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Coko

Born:     June 13, 1970
Place of Birth:    The Bronx, NY
Zodiac Sign:  Gemini

Cheryl Elizabeth Gamble aka Coko, is an American R&B recording artist and television personality. Gamble is best known as the lead singer of the American R&B vocal trio Sisters With Voices (SWV). Aside from her R&B career, Gamble also has a solo gospel career.

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From 1990 to 1998, Gamble sang with the platinum recording group, Sisters With Voices (SWV). Collectively the female trio released five albums - the first "Its About Time" selling over three million copies making SWV a big hit. After their 1998 Christmas album, SWV disbanded. To commemorate their tremendous success and huge contribution to the 1990s R&B Music Scene, Six compilation albums were released compiling their best efforts. Gamble made the final decision to disband the group. In an interview, Gamble stated it was not a mutual decision, that many people tried to convince her to stay but it was inevitable. Gamble went on to say that she didn't feel appreciated, that there was no unity within the group and the communication was gone. Gamble did not speak to founding member Leanne Lelee Lyons for several years.

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After SWV disbanded, Gamble went on to work with other artists such as Will Smith. Gamble went on to release her first solo album under RCA, titled Hot Coko, released on August 10, 1999. The first single, "Sunshine," which was dedicated to her son Jazz, reached the Top 40 position in the R&B charts that summer. However, both the album and singles did not gather the same mainstream success as Gamble once did with SWV. Meanwhile, Gamble was working on a second solo album titled Music Doll in early 2001, but RCA closed the black music division and the project was shelved. In 2001, Gamble and her Mother Lady "Clyde" Tibba Gamble did a remake of the song "Tears in Heaven" (originally recorded by Eric Clapton) on the album Rhythm and Spirit: "Love Can Build a Bridge". The album featured other artists such as Jennifer Holliday, Patti Labelle, and Tramaine Hawkins. Gamble sang on the Brent Jones & TP Mobb single "Midnite" in 2002. Gamble also appeared on Youthful Praise's 2003 gospel album Thank You for the Change singing lead on "Up There". Coko's full gospel solo debut, Grateful, was released in the United States on October 31, 2006 and debuted at #5 on Billboard's Top Independent albums chart. Grateful includes an all-star cover of The Clark Sisters' "Endow Me" which features R&B singers Faith Evans, Fantasia Barrino and Lil Mo. An alternate version, minus Faith Evans was performed on BET's Celebration of Gospel '07. A special edition of Grateful only available through Wal-Mart includes two bonus tracks "I Wish" and Brent Jones' "Midnite" featuring Gamble on lead vocals. Gamble was reported to have joined an all-black touring cast performing the critically acclaimed play The Vagina Monologues, along with Sherri Shepherd, Star Jones, Vanessa L. Williams, and others. In June 2008, Coko performed in Japan for the Billboard Live Tour. Gamble sang some of her solo hits "Sunshine", "Clap Your Hands", and the SWV song "Right Here/Human Nature".

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Gamble reunited with SWV and performed during their first live performance in eight years in Los Angeles for urban radio station KKBT 100.3 "The Beat"'s Summerjam concert on August 20, 2005. They also appeared on the 2006 New Jack Reunion Tour. SWV was featured in the XXL where they discussed single releases from their debut album It's About Time. In the interview, Gamble mentioned that the group would no longer perform sexually-explicit songs such as "Downtown" and "Can We" anymore out of a new respect for her beliefs as a Christian. The group's final performance took place in Toronto in late June 2007. On April 4, 2008, Coko returned with SWV to perform some of their hits for the local DJ Kid Kutts' birthday. As SWV was in the midst of new shows for early 2011, Gamble posed for a shoot in Jackson, Mississippi with photographer Will Sterling. The photos were in fashionable gowns, set against the natural beauty of the Mississippi Delta.

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Gamble has concentrated more on her family in later years, and eventually married gospel producer and drummer for Israel and New Breed, Mike "Big Mike" Clemons on October 19, 2006. They have a son, Jaylon Clemons. In February 2018, It was announced that after twelve years of marriage, Coko and Mike had legally filed for a divorce. Gamble has another son named Jazz Butler (b. 1995) Gamble currently resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Source.

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