Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
Carl Lashaun Anthony (second from right) is pictured with George Dean and the Gospel Four.
GMF sends condolences to the family of Carl Lashaun Anthony, member of George Dean and the Gospel Four. Anthony transitioned November 14, 2020, in Byhalia, MS. Anthony was both a guitarist and singer with the Memphis-based group. His voice is recognizable on such tunes as “Give Him My Heart,” “Going Home Another Way,” and “Blessing Line.” In 2016, he announced the availability of his first solo EP, Family Prayer.
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
Rance Allen Group photo from a BET taping in 2016. Left to right: Chris Byrd, Steve Allen, Rance Allen, and Tom Allen. Photo by Marcus G. Bennett.
Bishop Rance Allen, of the Grammy® Award nominated inspirational soul and gospel trio, The Rance Allen Group, has passed away at the age of 71.
“While recovering from a medical procedure at Heartland ProMedica [in Sylvania, OH], Bishop Rance Allen passed away around 3 AM this morning,” said Allen’s wife of 49 years, Ellen Allen, and his manager, Toby Jackson, in a joint statement. “I wasn’t expecting to hear this news this morning,” said Tyscot Records President, Bryant Scott, who was nearly speechless upon hearing of the singer’s death. “This is a great loss to us personally but also to the church community at large.”
The Rance Allen Group’s progressive brand of Gospel and Allen’s signature grunts and squalls have inspired a generation of gospel artists ranging from Kirk Franklin and Fred Hammond to John P. Kee and Bryan Andrew Wilson. In the 1970s, they pioneered a fusion of R&B rhythms with spiritually charged message music on hits such as “Ain’t No Need of Crying,” “I Belong to You” and their cover of The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination” as “Just My Salvation.” The retro-soul vibe carried over into the group’s hits of the last two decades such as “You That I Trust,” “Miracle Worker,” and “Something About the Name Jesus,” which has clocked over 175 million streams. It’s a brand that won them fans beyond the Gospel world such as American Idol’s Randy Jackson, and Pop rockers Huey Lewis & The News. In a 2019 Rolling Stone interview, Lewis cited “Ain’t No Need of Crying” as one of his all-time Top 5 favorite soul songs alongside tracks by Ray Charles and others.
Rance Allen was born November 19, 1948 in Monroe, MI. One of twelve children, he began singing and preaching as Little Rance Allen at the age of five. “We were raised in a family where you went to church every single night,” he once said. “To keep our interest, my grandmother Emma Pearl went to a pawn shop and bought instruments, drums, guitars and amplifiers.” Using records by the Rev. James Cleveland and Ray Charles as his guides, he learned to play the piano before picking up the guitar with Chuck Berry as an influence. His grandparents served as his agents, but he once told writer Lee Hildebrand, “I didn’t have a life like most kids had. I wasn’t allowed to go out and play baseball with the guys and do the things a kid does.”
Circa 1967, Rance, with himself on guitar, started the Rance Allen Singers with his older brother Tom on drums and younger brother Steve on bass. They recorded their first song “Let’s Get Together and Love” – a psychedelic song with Allen’s stratospheric high notes and a direct message about Jesus Christ sacrificing his life on the Cross so that mankind could love one another – for the local Reflect label. Then, in 1971 they won a prize of $500 at a Detroit talent contest where legendary Stax Records promotion man Dave Clark was in the audience. Clark liked what he heard and took the renamed Rance Allen Group into the studio and recorded an album’s worth of material that was purchased by Stax Records.
Stax President Al Bell loved the trio’s music so much that he started The Gospel Truth subsidiary specifically to promote it. Their first single was “Just My Salvation,” a 1971 gospel cover of The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination.” Soon, they were appearing on bills with the likes of The Dramatics and Barry White and taking their R&B-infused gospel to an un-churched audience. Their following was built off of hits such as “I Got to Be Myself,” “Ain’t No Need in Crying” and “That Will Be Good Enough for Me.”
In 1975, they moved to Capitol Records where they recorded a couple of albums before returning to Stax in 1979 after the company was purchased by Fantasy Records. During this period, the group enjoyed its biggest Stax-era radio hit, “I Belong to You,” which reached the Billboard R&B Singles Top 30 chart. From there, they moved to Myrrh Records where they recorded two albums, including, I Give Myself to You, which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart in 1985.
It was during the 1980s that Rance Allen really began to focus on evangelism. Church of God in Christ (COGIC) leader, Bishop G.E. Patterson, began to mentor him. Under his guidance, Allen founded the New Bethel Church of God COGIC in Toledo, OH in July 1985 and he was elevated to Bishop within the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) in 2011. Aside from preaching at his own church, Allen spent a lot of time on the road evangelizing with Bishop Patterson. Allen didn’t record again until former Stax chief, Al Bell, launched Bellmark Records in 1991. The Rance Allen Group rolled out the album, Phenomenon. It hit #1 on the Billboard gospel albums sales chart with the radio hit “Miracle Worker,” and earned them a performance slot on “The Arsenio Hall Show.”
A decade later, they signed with Tyscot Records and entered a new phase of their career with the Deitrick Haddon-produced set, All the Way, in 2002. However, it was 2004’s The Live Experience that has become the biggest selling album of the group’s entire career. It featured Kirk Franklin on “Something About the Name Jesus” which has amassed over 175 million streams alone. The album also featured appearances from Fred Hammond on “Miracle Worker” and LaShun Pace on “I Can’t help Myself.” In the years since, the group has scored radio hits with “Do Your Will,” “You That I Trust” with Paul Porter, “Closest Friend” and “A Lil Louder (Clap Your Hands).”
In 2018, rap icon Snoop Dogg featured Rance Allen on his Top 10 Billboard Gospel Digital Songs Sales chart hit, “Blessing Me Again.” It won a BET Award for Best Gospel/Inspirational Song in 2019. At the time of his death, there were plans in the works for Allen to record a new gospel album with contributions from PJ Morton, Charlie Wilson and Kirk Franklin before the COVID19 pandemic put the project on hold. The Rance Allen Group’s most recent studio recording, “I’m So Glad It’s Christmas (Tyscot),” was released on all digital music platforms on October 30, 2020.
Allen is survived by his wife, Ellen Marie Allen, and his brothers, Steve and Tom, and other extended family members.
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
Tasha Cobbs Leonard performs for the 2020 Dove Awards. (Photo by Don Claussen/Trap The Light Photography for Dove Awards)
Winners for the 51st GMA Dove Awards were announced this past Thursday, October 29, during the show’s pre-telecast and Friday, October 30, during the main show on TBN. The events included pre-taped artist performances and stories but forwent a live audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kudos to all the winners. Among them were Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Gospel Artist of the Year), The Clark Sisters (Traditional Gospel Album of the Year), Kierra Sheard (Gospel Worship Recorded Song of the Year), and Kirk Franklin (Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year).
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
Praise & Worship recording artist, Benita Jones (formerly Benita Washington), has a testimony to share. Last week, the car Jones (pictured) and her manager, Jarita Jackson, were riding in was broadsided by a teenager. The impact was so strong that the car literally flipped over and was totaled.
“Benita recently wanted to start learning the piano,” Jackson says. “We were on our way back from going to a music store to buy a keyboard and the car was T-boned. We literally crawled out of the car and we were helped by some bystanders. The miracle is that no one involved was badly injured –not even the other driver. We had some bumps and bruises. We went to the hospital to get checked out, but God was merciful and everyone will be fine. ”
This past summer, Jones released her first album in a decade, The Entreating (Tyscot / Integrity), a live concert session. The pulsating, high-energy gospel radio single, “Good God,” peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Gospel Digital Song Sales chart earlier this year. Jones is now entering the autumn season with a new soul-stirring gospel radio single, “Still Everything.” Fans can listen to the full project at this link: https://benita.lnk.to/TheEntreating
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
“Take Your Knee Off My Neck” is one of the most direct and impassioned calls to action for social and racial justice that Pastor Shirley Caesar has issued in song. That speaks volumes for a gospel legend whose nearly seven decades of recording stretch across many of our nation’s darkest days of bigotry, segregation, and injustice.
In the riveting single co-written with Michael Mathis, Pastor Caesar speaks frankly about George Floyd’s May 2020 “lynching in broad daylight,” during which Minneapolis police officers held him in place with a knee to his neck until he lost consciousness. Floyd’s death was followed by days of demonstrations around the country. The track opens with crowd chants of “I can’t breathe!” – the last words of too many who have died in officer-involved encounters. Caesar minces no words addressing this and related acts of police brutality.
“Take your knee off my neck!”
“Enough is enough!”
“Stop killing our sons and daughters!”
“Leave us alone!”
She speaks the names of several other victims as well: Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland. The roll call of Black lives taken senselessly never ceases to stir deep emotions for me, and this context is no different. “You’re gonna reap what you’ve sowed,” Caesar warns the evildoers.
The straightforward message of “Take Your Knee Off My Neck” is driven by the song’s pulsating rhythm section. It’s an auditory evocation of trifold symbolism. Caesar’s finger is on the pulse of the times, singing pointedly about defenseless hearts that have stopped beating at the hands of their cold-hearted murderers.
Despite the circumstances that make “Take Your Knee Off My Neck” a necessary and urgent call to action, Caesar doesn’t confront the oppressors without lifting up the oppressed. “Beautiful Black people,” she sings, “hold your head up high. Don’t be ashamed of who you are. Black lives matter!”
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
Condolences from the gospel community have been abundant in the days since the transition of Delores Washington-Green on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Washington-Green had been recovering from a recent stroke, according to an August social media post from her son Leonidas. The classically trained soprano was a member of the legendary Caravans as well as the James Herndon Singers.
Rev. James Herndon, himself a member of the Caravans from 1959 to 1967 as pianist, singer, and writer of several of their popular songs including “I Won’t Be Back No More (Sweeping Through the City),” remembers how her approach to gospel singing proved to be a fine complement to the gritty gospel fervor that made the Caravans a tour de force.
The Caravans: (seated) James Herndon; (second row) Albertina Walker and Shirley Caesar; (third row) Josephine Howard, Cassietta George, and Delores Washington.
“Delores was a remarkable talent. She was a trained soprano. She had been taught by Leonard Bernstein’s sister. Really, she added the beauty to the [Caravans’] background. She was what really made it pretty. Even though she didn’t do a lot of leading, she was still an integral part of the group because you just expected to hear her voice when you heard the Caravans.”
When Herndon departed the Caravans and started the James Herndon Singers in 1967, his friend “Dee” was right there along with Josephine Howard, also an alumna of the famed Caravans. He notes that Washington-Green’s 1968 recording of “Oh Lord Have Mercy” became a signature piece for the James Herndon Singers. “That was a big song for Delores. That got to be our anchor for a while.”
She and Herndon also teamed up to record Dynamic Gospel Duets: James and ‘Dee’ for Savoy Records, “and everybody was shocked because she’s a soprano singer and I’m, at best, maybe just a baritone. The range between us was so different, people were amazed that we were able to do that. But we had a closeness of spirit and heart.”
GMF joins the gospel community in extending sympathy to the Green family in this time of bereavement.
Delores Washington-Green passed Wednesday, September 2, 2020. In recent weeks, she had been in the hospital “due to a stroke,” according to an August Facebook post from her son, Leonidas.
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
Nominees for the 51st annual Dove Awards have been announced. Zach Williams and For King & Country lead with five nominations each. Hillsong Worship, Kirk Franklin, and Jonathan McReynolds received four nominations. Among first-time nominees is Kanye West with three nods and Gloria Gaynor with two. The complete list of nominees is available here.
The 2020 awards show will air on TBN Friday, October 30th. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show will feature a variety of pre-recorded performances and acceptance speeches.
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
Donald Lawrence is among six artists to be inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame for 2020.
Lawrence is a Grammy award-winning songwriter, producer, and choirmaster from Gastonia, NC who currently resides in Chicago. His discography includes credits with the Carolina-based Tri-City Singers, Donald Lawrence & Co., The Clark Sisters, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, and a host of other music notables.
“I’m overwhelmed and soooooo honored that I am being inducted into the NC Music Hall Of Fame,” Lawrence shared on Instagram following last week’s announcement. “It’s such an honor to join the long list of NC distinguished creatives like Andy Griffith, Roberta Flack and many others inducted in the past. . . . Thank you for honoring my musical contributions WOW this comes at such purposeful moment for me.”
The NC Music Hall of Fame has announced that the induction ceremony, originally set for October, will be postponed until 2021, due to the pandemic. Once the state gives clearance to safely hold mass gatherings, the ceremony is expected to take place at the Gem Theatre in Kannapolis. Other inductees are The Briarhoppers, Charles Whitted, Jermaine Dupri, Michael Mauldin, and The Squirrel Nut Zippers. Past inductees Roberta Flack and Tony Brown will be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
Richard Wallace, founding member of the legendary Mighty Clouds of Joy has died, according to a statement released today by Rev. Isaac Lindsey, manager of Joe Ligon’s Mighty Clouds of Joy. The official statement reads:
We are heartbroken to share the news that the world’s greatest gospel bass guitarist and baritone singer, Brother Richard Wallace of the three-time Grammy Award-winning group The Mighty Clouds of Joy of Los Angeles, California, passed away today, Monday, July 27, 2020, at the UT Health Center in Tyler, Texas surrounded by his wife and family.
Richard was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, cousin, uncle, mentor, and friend to so many who loved him dearly.
As much as Richard cherished his privacy, he always appreciated the expressions of goodwill from people around the world and from all walks of life.
While we mourn the loss of a very good and humble man, we also celebrate his remarkable life as one of the founding members of one of the most successful groups in gospel music history, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves.
For those who may ask what they can do to honor Richard, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment, and modesty, and the next time you set your mind to do anything, declare and decree that God is not dead, he still lives and that you can’t do anything on your own.
We kindly ask everyone to please respect the family’s privacy during this time of bereavement.
The Celebration of Life service will take place at 12 PM (CT) on Saturday, August 1, 2020, at the Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, TX. Cards and memorials may be sent to Mrs. Elizabeth Wallace, 2209 Woodlands Drive, Tyler, TX 75703.
GMF extends sincere sympathy to the Wallace family and the Clouds during this deeply emotional time.
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
By Libra Boyd Gospel Music Fever Joy Bogonko is an emerging voice for her generation. The young Minnesota raised up-and-coming musician, singer, and songwriter chatted with Gospel Music Fever about her self-titled EP and offered advice to her contemporaries.
Libra: Joy, it’s such a pleasure to talk with you. Please tell us how your music journey started and who your influences have been.
Joy: It’s a pleasure talking with you as well! I’ve always been into music from a young age. I grew up playing different instruments and loving how music brings people together. I was about 15 when I started my current journey of singing professionally. I’ve been influenced by my big sister the most for sure because she has always believed in me and my potential. Her unwavering support has honestly been a huge contribution to where and who I am today. Musically, I’ve always loved Adele, Israel Houghton, Rihanna, Jonathan McReynolds, and Lauryn Hill, because of how they embrace their unique voices.
Libra: Talk to us about your current EP.
Joy: My current EP is generally a positive theme about strength, weakness, and conquering what life throws at you. Something a bit more personal to me is understanding that no matter what anyone’s going through, we are not alone and our feelings are valid.
Libra: This is your debut EP. There’s a lot in store for you. What are some of your music goals?
Joy: I hope to connect with more people, collaborate with other artists, and get better at my passion.
Libra: What do you believe is the biggest issue your generation faces, and what is your advice to empower them?
Joy: The biggest issue my generation faces is not being heard. I believe in young people so much and as a young person myself, it can feel really hard to speak out on what I believe in. I think the best advice I can give is always remember that any contribution counts, no matter how big or small. We are a force to be reckoned with and I think the rest of the world is starting to catch up.
Libra: Speaking of advice, what’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Joy: The best advice I’ve ever been given is that there is no competition. When I think of myself as the person I’m competing with, it drives me to excel while also giving myself the compassion and grace I deserve.
Libra: These next questions are totally random. Here we go! iPhone or Android? Joy: iPhone.
Libra: Texting or talking? Joy: Talking.
Libra: Last song you downloaded? Joy: “Black Is Beautiful” by Mayyadda.
Libra: At what venue would you most like to perform? Joy: I would love to perform at Radio City Music Hall!
Libra: What’s your dream music collaboration? Joy: My dream collaboration would be with Tori Kelly or H.E.R.
Libra: What do you want to make sure GMF readers know? Joy: I want to make sure that readers know that they are valuable and that they matter. And don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise!
Joy’s current single is “He’s Not Done Yet.” You can listen to it here and visit her socials here.
Libra Nicole Boyd, PhD is a musician, award-winning author, gospel music aficionado, and the founder and editor of Gospel Music Fever™. Her commitment to journalistic integrity includes bringing you reliable gospel music content that uplifts and advances the art form. Libra is presently working on several scholarly projects about gospel music in the media as well as gospel music in social movements.
