Author: Libra Boyd

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.

WNCU announcer Carolyn Ryals to be honored with appreciation musical – April 8

Carolyn Pettiford-Ryals, longtime on-air personality at WNCU 90.7 FM, will be honored with an appreciation program this Sunday, April 8, 2018.  The event will take place at Durham’s Lakeview Baptist Church on 3411 Dearborn Drive.   


This year marks Ryal’s 20th as a gospel announcer on North Carolina Central University’s campus radio station.  She, along with “Country Boy” Walter Hatcher, alternate hosting duties Sunday mornings on the “Hallelujah Praise” show.


The appreciation service starts at 4 PM and will include both music and spoken word tributes.

2018 Stellar Awards Winners and Honorees

GMF congratulates all of the winners and honorees at the 33rd Annual Stellar Awards. The complete list of this year’s winners is available here.  


In addition to this year’s winners, honorees were Tamela Mann, who accepted the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award; the late Bishop Kenneth Moales, Sr., who was honored with a posthumous Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award; and Rev. Milton Biggham, who received the Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones Legends Award.  The life and legacy of the late Rev. Edwin Hawkins (d. January 15, 2018) was celebrated with a posthumous Edwin Hawkins Icon Award, accepted by his sister, Lynette Hawkins Stephens. 


Also lauded were this year’s Stellar Honors Hall of Fame inductees: Ben Tankard, Dr. Marabeth Gentry, and Kurt Carr.

The 33rd Stellar Awards broadcast will premiere Friday, March 30, at 9 PM EST on TVOne, and will air in broadcast syndication around the country from March 31 through May 6, 2018.  Check your local listings for air dates and times. 

Clay Graham of the Pilgrim Jubilees has died

By Libra Boyd
 
Clay Graham, lead singer of the Pilgrim Jubilees, has died.
Sadness saturated the gospel community last evening (March 13), following the Pilgrim Jubilees’ announcement that Clay Graham, the group’s lead singer, had passed.  GMF extends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and fans of the quartet legend, as well as to elder brother Cleave and the Jubes.


A musical at the Prayer Center Baptist Church on 1432 W. 79th Street in Chicago will celebrate Graham’s life on Tuesday, March 20, at 7 PM.  The homegoing service will take place at 11 AM on Wednesday, March 21, at St. John COGIC.  The church is located at 7527 S. Cottage Grove Avenue.  
 
The Gospel Music Fever Show with Libra Boyd will play several of the Jubes’ songs in memory of Graham during its show on Monday, March 19, at 12 PM CT (1 PM ET).  Listen at www.kwaygospel.com.
 
Our friend Bob Marovich from JGM shares more on Graham’s music career: RIP: Clay Graham of the Pilgrim Jubilees.

R.I.P. Conrad Miller, Traditional Gospel’s “Distinguished Gentleman”

Conrad Miller has died.
GMF joins others in expressing heartfelt sympathy in the passing of Conrad Miller.  Miller died February 24.
 
“It was sudden,” Senior Pastor Alyn Waller told Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church congregants during this past weekend’s worship service, where the singer/songwriter was part of the praise team.  
 
Miller was affectionately known to many as “The Distinguished Gentleman of Traditional Gospel Music.”  Over his 20-plus year music career, the formally trained singer released projects entitled My Journey (2009) and Keep Pressing (2013), both produced by Steven Ford; and Thankful (2016), produced by Luther Wardlaw, Garland “Miche” Waller, and Earl Bynum.  
 
GMF Blog spotlighted Miller’s single “Caught Up” in 2015.  
 
Our prayers are with the family during this difficult time.

Passing: Ronald Greer, Author of Book on The Roberta Martin Singers

Ronald Greer has died.
Bob Marovich from The Journal of Gospel Music contacted us Thursday (February 1) about the shocking and unexpected passing of Ronald Greer.  Greer was an educator and the author of Only A Look: A Historical Look at the Career of Mrs. Roberta Martin and the Roberta Martin Singers of Chicago, Illinois (2015). 
 
Read more at the Journal of Gospel Music, and please continue to keep Ron’s family, friends, and colleagues in prayer throughout this emotional time.

Winans wins pair of trophies at 60th Annual Grammy Awards

Congratulations to gospel and CCM’s winners at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, announced last evening (January 28, 2018) in Los Angeles.  


Best Gospel Performance/Song 
“Never Have to Be Alone” – CeCe Winans
Written by CeCe Winans, Dwan Hill, and Alvin Love III

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
“What A Beautiful Name” – Hillsong Worship
Written by Ben Fielding and Brooke Ligertwood

Best Gospel Album
Let Them Fall In Love– CeCe Winans

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
Chain Breaker– Zach Williams

Best Roots Gospel Album
Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope– Reba McEntire


Winans celebrated her wins from Nashville Life Church in Tennessee, where she and her husband Alvin Love are pastors. 


A post shared by CeCe Winans (@cecewinans) on

See the full list of 2018 Grammy Award winners here.

Hawkins’ ‘Oh Happy Day’ returns to Billboard charts at #1

A week after the death of four-time Grammy® Award-winning recording artist, Edwin Hawkins, The Edwin Hawkins Singers’ 1969 million-seller, “Oh Happy Day,” has charted at #1 on Billboard Magazine’s Gospel Digital Song Sales chart for the issue week ending January 27, 2018.  The classic song had a 999% sales increase following worldwide news coverage of the celebrated artist’s passing from cancer last week.
In recent months, Hawkins and his management team had begun to plan activities surrounding the 50th anniversary of “Oh Happy Day,” which was recorded in 1968 and then spread to radio airwaves everywhere in the spring of 1969.  This coming August will also mark Hawkins’ 75th birthday.  The Hawkins Family will honor the man and his music during a two-day “Celebration of Life” at The Harbor Life Church, 4760 Thornton Avenue, Fremont, CA 94536, on February 6 and 7.  The services will begin at 7 PM PT each evening.  The public is invited to attend the celebration and admission is free of charge. The events will stream live on Mr. Hawkins’ Facebook page: Iamedwinhawkins.


Some of gospel’s brightest stars will perform classics from Hawkins’ vast catalogue, ranging from “Worship the Lord” to “Imagine Heaven.” The luminaries performing either night are Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Winans, Bebe Winans, Beverly Crawford, Anita Wilson, LaShun Pace, Ted Winn, Melonie Daniels-Walker, Chrystal Rucker, BSlade, Chrystal Rucker, Minister Carole King, Tibari, and Bishop Yvette Flunder.


Donald Lawrence is supervising the music and Edwin Hawkins’ music director, Derrick Hall, is the bandleader. Kurt Carr and Ricky Dillard are guest choir directors. Jonathan Grier and Rusty Watson, the longtime musical director of the Love Center Choir, will direct the bulk of the choir vocals. There will also be a reunion of the original Edwin Hawkins Singers, as well as, an appearance by The New Edwin Hawkins Singers and the Dream Team. Speakers will include Stellar Gospel Music Awards founder, Don Jackson; Bishop Carlton Pearson; Dr. Mary Beth Gentry; and music legend, Richard Smallwood.
There has been an outpouring of condolences from members of the music community, including Neil Portnow, the President and CEO of The Recording Academy.  In a written statement, Portnow said, 

Edwin Hawkins was a celebrated recording artist recognized as a founder of modern gospel music.  He earned 19 GRAMMY nominations between 1969 and 1996, winning his first award for Best Soul Gospel Performance for `Oh Happy Day,’ the crossover hit that solidified his status as a leading force in gospel music.  He earned three more GRAMMY Awards® during his career in the Best Soul Gospel Performance and Best Gospel Album By A Choir Or Chorus categories.  Edwin’s contributions to the contemporary Christian genre and commitment to music celebrating religious faith will continue to inspire both artists and audiences for years to come. Our thoughts go out to Edwin’s family and collaborators during this difficult time.

– Press release

Anthony Brown & group therAPy receives 10 nominations for 2018 Stellar Awards

CHICAGO, Jan. 17, 2018 / PRNewswire — Central City Productions announces the nominees in 28 categories for the 33rd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards, hosted again this year by history-making artist Kirk Franklin on Saturday, March 24. Contemporary gospel group Anthony Brown & group therAPy leads the field of nominees this year with ten nominations. The group earned recognition for its work on the album A Long Way From Sunday (Key of A/Fair Trade/Tyscot Records) in the categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, Producer of the Year, Contemporary Duo/Chorus Group of the Year, Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year, and Urban/Inspirational Single or Performance of the Year.
With nine nominations each, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise, and Travis Greene demonstrate excellence in the field as recognized by the Stellar Awards voting body.  Cobbs Leonard is nominated in the categories of Artist of the Year, Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, and Producer of the Year, among others for her work on Heart. Passion. Pursuit. (Motown Gospel).  J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise are nominated in the Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, and Choir of the Year categories, among their nine nods for the group’s work on You Deserve It (JamesTown Music/Entertainment One).  Greene continues to rise in the gospel genre, earning nominations this year in the top categories of Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, CD of the Year, and Producer of the Year for his work on Crossover Live in Music City (RCA Inspiration).   
With five nominations each, veterans Deitrick Haddon and Ricky Dillard demonstrate their staying power in gospel music, representing contemporary and traditional gospel, respectively. Haddon is nominated for Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year, Contemporary Duo/Chorus of the Year, Contemporary CD of the Year, Duo/Group Chorus of the Year, and Producer of the Year for Deitrick Haddon & Hill City Worship Camp (Entertainment One).  Dillard’s nominations come in the categories of Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year, Traditional CD of the Year, Traditional Choir of the Year, Choir of the Year, and Recorded Music Packaging of the Year.
Other artists earning multiple nominations include Marvin Sapp, The Williams Brothers, CeCe Winans, The Rance Allen Group, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Tina Campbell, and Le’Andria Johnson.


See the complete list of nominees here. 
The Stellar Awards show taping will return to The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 24, 2018, and is open to the public, with ticket prices ranging from $50 to $200 at www.ticketmaster.com.

The weekend of activities begins with the Stellar Awards Independent Artist & Quartet Showcase, taking place on Thursday, March 22, with winners performing at the non-televised awards pre-show ceremony.  The 2018 Stellar Gospel Music Awards Pre-Show is scheduled for Friday, March 23, to showcase non-televised award winners.  Also, the Stellar Gospel Radio Awards & Showcase will be held on Saturday, March 24, honoring top radio stations and announcers serving urban gospel music audiences. Tickets for each event can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.

Edwin Hawkins of ‘Oh Happy Day’ fame passes at 74 [Arrangements Added]

Edwin Hawkins has diedBy Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

Edwin Hawkins, hailed widely as the Father of Contemporary Gospel Music and arguably most recognized for arranging the quintessential version of “Oh Happy Day,” died today (January 15) at his home in Pleasanton, CA, after a bout with pancreatic cancer.  He was 74.

On January 11, the legend’s family requested prayer for him and stated that “all official updates [would] come from the official social media accounts of Edwin and his management team only.”  Still, today’s news of his death swiftly saturated social media through fans and other reliable sources.  Several media outlets hastened to share the news as well.  GMF delayed sharing the difficult news with its readers, out of respect to the family and management team in the immediate hours following the singer/songwriter/arranger’s transition.

In the official statement, the Hawkins family said,

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Edwin Hawkins – a celebrated artist, innovator, and music icon.  Though he will be greatly missed the world over, the message of love, life, and encouragement that he incorporated into his music gives us all the same hope that we’ll join him in heaven and sing `Oh Happy Day.’


Hawkins was the leader of the Edwin Hawkins Singers and a member of the Hawkins Family, comprised of his siblings Walter, Carol, Feddie, Daniel, Lynette, and other relatives.  

In 1968, Hawkins and the Northern California State Youth Choir COGIC (a choir he started with the assistance of Betty Watson) released an album, Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord, hoping to sell a few hundred copies at area concerts.  The album included his arrangement of the 18th century hymn “Oh Happy Day.”  In 1969, Buddah Records re-issued “Oh Happy Day” as a single from the Edwin Hawkins Singers.  The song became an international hit (charting in the US and several countries in Europe), earned Hawkins his first of four Grammy Awards, and reportedly sold seven million copies.  Accordingly, “Oh Happy Day” sits on The Recording Industry Association of America and National Endowment of the Arts Songs of the Century list, right between John McCormick’s “The Star Bangled Banner” and Jerry Lee Lewis’s “Great Balls of Fire.”

In addition to an extensive and accomplished recording and performance career, Hawkins and his brother Bishop Walter Hawkins are the founders of the Edwin & Walter Hawkins Music and Arts Love Fellowship Conference, now entering its 39th year.  Bishop Hawkins passed in 2010, also of pancreatic cancer.

GMF joins countless others around the world in extending heartfelt condolences to the Hawkins family during this difficult and emotional time.

Celebration of Life services will take place February 6 and 7, at Harbor Light Church in Fremont, CA.  Services begin at 7 PM PT nightly and will stream live on Hawkins’ Facebook page (@Iamedwinhawkins).  Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Winans, BeBe Winans, Beverly Crawford, Anita Wilson, LaShun Pace, Ted Winn, Melonie Daniels-Walker, Chrystal Rucker, BSlade, Chrystal Rucker, Minister Carole King, Tibari, and Bishop Yvette Flunder are among the artists scheduled to perform.  Read more about the Celebration of Life services here. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make donations to Music & Arts, Inc. at www.paypal.com.  

 

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