Coko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cheryl "Coko" Gamble
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|---|---|
| Birth name | Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble |
| Also known as |
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| Born | June 13, 1970 The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels |
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| Spouse(s) |
Mike "Big Mike" Clemons
(m. 2003; div. 2018) |
| Partner(s) | Ishmael Butler |
| Children | 2, including Lil Tracy |
Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble, known as Coko, is an American singer and songwriter. She was born on June 13, 1970. Coko is famous as the lead singer of the R&B group Sisters With Voices (SWV). R&B stands for Rhythm and Blues, a popular style of music.
Besides her work in R&B, Coko also has a solo career singing gospel songs. Gospel music is a type of Christian music. As part of SWV, Coko has sold many records worldwide. She has also been nominated for four Grammy Awards, which are big awards in music.
Contents
Early Life and Music Start
Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble was born in The Bronx, New York. Her mother, Lady "Clyde" Tibba Gamble, was also a gospel singer. Coko grew up in the South Bronx and also lived in Brooklyn for a time. She started singing when she was very young, at just three years old.
Coko began her music career singing in the choir. She was part of Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Crusade Choir.
Music Career Highlights
Coko has had a long and successful career in music, both with her group and as a solo artist.
Sisters With Voices (SWV)
From 1990 to 1998, Coko was the lead singer of the popular R&B group, Sisters With Voices (SWV). The group released five albums. Their first album, It's About Time (1992), sold over three million copies. This made SWV very successful and helped them win many awards. They were even nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1994.
After their Christmas album in 1997, SWV decided to take a break. Coko made the decision to leave the group at that time. She felt that there were some disagreements within the group. Many people tried to convince her to stay, but she felt it was time for a change. For several years, Coko did not speak to one of the founding members, Leanne "Lelee" Lyons. However, SWV later reunited and released two more albums in the 2010s.
Coko's Solo Work
After SWV took a break, Coko started working with other artists. She sang with Will Smith on his hit song "Men in Black" in 1997. This song was from the popular movie of the same name.
In August 1999, Coko released her first solo album called Hot Coko. The first song from the album, "Sunshine," was dedicated to her son Jazz. It became a Top 40 hit on the R&B charts. Coko also worked on a second solo album in 2001, but it was not released.
Coko continued to sing gospel music. In 2001, she and her mother remade the song "Tears in Heaven" for an album called Rhythm and Spirit: "Love Can Build a Bridge". Her full gospel solo album, Grateful, came out on October 31, 2006. It did very well on the gospel music charts. This album included a special version of "Endow Me" with other R&B singers like Faith Evans and Fantasia Barrino.
In June 2008, Coko performed in Japan for the Billboard Live Tour. She sang some of her solo songs and also some SWV hits.
SWV Reunion
Coko reunited with SWV for their first live performance in eight years on August 20, 2005. They also performed on the 2006 New Jack Reunion Tour. In an interview, Coko mentioned that the group would no longer perform certain songs. She said this was out of respect for her beliefs as a Christian. The group continued to perform together in the 2010s.
Personal Life
Coko has two sons. Her son Jazz is with Digable Planets member Ishmael Butler. Jazz is also known as a singer under the name Lil Tracy.
Coko married gospel producer and drummer Mike "Big Mike" Clemons on October 19, 2003. They had a son named Jalen Clemons, who is also a singer known as Jayye Michael. Coko and Mike divorced in 2018 after 15 years of marriage.
Coko currently lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Discography
Studio Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US R&B |
US Indie |
US Gospel |
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| Hot Coko |
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68 | 14 | — | — |
| Grateful |
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— | 40 | 21 | 5 |
| A Coko Christmas |
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— | — | — | — |
| The Winner in Me |
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— | 55 | 38 | 4 |
Compilation Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Gospel |
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| Always Coko |
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44 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot |
US R&B |
US Gospel |
UK | |||
| 1997 | "Men in Black" (with Will Smith)1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | Men in Black: The Album |
| 1999 | "Sunshine" | 70 | 19 | — | — | Hot Coko |
| "Triflin'" (with Eve) | — | 69 | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "I Get Joy" (with Kirk Franklin) | — | — | 20 | — | Grateful |
| "Clap Your Hands" | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Endow Me" (with Fantasia, Faith Evans, and Lil' Mo) | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "Wait" (featuring Youthful Praise) | — | — | — | — | The Winner in Me |
| 2010 | "The Winner in Me" | — | — | 29 | — | |
| 2014 | "At Your Feet" | — | — | 21 | — | TBA |
1U.S. Airplay charts
Other Performances
- LSG: "All the Times (featuring Faith Evans, Coko, & Missy Elliott)" (Elektra, 1997)
- Johnny Gill & Coko: "Fire and Desire" on a movie soundtrack (Jive, 1997)
- Jon B., Coko and Jay-Z: "Keep It Real" on the Hav Plenty soundtrack (Yab Yum, 550 Music, 1998)
- Coko, Missy Elliott: "He Be Back" on the Why Do Fools Fall In Love Soundtrack (Elektra, 1999)
- Tevin Campbell: "Everything You Are" (Qwest, 1999)
- "Got A Hold Over Me (Easy Lover)" on 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 and Deborah Cox) (Stillwaters Records, 2007)
- Case & Coko: "Face ro Face" on 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 featuring Faith Evans: "Last Time" Legend (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)
