BIO
Dr. C. Charles Clency grew up in Chicago, Illinois during the time of the evolution of Black church music. Since 1960, he has enjoyed broad ecumenical involvement in music activities and churches in the United States: Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana, Miami, Florida, and Houston, Texas. His roles include music director, organist, pianist, schoolteacher, and college professor.
In 1962, he formed the Voices of Melody, a community chorus of sixty mixed voices. Based in Chicago, the choir performed throughout the country in New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Birmingham, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Oakland. Renowned for its broad repertory of choral music, the choir recorded six albums: Now Sing We Joyfully, Voices of Melody in Concert, Praising the Savior, He Is So Wonderful, As Sure as I Live and Breathe. A sixth album, Let There Be Music, was recorded at the First Baptist Church in Fairfield, Alabama.
Other music positions by Clency include service as the last accompanist for the legendary gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson until her passing in 1972. He is heard accompanying Miss Jackson’s last albums: Easter Sunday 1967, What the World Need Now, and Right Out of Church.
After Miss Jackson’s passing, Charles Clency served as Director of Music for Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Operation PUSH. This was synonymous with Clency’s positions as Director of Music for Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer and Martin Temple AME Zion Church. Both positions were simultaneous with Clency’s matriculation at Northeastern Illinois University for the B.A. degree in music. After graduation, Clency enrolled in the master’s program at Indiana University.
After completing the master’s degree in choral conducting, Clency taught high school and served until 1988 at the Light of the World Christian Church in Indianapolis. Clency earned a doctorate in choral conducting at the University of Miami in 1998 while serving as director of choral activities at Miami’s Florida Memorial University.
His varied activities and extensive academic study have enabled Dr. Clency to understand European traditions and trends of music as well as the style of the African American musical culture. Following his brief service as music director at the mega-size Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston, Clency worked ten years as director of choral music at the College of Lake County in Illinois. While there, he established new courses, the gospel choir, and led the college choirs twice to New York’s Carnegie Hall and a three-week tour of China.
Dr. Clency has traveled extensively. His travels have taken him to Africa, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, China, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hawaii, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Monaco, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Rome, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad, Turkey, and throughout the United States.
In retirement, Dr. Clency and his wife live in Belize in Central America. He is in constant demand for interviews and workshops. When not watching basketball TV or computer browsing, he enjoys advising, mentoring, and authoring.
In 2018, he authored the Handbook of Gospel Music. In April 2025, his publication, Mahalia: In the Words of Her Last Accompanist, was released. His latest book, 100 Years of Music in the Chicago Black Church, is due to be released in late 2025.