Mighty Clouds Floating on a Gospel Revival : Pop music: The group, in Irvine tonight, is riding high. But leader Joe Ligon takes it in stride, knowing that such high points can be fleeting.

For Joe Ligon, riding out a 34-year career of ups and downs has always been a matter of keeping the faith.

Ligon is leader of the Mighty Clouds of Joy, a gospel group that has its share of high points--three Grammy Awards, a handful of hit R&B; singles in the ‘70s--as well as some slow spells. The group, which blends classic gospel with contemporary pop flourishes, will perform at the Irvine Barclay Theatre tonight.

For the Mighty Clouds, the latest career jump-start came late last year, when they were featured in a widely publicized, monthlong series of concerts with Paul Simon in New York City. They performed three numbers with Simon (including “Loves Me Like a Rock”) and one song alone.

Others who took part included the South African a capella ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo, singer Phoebe Snow, former Simon partner Art Garfunkel and even Steve Martin, in a comic cameo.

“It was fabulous, and the press was great,” Ligon said in a telephone interview. In fact, the publicity from the Simon shows has resulted in a flurry of concert gigs at colleges and other venues for the Mighty Clouds. “After 34 years, our career has really taken off again,” he said. “It’s like a new birth.”

The Mighty Clouds of Joy started their career in 1960 in Los Angeles, where original members Ligon, Johnny Martin, Richard Wallace and Elmo Franklin attended Jefferson High School together. Ligon and Wallace are joined in the current lineup by Wilbert Williams and, the group’s most recent addition, Michael McCowin.

At times reminiscent of such R&B; shouters as Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding, at others recalling the silkiness of Curtis Mayfield, lead singer Ligon patterned his vocals after the Rev. Julius Cheeks of the Sensational Nightingales, a top gospel draw in the 1950s and ‘60s.

As the popularity of black gospel wavered in the ‘70s, the Mighty Clouds switched to a mainstream pop label (ABC Records) and wove elements of contemporary R&B; into their sound, scoring two minor hits on the pop charts: “Time” and “Mighty High.”

“We were one of the first groups to do contemporary gospel, and we got criticized for it,” Ligon said. Since, then other groups--from the Winans to Take 6--have followed suit.

While the gospel purists were sniping from one side, some in the record industry were trying to get the group to make the switch to secular music, as others from Teddy Pendergrass to the Staple Singers had done.

“There was a lot of temptation,” Ligon said. The group did cover some mainstream hits (all with “positive” messages, Ligon said) but in the long run have remained committed to gospel.

“We’re just four or five guys who want to sing gospel music,” Ligon said. They’ve crossed over into secular venues, opening for everyone from the Rolling Stones to Aretha Franklin, but maintain their message.

“We’re not millionaires, but we weren’t looking for that when we went into gospel,” Ligon said. “All we wanted to do is make a comfortable living, which we do.”

Their repertory today can range from traditional numbers to newer rave-ups. Their 1990 live album, “Pray for Me,” which won a Grammy Award, includes a new arrangement of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” alongside James Cleveland’s rousing “Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus” and Franklin’s “Nobody Can Turn Me Around.” All the singers take solo turns, but it is Ligon’s roar of a voice that usually plays against the tight harmonizing of the other members.

The ‘80s saw a big rise in the pop-oriented white Christian music market, while some contemporary and traditional black gospel artists complained that they were being neglected by gospel music labels. Ligon said he tried to steer clear of the debate.

“We didn’t jump on that bandwagon,” he said. “We don’t expect to be Amy Grant. . . . We didn’t dwell on that too much. We just do what the Mighty Clouds can do and pray for the best.”

Ligon believes black gospel is undergoing a new surge in interest, especially on the strength of contemporary choirs and tributes by some secular performers to their gospel roots.

The Mighty Clouds, meanwhile, are drawing better than ever on their busy schedule (some 200 dates a year), despite the fact that they haven’t recorded an album of new material in several years. Ligon expects to remedy that this spring.

“We feel that black gospel is being accepted. There are record companies that, when I first started, wouldn’t touch gospel music” that are signing gospel artists now, he said.

“The doors are being opened, and gospel is on the rise,” he said. “That lets me know I’m still where I need to be, in gospel music.”

* The Mighty Clouds of Joy perform tonight at 8 in the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, UC Irvine. $12-$20. (714) 856-6379. * Times Link: 808-8463

To hear a sample of music by the Mighty Clouds of Joy, call TimesLink and press *5580