Remember Corey Clark known for the highly publicized disqualification on American Idol Season 2? You heard the stories of the media, now hear his side!

He entered the world of music as a teen and quickly rose to national attention through American Idol, a reality show seeking the next superstar, that premiered January 21-May 21, 2003. He endured struggles such as extreme pressure in life & show business, he faced public humiliation, police records blasted nationwide by the media, and a career tainted by constant reminders of his arrest history. The world stamped him as a misfit and repetitively used his life as an example of how “not to be.”

The tribulations intensified in his young adulthood as he experienced the death of his child while in his hand. Driven to deep depression, with a nose-diving career due to defamation, no one cared to hear his side, and very few believed in his gift of music. To escape the intense load of adversity against his life of success, he did the unexpected. He committed suicide. He died…but only for a moment. His decision to end it all…is when God stepped in to revive Him as Lord of All. God came to his rescue and gave him a second chance.

He never knew that God was on his side all along keeping him. The world never knew his real side, the side that was connected to the King of Glory, because the opportunity to speak about Him was never granted. Now, he is boldly sharing his side of the story, giving back to the community, while openly admitting that his survival through it all was because of Jesus Christ. This is the astonishing and unthinkable testimony of Corey Clark, which explains his musical journey, his perspective on media and society, personal struggles, community service and his faith.

Corey Clark’s Background and Thoughts on Music

Corey Clark, former American Idol contestant, singer-songwriter, performer, entertainer by trade, owner of CDC Music, and co-founder of Circle of Love Foster Family Agency, is giving God the Glory for the many obstacles he has overcome. He is known for his smooth, soft high tenor register with a strong falsetto, similar to El Debarge, Smokey Robinson, or a young Michael Jackson. At the same time, his voice cannot be paralleled with anyone else, because it has been branded as unique from the Father above, a melodious sound of love unmatched, that flows easy like heavenly honey. He was called by God at birth to bring his unique gift of music to the world. He began at the early age of 13. Thirty-two years later, he shares his thoughts from the perspective of his faith in God.

“I’ve been performing for a very long time. It’s one of the only things I’m probably really good at,” says Corey. “It’s something that I stuck with, because I believe that it is what God put me here to do.”

He confidently believes that his ability to sing is more than a talent. It was a calling that came from above as a driving force for something bigger. He mentions the influence that music can bring, it reaches, connects, and enhances people’s lives for the better.

“You know, music is a very powerful tool,” Corey shared. “It doesn’t have to be any one genre in particular to touch somebody’s heart. It can help change someone’s life for the better one way or another.

In the Body of Christ, we can see how music is made evident, as it draws people in and brings them together. Music is utilized through praise and worship. It not only unifies the congregation, but it draws in the very Presence of God. Corey shares his thoughts on this.

“As believers of God, I am sure you understand that we use it quite often to connect with people, whether it’s gospel or secular.”

Corey Clark

Achievements & Community Involvement

He founded CDC (Corey Delaney Clark) Music in 2005, working with major distributors like Universal and Virgin Music Group. He releases music through his company, now distributed by Rock Nation.

Recent Works: Only solo album released in 2005, multiple singles since. Notable songs include “Love’s Melody” and “Protect Me.”

He is blessed to be a voting member of the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy and has served in different mentorship capacities for younger students that go to Grammy University, a pre-voting member program.

His goal is to continue to give back into the community through serving as co-founder of Circle of Love Foster Family Agency, that focuses on placing medically fragile and minority children in certified, loving homes.

Corey’s Early Life & Family

Corey Delaney Clark was born on July 13, 1980, in San Bernadino, California, and was reared in a Christian home. He was influenced by his musically gifted parents, Kenneth Duane Clark and Jan Clark (African American father and an Irish & Hungarian Jew mother), who met in Nashville, Tennessee in 1978 while pursuing their musical dreams. Since Corey’s household was one of various races, there was no separation…only togetherness.

However, in school, he experienced the opposite.

“Obviously, I was growing up in a multi-ethnical household. So, there was no box. There were no groups. Like everybody just kind of hung out with each other. And then you get introduced into a system like the public school system, where there are groups and cliques and things of that nature. The groups of kids didn’t know where my sister and I belong,” stated Corey. “We weren’t black enough, as they say, to hang out with the black kids, and we weren’t white enough to hang out with the white kids. So, we were just kind of stuck in the middle.”

Corey understands he and his sister are not the only ones who experienced this type of adversity. He believes that it actually helped them both to be who they are today. Instead of viewing their experience negatively, he chooses to find the light in the matter.

“It did help shape and mold us to be open minded and fair to everybody. There are certain preconceived notions that each of the groups or cliques have about the other. I saw my place on this planet, and that of my siblings, as being people who could bridge that gap, you know, and see things from both sides without being dishonest about it, one way or another. Just calling it like it is. And if you see injustice on one side, you call it out. If you see an injustice on the other side, you call it out, and I believe that helps to make the world a better place.”

According to Corey, given the history of this nation, there is a disproportion.

“The way the media operates, the way the justice system operates, there is a disproportionality to the injustices. But to be able to see the things that are wrong on one side and see the things that are wrong and or right on the other side… I believe it has helped foster a lot of conversations in people that normally wouldn’t discuss these things. They would just go with their preconceived notions about the other. I believe I’ve helped more people mend fences and understand what the other side is saying.”

He owes his ability to not see color to his dad, someone who was known to see people for who they are…not for their color.

“My dad was a real big people person. He had charisma like nobody else, and he was friends with everybody that, essentially everybody he ever met, white, black, Asian, it didn’t matter. He had friends of all hues, all shades, all colors. That’s the type of environment my dad really fostered…so I picked that up from him. I’m able to go to any hood in America and be fine and go into any boardroom and adapt and be fine there too.”

Entering into the Music Business

In 1994, his first professional job was to sing back up with his parents for Barry Manilow as a teen. They were part of a nine-person background choir. One of the singers dropped out. So as singers and musicians themselves, they asked their son if he would be interested in auditioning. At the time they lived in Las Vegas. He went to audition and sang for Barry Manilow’s director, Debra Byrd, who later worked as vocal coach for ten seasons on American Idol. This was surprising, because this is where Corey and Debra would connect again in the future. He was hired on the spot. For the next two years he sang backup with his parents until they moved. After his Barry Manilow experience, he started his own group called Envy, which included the now known singer Ne-Yo.

“When Barry Manilow ended, that is what pushed me to start that group, just being on stage, even though I was singing behind Barry Manilow like every night was a sold-out show. It just inspired me to want to do my own thing.”

Corey Clark

His parents had him baptized as a young child. He was later baptized again at 19. He attended church and maintained Christian living as guided by his parents. In his early 20’s, there was a sudden shift for the good and the bad.

American Idol Disqualification, Sudden Loss, & Suicide

He was brought to the limelight nationally at the age of 22 years old on American Idol Season 2, which aired in 2003. Auditions were held in the Fall of 2002. Corey auditioned for the show and was amazed to see that he came across Debra Byrd again. He recognized her from the times of Barry Manilow. She was floored. It was her first season there as a musical director, and this was Corey’s first and only season. He recognizes the reunion as being a supernatural set up by God.

“That was just another one of those God moments where somebody that helped me start my career, was now helping me take it to the next level at that point,” Corey excitedly shared.

As the competition went on, so did he. He sang covers such as “Never Can Say Goodbye” by Michael Jackson, “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal, “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)” by The Isley Brothers, “Foolish Heart,” by Steve Perry, and more.

He made it to the point of being in the top 10. His parents were there to help support him all the way. Things were looking up!

Even so, he stated that the entertainment industry is not easy, but he kept on moving. He shared that being on American Idol caused him to be exposed to the world in a way where other people were controlling his narrative. The show disqualified him for not disclosing his criminal record regarding an alleged assault on his sister, resisting arrest, and criminal restraint.

“It was extremely frustrating for me,” said Corey. “That was the 1st time I’d ever been arrested in my life was at 22 years old, and it was for telling the police they couldn’t take my sister, my 15-year-old sister, at the time to Juvenile Hall. I didn’t believe that she belonged there.” 

The altercation began after the police arrived at his home and were attempting to take his sister to juvenile hall. He experienced a fight after he told the police that his sister didn’t do anything wrong to deserve to be taken to juvenile hall. He mentioned that there were four officers present. He explained that he told the police they would have to wait to arrest his sister until their father got home, which would be 30 minutes later.

“They said if I didn’t allow them to take my 15-year-old sister to juvenile hall as they were wanting to do, that they would then take me to jail instead,” Corey stated.

He mentioned that he remembers scoffing at the police for even raising the notion that they would take him to jail. So, he told them, “You can’t take me to jail because I haven’t done anything wrong.” Corey went on to say that they never talked about taking him to jail at all until he told them, “No, you cannot take my sister to juvenile hall, because she hasn’t done anything wrong to deserve that.”

He stated that he was leaning against the car, wearing socks and shorts, with his hands crossed. At this point, Corey shared that the police officers began to beat him in his parents’ driveway, threatened to taser him in the mouth, while pulling chunks of his hair out, kneeing him extremely violently in the groin resulting in excessive swelling, and handcuffed him, all while being in front of his little siblings.

“So, they were beating me senseless for telling them ‘No, they could not take my 15-year-old sister to juvenile hall,’ Because that’s what they beat me for, telling them no, they couldn’t arrest her and incarcerate her.”

Corey Clark

As a result, he was arrested, which took place in October 2002. Corey emphasized that he acted out of protection for his younger sister, not aggression toward the police, and to this day, he stands by his actions. The mishap occurred before he auditioned for American Idol. The incident later became the subject of media attention during his time on “American Idol” with widespread misunderstanding about what actually occurred.

He shared that the sudden shift took place when he was in the finals on the show, it was down to six contestants. On March 31, 2003, a breaking story by the Smoking Gun was released about him ‘being charged with a variety of misdemeanors’ in addition to reporting about his history of writing bounced checks. Corey describes this event as one of the most difficult and pivotal moments in his life, affecting his public image and career.

Corey informed the junior producers of the show about the misdemeanor charges prior to the audition. He emphasized to the producers that they were charges only…not a conviction, and that the judge dismissed the case in early November 2002. He paid the $100 bond to get out and had the bond refund check stub to serve as solid proof. According to Corey, they were clearly aware of the dismissal as of 2002, because he told them before he entered the competition.

“They were aware of the charges when I first auditioned in Nashville, because I told Jr. Producer Jon Entz about the misdemeanor charges against me. They were made further aware in December 2002, when I showed Camilla Rahaman the $100 bond refund check stub from the court in Kansas, and the court paperwork reflecting the charges against me had all been dismissed.”

Corey Clark

Corey’s $100 Bond Refund Check

“One month prior to flying to California for Hollywood week in December 2002, the charges against me were dismissed, my $100 bond money was refunded after the dismissal of the charges against me, and when I arrived at the hotel in California for Hollywood week, I showed, Jr. Producer, Camilla Rahaman, the check stub from the Kansas court reflecting my $100 bond money had been refunded to me, and I informed her with the paperwork from the court, that the charges against me had been dismissed.”

Corey Clark

He stated that he found out 15 years later that they received his background check on January 15, 2003, reflecting the arrest. His disqualification from the show took place April 1, 2003.

Corey’s Background Check

“The background check shows unequivocally, that by January of 2003, they knew about the charges against me in writing three months prior to my disqualification on April 1, 2003. And they also knew about it verbally in October 2002, which is three months prior to the broadcast of the program in January of 2003.”

Corey Clark

Things were getting rough for Corey. He was confident that he made the necessary steps to inform them about his criminal history, but the fight he endured to prove it, seemed like a lost cause.

“They made the world believe that I lied to them, which was false,” stated Corey. “So, it became a very, you know, a difficult situation for me. It went from being one of the highlights of my life, to a dark period of time where I was very depressed.”

His life started to spiral out of control from there. He began to get arrested for misdemeanor charges, such as having marijuana on him, for not arriving to court on time, getting tickets, etc. He began to grow weary of life’s circumstances. His world began to cave in on him.

“I just got tired of people controlling my life and I got weak spiritually. I wasn’t leaning on God like I was raised to do. I was allowing the materiality of the world to influence how I was feeling. I was allowing other people and the way they felt about me, and what they thought they knew about me, because this television is telling you what ‘this guy’ is guilty of to adversely impact me.”

Corey Clark

It became overwhelming for him and almost impossible to fend for himself. According to Corey, it was the world, the media, and a network, that had “endless amounts of free press at their fingertips” against him. It was too much to bear. He was at the end of self with nowhere to run and no one to turn to. It was a year of complete havoc in his life.

“I felt like I was just by myself, fighting and trying to defend my reputation and my name, and trying to set the record straight, and I lost sight of God. So, I was in a bad place.”

Corey Clark

Corey recalled that 2002 was also the year that he left the church because he was turned off by a pastor. Due to this, he confessed that him leaving the church altogether hampered his relationship with God, his prayer life, and his understanding of the need to help serve in the community. He was no longer doing what he was raised to be doing. All of his Christian values, according to Corey, ‘fell by the wayside.’

He mentioned he continued to be defamed and slandered publicly over and over again to millions of people. Corey went on to say the slander of his name and reputation was not just in 2003, but it continued every season thereafter for over a decade. He mentioned that he felt as though he became the “poster boy of what not to do” and the “Darth Vader of American Idol.” Within this timeframe he got married. Troubles in his life quickly escalated.

Experiencing the Loss of His Daughter

In 2006, three years after the show he experienced the loss of his child, Jupiter Star Clark, due to being born too early. On the day of her death, he described holding his daughter.

“So, I’m holding my daughter in my hand and she was breathing, you know, she’s got life, eyebrows, little fingernails…” Corey tenderly explained as he demonstrated that moment in time while cupping his hands.

She had breathing issues, and he recalled that despite him and his wife being present and hoping for help, the doctors “refused to do anything but” – implying that medical staff did not intervene in a way that could have saved her. She was too young and small for medical intervention to succeed. As a result, his daughter died while he was holding her, and he noted that she was “barely bigger than his hand.” This loss deeply impacted him, especially since it happened at a time when he was also dealing with public scrutiny and personal challenges.

“It pushed me to the brink,” Corey said. “My wife and I had lost our first daughter during the third trimester…she died in the palm of my hand.”

The combination of the world of media against him and the sudden loss of family caused him to do the unimaginable. He took his life into his own hands. This was the moment Corey decided to end it all.

The Day Corey Committed Suicide

The year 2006 was an extremely dark and difficult time in his life, the negative experiences on American Idol, the subsequent public defamation, loss of career opportunities, and personal tragedies (specifically the death of this first daughter during the third trimester of pregnancy), he became overwhelmed with depression, frustration, and a sense of hopelessness. He emphasized how painful it was to feel misrepresented to the world and unable to control his own story, especially as powerful media entities painted him in a negative light.

On that day, feeling that he could not take any more – burdened by slander, loss, and the sense of fighting a losing battle alone – Corey committed suicide by hanging himself. He described that moment as not just a “cry for help,” but as a moment where he truly intended to end his life.

“People say that I tried to commit suicide. But in 2006, I committed suicide, because I died. I killed myself. I was tired of everything. I was not ready for the world to act like they knew me as a person and bashing me for behavior that they had not witnessed for themselves.”

Corey Clark

He shared that after his suicide, paramedics and emergency responders arrived. They took him down and stabbed him in the chest with a large medical needle to bring him back to life, causing his eyes to open suddenly. This event was so startling, it traumatized at least one of the officers present, who later needed psychological counseling. As the officer wrote in a report, Corey’s eyes were “completely gray,” which was due to him being devoid of life for a period of time.

He recognized that this is the moment when God stepped in, took control, and had His way with Corey…not the other way around. He saw this as a sign and a reminder that his life had a purpose.

“That was a low point for me. It’s not something that I’m proud of, but it was God that decided that wasn’t my time, because I decided it was. And what a Powerful God we serve for Him to be like, ‘Oh, no, no, you don’t decide when your time is, I decide when your time is. You still have more work to do.’”

Corey Clark

The Spiritual Journey, an Awakening, and The Second Chance

Not only did Corey’s eyes open naturally from the point of death, but it was also his spiritual awakening that helped him to get back on track. He knew that it was God that preserved his life. Corey never attempted to take his life again, nor does he plan to in the future. His faith in God caused him to make it through life, such as this.

“It wasn’t my time. My faith has been a big part of me making it through life and getting back to who I am in life and what I’m meant to be doing. Every success I have ever had, I give the praise and glory to God. Every failure that I have had, I take it as a life lesson learned from God that this was the door that I wasn’t supposed to be walking through. So, I’ve had to reshape how I engage with the world. I lost sight of what was important which is God. I had something to learn. I was getting arrogant at the time I was on the show.”

Corey Clark

Corey shared an interesting discovery about him being a contestant.

“I was performing on a show called “American Idol. One of the things God told His people is to not worship idols, right? And here I am, lending my talents that are God-given. You know, that’s what God put me here to do. He put me with the right set of parents who were already there doing what that was. I was breaking the covenant with God by doing that. I just think God snatched the rug from under my feet for a little while and said you need to have a seat and think about what you’re doing.”

Corey Clark

The hardships he faced on American Idol bled over into his career in music. The platforms that he was selling his music on were filled with negative comments about him as it pertained to the show. He knew they weren’t actually listening to the music; instead, it became a forum for conversations that ripped away at his reputation.

“Everything had to do with American Idol, like he shouldn’t have done this, and shouldn’t have done that. None of them actually really listened to the music. So, a lot of these comments that were on these platforms where I’m supposed to be working, selling my music, you had thousands of people that were bashing me because of what American Idol was saying. So, it just got frustrating. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle, you know, by myself. I stopped doing music and just started getting back to work.”

Corey Clark

Corey moved away from music from 2006-2010. Additionally, his father and grandfather suggested that it was time to stop doing music and focus on finding a better job. They both said this three years before they passed away. He was used to his grandfather asking if he got a “REAL” job yet. So, it didn’t really phase him, but to hear his musically gifted dad tell him to stop doing music, was another story.

“To not sing… for my dad to say it was kind of devastating because, you know, he’s, my hero,” said Corey. “Everything good about him, I wanted to be like him, so to hear it from him was kind of disheartening.”

He began to focus on his kids and family life in general. He began to do his best to help raise his children with his wife Monica Gonzalez (Monica Clark).

“That became a focal point for me, getting back to people and God and family. That’s what kind of regrounded me,” Corey shared.

They had five children in total. Two passed away early in the third trimester, leaving them with three living children. Since then, Corey and Monica have separated, but he still wants what’s best for her and their kids.

Their children currently range in age from 16- 20 years old. Yeshua, 20, Gloreya, 18, and Lyam, 16. He gives credit to Monica for encouraging him to get back into music.

In 2022, Corey experienced the loss of his father who was 73, and his grandfather who was in his 90’s. He mentioned that six months prior to their deaths, both of them suddenly changed their tune about his music. They told him that he should start singing again. When his dad said it, he received a fresh breath of encouragement.

“He said, ‘yeah keep singing, don’t ever stop singing, you have a gift, a destination, that God has in store for you,’” Corey stated as he recalled his father’s words. “To hear him say get back to it…it helped reinforce my belief in myself again.”

With the admiration that he had for both his dad and grandfather, he pursued his dream and calling to keep on singing. Even though God and family helped ground him again, he still was not in church. But not for long, God would show up in his life in a way that he never would expect. It all started from a broken chain.

The Broken Pendant, Corey’s Divine Encounter, & Reminder to Return to Church

His younger sister, a professional WNBA player, Alysha Clark, got necklaces made for the family including him.

In 2024, Corey’s chain broke. To be specific, his pendant broke when it slipped off the chain and fell on the tile, causing the glass on the back to shatter. This wasn’t just any regular piece of jewelry; it held significant remembrance to what Corey held dear to him. It was a chain with a silver music note pendant that contained the ashes of his loved ones.

“I wear this piece around my neck. It’s an emblem. It’s a music note,” said Corey as he began to take off his necklace and hold up his pendant in preparation to explain its sentimental value. “If you look on the back you can see this window. It’s got ashes back there. Those are my dad’s ashes and my kids’ ashes, my grandparents’ ashes that passed away recently.

So, he returned to the company that originally made it to get it repaired. It was located in Los Angeles in a tiny boutique. Something amazing happened while he was there. He was approached by a servant of God who he originally thought was a customer. She was a classy woman with long raven black hair, and a long white dress, named Lisa, who asked to talk to him. She began talking to him for 45 minutes.

The conversation was about Corey’s dad and her dad who had also recently passed away. She then stated that she was the CFO/CEO of the company, who was also the deacon of her church, and said she would fix the chain for free. He gave her the chain and the ashes. He had no idea he was talking to the owner! Both she and her husband ran the company.

This took place during the day, so she walked him to his car and began to encourage Corey in Christ. She suggested for Corey to think about what God and his dad was telling him at the moment. She challenged him to think about what he was supposed to be doing. She then invited him to Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church and said she would have his chain ready shortly.

“I’m driving, and I’m thinking exactly about what she asked me. Like what is it that my dad or that God wants me to do? And it just hit me, like she just told me, ‘I’m the deacon of the church,’” Corey excitedly exclaimed. “I just heard my dad’s voice in my head, like, ‘You need to go back to church.’”

So, he attended the church located in Beverly Hills. As he entered in, he admired the hard oak and the old stained-glass windows up high.

“It’s a very old church in Beverly Hills and when I walked in, you could just feel God in that building. And then the pastor, the congregation, the people were all so open and welcoming. It felt like home as soon as I walked in.”

Corey Clark

He later became an official member of the church. Since Lisa is a deacon at the church, he sees her at prayer group and during classic and contemporary service. He is now actively attending, volunteering, & serving in the church and within the community.

Corey’s Reflections of God-Encounters as a Child

Through it all, he realizes that God has been with him all along.

“There are two things as a child that made me know for a fact that there is a God, putting aside what happened in 2006,” Corey stated.

At 14 to 15 years old, he went to a Boyz II Men, TLC, & Montell Jordan Concert. He won passes to attend the concert close to the front row, but not for backstage. There was a group of girls in front of him laughing, clapping, and screaming. One of the girls was saying thank you to the leader of the group who helped bring them to the show. He noticed that the girl responded by saying she really didn’t like the group, and she just had a backstage pass because her mom worked there. So, he began to eyeball the backstage pass and planned to steal it once the lights dimmed. The moment he began to reach for her pass, he said everything slowed down and came to a stop.

“I’m about to steal right? The lights go out, the stage lights come on, so it’s dark in the audience, everybody starts clapping and I start to make my move to get this girl’s pass. And everything almost completely stopped. Like, I was still conscious. My eyes were open. Nobody else was moving at all. My hands stopped and my whole body stopped.”

He heard a voice tell him not to steal it, and if he didn’t steal it, he would be able to get backstage.

“I know it’s no big life altering thing. But everything went back into regular motion and time and movement sped back up to regular. And I knew instantly that God was talking to me. It’s like my body; my soul knew it. That was God. I almost reached her leg when that happened.”

To make a long story short, the show proceeded. He attempted to use his old pass to make it backstage. The security picked him up. When that happened, a mysterious woman called out and gave Corey and his friend a backstage pass. They were able to go backstage, just as the Lord promised.

The second experience happened when he was 19 years old. He recounted how his childhood friend Ricky, who was the younger brother of Ray Blaylock, experienced a life-altering accident while working on a billboard in Las Vegas. Ricky and his cousins were putting a tarpaulin on a billboard when a strong wind caught it and blew him off the billboard. He fell all the way down to the concrete below.

According to Corey, Ricky suffered multiple severe injuries: “arms, wrists, hands, knees, shins, back, and cracked his head open.” The doctors gave a very negative prognosis, first saying he would not live through the night, then that he wouldn’t survive the week, then the month, and finally that he wouldn’t live a year.

However, Ricky defied all odds and eventually came out of his coma. Even though the doctors said he’d never walk again and couldn’t have children, Corey said, “three or four years later, he began to walk again” and later had children. Corey sees this as a miracle. He knows it is not a coincidence, but by divine design.

“That’s nothing but God, that’s God,” Corey confidently stated.

Thankful for A Second Chance to Serve God & Serve Others With Purpose

Corey’s life is full of testimonies, and he has a newfound gratitude for everything God has done. He mentioned we are only here for a moment in time. So, with the life he is living, he wants to make sure that it is on track. It’s not only about going back to church but going back to God. On that note, he had a little advice for those who don’t know Jesus.

“I would like to direct everyone who hasn’t already given their lives to God, to find a way to do so. So that you can live a life of purpose and the life your supposed to by serving. The lessons God has taught me in life you can’t buy. I’ve learned a lot the hard way and through God’s grace and direction, I’ve made it through to the other side. Now I’m a much smarter human being. I’m a better human being for the trials and tribulations that have forged me into the person that you see before you today….We’re all leaving here at some point in time, so where are you going? It’s really up to you and how you feel about Jesus Christ.”

Corey Clark

He hopes that those who hear his story will be inspired by it. He reiterated that we are all here for a reason, and that is to be of service.

“Wherever I could be of service is where my heart, my head, and my actions are, and I completely attribute that to God. I’m thankful to be used by God to make the world a better place, and also to help other people that need it, even if it’s just a smile. You know, a hug, a conversation. You never know what someone’s going through, what they’re dealing with. They could be on the brink of, you know, taking their own lives, and if somebody just would have said hello to them, you never know when something positive that you say or do will positively impact someone’s life and maybe make the difference between life and death for them. There’s a lot of people out there that are hurting. I was one of them.”

Corey Clark

With the ups and downs in life, he has faced heartache, loss, humiliation, loneliness, struggles, stress, and pressures of this world, which could not be handled on his own. It took having someone who was greater to take him through it all.

Although he faced disqualification and public defamation, he realized that God fought his battle. He was beat down for a while, but God encouraged him so he can start again. He experienced the loss of two of his children, but God blessed him with three that are still with him today. He ended his life, but God rescued him and restored him with life. As his eyes opened, his eyes spiritually opened to God’s power and protection. It was not a coincidence. He is alive today to tell the story, which is a phenomenal miracle!

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

Although his father and grandfather, told him to stop singing, he realized the Spirit of God caused them to tell him to start singing again before they passed away. His music pendant with valuable memories may have shattered, but God raised up a deacon at that store on that day to remind Corey to return to the House of God. It was not a coincidence. It was God!

Corey has chosen to see the lessons learned in all aspects of his life. He understands that when we move away from being guided by God, it opens the door for chaos to enter in. With all the mess ups that he has made in life, he considers it to be “beautiful chaos” because God delivered him out of it and gave him a second chance. He admits that he is a sinner and emphasizes that we all are.

But thank God, that we serve a God of mercy, no matter how far we run away or hide. Even if we stray away for a period of time from our foundation of faith in God, if we come back, our God will welcome us back in with arms wide open. Although he made many mistakes, he acknowledges that God has kept him, rescued him, and gave him life again. God forgave him and helped him get back on course.

“I’m not perfect now. I’m a sinner, just like everybody else, you know, still trying to do the best that I can by putting God first and people first. By admitting that, I’m already on the right track.

Corey Clark

He is now a changed man! He is living a life with purpose while giving Jesus Christ the Glory. He is sharing his God-given gift of singing, releasing his unique voice of love to the world as God created him to do. He is serving in many ways, in his church, in the community, and by serving as co-founder in the Circle of Love Foster Family Agency, to help maintain a circle of love among families. Love wins because we serve the God of A Second Chance! He is using his second chance to serve with the love of Christ by all means necessary.

“I’m here to serve…essentially, you know.”

Corey Clark

A 2nd Chance

Take time to hear the remake of El DeBarge’s hit song, “A 2nd Chance” covered by Corey Clark. This song wondrously ties in with his testimony of receiving a Second Chance from the Almighty God.

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:9-10

Contact & Further Info:
Corey’s Music is available on all streaming platforms. For bookings to speak, perform, or record, contact Honeybee at honeybeeproductions@yahoo.com. For more information about Circle of Love Foster Family Agency, please click the button below:

This is Sharlene, reporting from Horns of Heaven Global Network, letting the power of Jesus be known, by Sounding the Trumpet of News from God’s People to God’s People across the globe. It’s all about the Kingdom of God and connecting the believers of Christ through clear communication and real-life stories told around the world! Nation to Nation…We Are One!

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