Aahana Swrup
The Lifetime film ‘The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel‘ follows the trajectory of the titular family, whose dedication to spreading God’s gospel under their mother’s guidance brings them to triumph. Dr. Mattie Moss Clark has big plans for her daughters, Jacky, Twinkie, Dorina, Denise, and Karen—young girls with a talent and devotion to the craft of music. For the same reason, she coaches them from a young age, molding them into The Clark Sisters, a gospel group hailing from Detroit. Nevertheless, despite the early success these sisters find, life’s complications—from interpersonal dynamics and outside influences—push them toward adversity, which they have to ultimately overcome.
One such early misfortune that the Clark Sisters face stems from Denise’s resentment of her place in the family and the group, which eventually results in her exit from the music group. The nature of this flattening of the group from five to four remains a complicated affair, amalgamated as a result of several drawbacks. Naturally, the film’s on-screen depiction of this conflict is bound to raise curiosity about the off-screen reality of the dispute between the real-life Clar Sisters. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Denise’s Storyline in The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel
In the film, Denise’s character arc gradually but significantly builds toward her inevitable withdrawal from the narrative. In a way, each sister finds a slot that they fit in within the family dynamic. For instance, Jacky remains the responsible one from the start, and Twinkie always has a knack for creativity. Similarly, Karen is the shy but extremely talented one and Dorina remains diligently loyal and disciplined. As for Denise, she can be seen going against her mother’s rules and rebelling in various ways from the start. She sneaks out of the house whenever possible to party and have night outs. She doesn’t refrain from dating and lives her own life boldly, unwilling to let anyone else make her decisions for her.
Consequently, this rebellious streak often gets Denise in trouble with her family. Given her religious values and beliefs, Mattie is opposed to her daughter’s lifestyle from the get-go. She doesn’t believe Denise’s life choices are putting her on a sanctimonious path. Instead, she thinks they would ultimately lead the young woman astray. Even so, the latter refuses to give up some part of her independence. For the same reason, she stands her ground and fights for her opinion even after she gets pregnant out of wedlock. Initially, her sisters are horrified at the news—even concerned about how it would reflect on their hyper-religious gospel group’s public perception. Nonetheless, the expecting mother asserts that she will have her kids and take care of them.
While Denise manages to keep her place in the group in this manner for some time—even after the birth of more kids—she eventually reaches her limit. She has always believed that Mattie never prioritized her in the group and only allowed her to have the scraps of her sisters’ leftovers—artistically speaking. Furthermore, she’s tired of living by her rules and forming her identity around her. For the same reason, when the time comes for the Clark Sisters to sign a new record deal, Denise takes her leave, unwilling to be controlled by her mother in any way. Ultimately, she leaves to carve out her own identity—and years of friction between her and Mattie results in an explosive exit for the young woman.
Denise Clark-Bradford Shared Her Side of the Story in 2019
While ‘The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel’ crafts Denise Clark-Bradford’s on-screen character with mindfulness and care, the fact still remains that the latter is an interpretation of the real-life woman. Consequently, since Denise was never directly consulted for her cinematic portrayal, a certain disconnect remains between her reality and the film’s depiction of it. After Denise first took her leave from The Clark Sisters gospel group in 1986—and forrayed into her solo career—several rumors and speculations arose about the reason behind this split.
Many people believed Denise was pushed out of the band. However, the musician cleared the air in 2019 after appearing on the Larry Reid Live talk show. In the interview, she alleged that she left The Clark Sisters because she was tired of her family’s treatment of her after she had a Bishop’s kid out of wedlock. Reportedly, she claims that some of her family members attempted to counsel her into getting rid of her children. Naturally, she couldn’t abide by such treatment and decided to take her leave. Consequently, Denise’s relationship with her sisters is jagged even today because of their past conflicts. Still, complications in the Clark family remain as nuanced as any other regular family. Therefore, despite the bad blood between Denise and her sisters, their nieces and nephews all remain friendly with their cousins and aunts—and some of them even remain hopeful for the future.
Read More: The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel Review and Plot Summary
