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Today's Featured Biography

Claire deGravelle Cloninger

An award-winning lyricist, a popular writer, a sought-after speaker. Claire is one of the country's foremost Christian communicators.

Claire began her songwriting career in 1979 in country music as a staff writer for songwriting great, Harlan Howard. It was not long before her talent began to follow her faith. Her first recorded song "You Gave Me Love When Nobody Gave Me A Prayer" (written with Archie Jordan) was the title song on the B.J. Thomas Grammy Award winning Christian album in 1980 and was later recorded by Amy Grant.

Since then, Claire has been nominated 14 times by the Gospel Music Association for the prestigious Dove Award, and has been awarded the Dove six of those times. Her songs have been widely recorded by many well known Christian artists, and her hymns are sprinkled through the pages of half a dozen church hymnals. She has written well over a thousand songs.

Claire's Christmas song, "The Gift Goes On," was recorded by Sandi Patti and performed at the lighting of the national Christmas tree in Washington, D.C. Her country music hit, "Heroes," written with and recorded by Paul Overstreet, received an ASCAP award as one of the most-played country radio hits of 1992.

Claire was commissioned by the Statue of Liberty Centennial Committee to write a new second verse to "The Star Spangled Banner." This exciting new version of the national anthem was used on the nationally televised Centennial Celebration, and was also used at Disney World during their 4th of July extravaganza.

Claire's love of worship is richly reflected in her music. Don Moen's international worship conferences are liberally sprinkled with her lyrics. Claire's songs "The Reconciliation Song" and "I'll Go The Distance" (both written with Morris Chapman)
were recorded on a Promise Keepers album and have been used in their conferences and rallies.

One of Claire's passions is providing music for church choirs. "It's exciting to partner in ministry with countless choirs across the country by providing musicals and hymns that lift up the name of Jesus," she says. Claire has created more than 30 choir musicals, partnering with such well-known composers as David Clydesdale, Gary Rhodes, Lari Goss, Robert Sterling, and Dave Williamson.

Claire has also written 15 Christian books for such publishers as Multnomah (a division of Random House), Harvest House, New Hope and River Oak Publishing. She lives in Fairhope, Alabama with her husband and best friend, "Spike." The Cloningers have two sons, two daughters-in-law and eight grandchildren.

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