“The race is not won by the strong nor the swift, but unto him that endureth.”  It’s a spiritual-based adage that has helped many people champion over rough times.  But what does one do when the sidelines along the route are littered with circumstances urging him or her to give up, when the finish line is seemingly pushed back again and again or simply become invisible?  Would you bow out of the race or keep going?  When faced with the possibility that her latest, critically acclaimed gospel CD wouldn’t see the light of day, Maurette Brown-Clark decided to stay on the track, even if she had to cry, crawl, or both towards victory. 

The Long Island, N.Y., native burst onto gospel music’s main stage in 1998 with her debut album entitled “How I Feel.” The sincerity of her lyrics, electrifying concerts, and unparalleled charisma instantly compelled the hearts of many and landed Maurette a Dove Award nomination and a 2000 Best New Artist Stellar Award, one of the gospel industry’s most distinguished honors.  In 2002, Maurette’s second album, “By His Grace,” would net two more Stellar Award nominations plus a Gospel Excellence Award from the Gospel Music Workshop of America.  The petite woman, with the powerhouse voice, would also garner a second Dove Award nomination for her part in the remake of Donnie McClurkin’s classic, “Stand,” featuring gospel favorites Marvin Sapp, Daryl Coley and Helen Baylor.

As her peers crowned her a bona fide heavyweight, a humbled Maurette embarked on producing her first live concert recording.  The woman whose ministry had helped scores of people get through some of their biggest tests unwittingly faced a colossal trial of her own.  She would find herself in the center of another showdown between bitter rivals “Glory” and “Defeat.” Their sudden death-type match up would be one of Olympic proportions.

The Olympic Trials of Maurette Brown-Clark:
A Preliminary Plagued with False Starts and Lengthy Delays

 Stellar Award winner Maurette Brown-Clark ran into trouble from the very beginning of creating her third CD. 

“We couldn’t find anywhere to record in the Baltimore-, (Washington) D.C.-area,” said Maurette.  “I knew of a million churches that I had a relationship with, that I’d sung at and nobody was able to allow us in to record … not even on a Friday night,” she said.  “And when we would secure churches, they’d call us back and say, ‘no, we’re having a wedding, or oh, we’re painting the church.’”

Then, one day, her prayers were answered.  A venue was found, a date set, but the list of remarkable problems would continue to grow.

“On the actual night of the recording, the power went out because of a hurricane traveling through Baltimore.  So, people were standing in line, waiting in the rain.  And then, when we were finally able to get underway, we couldn’t run the air conditioner because there was a hum running through the equipment.  So everybody was sitting there sweating to death.  It was about the middle of September; (2004) therefore, it was still kind of warm outside.  So, I’m singing and I’m dripping with sweat, everything’s just falling off of me,” recalled Maurette.

Nonetheless, the false starts, rough weather, power outage and sizzling temps could not compete with Maurette’s focus and determination as she pulled out yet another blistering performance.

With the live recording in the bag, Maurette moved on to the next stage of production, where she would encounter another round of magnificent challenges.

“After the recording, my record company decided to sell itself to another company.  And the new company didn’t even know that I had a record waiting to be released,” Maurette said.  “And then the president of the gospel division left and a new person was brought in.  So, there were label changes, personnel changes, family changes as I had a baby.” But the mother of problems occurred as Maurette worked to polish her impending CD.

“When you record an album, you usually store it on a hard drive so that you know that it’s safe. Well, while I was in the studio putting on some finishing touches to the record, the hard drive froze.”

The hard drive was sent off to a computer specialist in hopes of retrieving the album.
The abrupt halt combined with a host of other kinks turned a typical nine-month recording process into a two and half year wait.  To survive the lengthy delay with her faith in tact, gospel music’s newest sweetheart said she relied on “Jesus” and the compilation of her new songs, which were eventually recovered.

“The songs that are helping people now were the songs that kept me going.  I had to really keep singing to myself, ‘Yes God, You are sovereign.  Although I can’t see your hand, in any event, I know that your hand is in all of this.’  I had recorded a song called ‘One God’ and another called ‘I Decided to Follow Jesus’ and if you say that, at some point, you are going to have to put your money where your mouth is.  You know, it’s (the music) not just for other people’s healing, issues, deliverance or finances.  At some point, your life has got to be tested’”

The Olympic Trials of Maurette Brown-Clark:
The Crowning of a Champion

In March of 2007, after three years of jumping over hurdle after hurdle, Maurette’s third CD, “The Dream,” was finally released.  And it was an instant hit, climbing the gospel charts at a record pace and attracting rave reviews by fans and critics.

“To know how it was delayed and attacked and to have people embrace it was really a great feeling.”

Yes, her victory lap was a glorious run as she was presented with the 2008 Stellar Award for “Praise and Worship CD of the Year.”  And to add icing to the cake, her daughter Jada was also awarded a 2008 Stellar Award for “Children’s Performance of the Year” for her song “I am What God Says I am,” which is also featured on the “The Dream.”

For Maurette, the marathon of completing “The Dream” has been an intense journey, but one that has strengthened her faith and ministry, solidifying for the singer/songwriter/producer/ musician/wife and mom “that with God nothing is impossible.”

Maurette is currently on tour.  To see if she’s coming to a city near you, please visit www.maurettebrownclark.com.

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