Yvonne Kennedy

Yvonne Kennedy, Charmine Noble, and Joanne Herlock detail their extensive history and experiences in gospel music, primarily within church choirs in Birmingham.

Their journey began in their early years, starting in children’s and youth choirs at church. Charmine Noble’s path included leading the choir at Handsworth Wood Girls School. She also sang with Yvonne, Joanne, Bev Brown, and Pamela Anderson. Charmaine’s dedication is highlighted by her 31 years as the youth choir leader for Aberdeen Street. She credits the late Joy Watson Simmons as an “absolutely awesome choir director” who mentored and believed in her. Charmaine and Yvonne also sang together in the group Clive and Co.

Joanne Herlock’s earliest recollection was at Warden Primary playing the lead in Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She joined the Gleaner Choir and, like Yvonne, spoke of the necessity of developing voice projection skills in the days before auto-tuning. Joanne emphasized the strong mentoring she received from Gloria Brown, who taught her how to sing and belt it out.

A major part of their shared experience was the Church of God of Prophecy Mass Choir, which reached 400 to 500 members at its peak. They praised Joy Simmons Watson’s exceptional ability to direct such a massive group. They also spoke of the impact of Mattie Moss Clark and the Clark Sisters visiting Birmingham, noting Clark’s stern but effective direction and her role in changing local arrangements from five- or six-part harmonies to the simpler three-part harmony.

The Aberdeen Street choir reunion in 2006 was a significant event, praised for celebrating their legacy and bringing back leaders like Joy and Pat.

The speakers also highlighted the vital role of musicians, mentioning Clive Anderson , Colin Peters , and Yvonne’s nephew Gareth, an “all rounder” and Musical Director (MD) whose presence would lift the game of other musicians.

The women agree that the choir environment was a crucial foundation. It taught discipline, the ability to sing harmonies, and collaborative teamwork, rather than focusing solely on individual performance. They expressed pride in UK artists like Karen (Kingdom Choir) and Noel , whose international success stems from the strong foundation and discipline they learned in the church choir system. They encourage the younger generation to embrace the choir for developing confidence and the ability to be “unapologetic about the gift that you have”.