Joe Ligon of the Mighty Clouds of Joy Passes Away: Homegoing Details Announced

By Bob Marovich

(UPDATED 12/17/16)

Gospel quartet legend Willie Joe Ligon passed away on Sunday, December 11.

Homegoing and memorial details are at the bottom of this report.

Born October 11, 1936, in Troy, Alabama, Ligon migrated to Los Angeles at age 14 and met his future mates in the Mighty Clouds of Joy in the mid-1950s while attending Jefferson High School.  Like top quartets such as the Blind Boys of Mississippi, the Blind Boys of Alabama, and the Gospelaires of Dayton, the Clouds incorporated the growls, shouts, and rasp of African American preachers into their singing, a style sometimes referred to as “hard gospel.”

The group’s first recording is quite possibly a ca 1956-7 disc on the L.A.-based Elko label, on which they were known as the “Sensational Clouds of Joy.”  Then Brother “Duke” Henderson, an L.A. musician turned gospel radio personality, record company owner, and religious retailer, heard the group singing around the city in the late 1950s and recorded some live performances for his Proverb label.

In 1960, the Mighty Clouds of Joy auditioned for, and were signed by, Peacock Records, one of the premier record companies for gospel quartets.  The group enjoyed a long run with the Houston-based label, recording and touring across the country, becoming one of the nation’s top gospel quartets.  Among the Clouds’ early hits was a remake of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” retitled “Family Circle.”

Updating their sound to confirm to the changes in popular music, the Mighty Clouds innovated with 1975’s “Mighty High,” a disco-influenced song that crossed over onto the pop charts.  While the church community looked askance at this bold new sound, youngsters were tearing up the club floors to the sound of “Mighty High.”

OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING THE DEATH OF WILLIE JOE LIGON