s. Early life Butler was born in 196 ...

. Jazz is better known by his professional name,

Lil Tracy Jazz Ishmael Butler (born October 3, 1995), professionally known as Lil Tracy, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Butler was also known under the name Yung Bruh during the beginning of his career. Tracy is best known for his collabor ...

. Gamble married gospel producer and drummer for

Israel and New Breed Israel Houghton (; born May 19, 1971) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, producer, and worship leader. His worship team is credited as Israel & New Breed. Musical career Houghton produced an album by Michael Gungor ...

, Mike "Big Mike" Clemons on October 19, 2003. They have a son, Jalen Clemons, who is also known as a singer under the stage name Jayye Michael. The couple divorced in 2018 after 15 years of marriage. Gamble currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

¹U.S. Airplay charts

Other performances

* LSG: "All the Times (featuring

, Coko, &

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

)" (Elektra, 1997) *

Johnny Gill Johnny Gill Jr. (born May 22, 1966) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B/ pop group New Edition and was also a member of the supergroup called LSG, with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. Gill has rel ...

& Coko: "Fire and Desire" ''Booty Call Soundtrack'' (Jive, 1997) * Jon B., Coko and

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

: "Keep It Real" '' Hav Plenty'' soundtrack (Yab Yum, 550 Music, 1998) * Coko,

: "He Be Back" '' Why Do Fools Fall In Love Soundtrack'' (Elektra, 1999) *

Tevin Campbell Tevin Jermod Campbell (born November 12, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He performed gospel in his local church from an early age. Following an audition for jazz musician Bobbi Humphrey in 1988, Campbell was signed to War ...

: "Everything You Are" (Qwest, 1999) * "Got A Hold Over Me (

Easy Lover "Easy Lover" is a song performed by Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins of the band Genesis, jointly written and composed by Bailey, Collins, and Nathan East. The song first appeared on Bailey's 1984 solo album, ''Chinese Wall'' ...

)" '' Urban Renewal: The Songs of Phil Collins'' (Atlantic, 2001) * Brent Jones and the T. P. Mobb: "Midnite" (EMI Gospel, 2002) * Bishop Eric Mcdaniels "Somehow Someway" We Are Healed Butterfly (2003) * Youthful Praise: "Up There" (Evidence Gospel, 2003) * Onitsha: "My Life" (featuring

Mary Mary Mary Mary is an American urban contemporary gospel duo formed in 1998, consisting of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell and Trecina Atkins-Campbell. Their name is inspired by two biblical figures: Mary, mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. They ar ...

and

Deborah Cox Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before ...

) (Stillwaters Records, 2007) * Case & Coko: "Face ro Face" '' Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns'' soundtrack (Atlanta Records, 2008) * George Huff: "Destiny" featuring Tasha Collins George Huff (Koch Records, 2009) * Keith Sweat: My Valentine (KDS Entertainment Inc & Entertainment One Us, 2011) * Jeff Bradshaw "So Thankful" (Hidden Beach Records, 2012) * Donald Lawrence: "Might God" (Quietwater Entertainment, 2013) *

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a ...

featuring

: "Last Time"

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

(Sunni Gyrl, 2015) * Charles Butler & Trinity: "Bless Your Name" (Anointed Sound Records LLC, 2016) * Travis Malloy: "World Go Round" (Malloy Entertainment, 2020) * Charles Butler & Trinity: "By My Spirit" (Red Alliance Media/Fair Trade Services, 2020)

References

External links

CokosPlace.com
* {{Authority control 1970 births 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers African Americans in New York City African-American Christians American contemporary R&B singers American gospel singers American sopranos Living people Musicians from the Bronx People from Morrisania, Bronx