Category: News

Historian Anthony Heilbut’s new book confronts sexuality in black gospel

Anthony Heilbut is an authority on gospel music and a respected author, producer, and historian.  Amid the swirl of debate about homosexuality, same-sex marriages, and Christian perspectives, he has devoted an entire chapter of his upcoming book, The Fan Who Knew Too Much, to sexuality in gospel.

Because I know Heilbut is a scholar who has spent more than 50 years studying gospel music, I am confident his text will be more than just a page-turner.  It will be an eye-opening and provocative look into the intersections of race, religion, and sexuality in gospel music.

The New York Times recently published an article about Heilbut and his book, which is set for release Tuesday, June 19: Using Gospel Music’s Secrets to Confront Black Homophobia.

More information on Heilbut is available at his website, anthonyheilbut.com.

Habakkuk Music and BlackGospelPromo.com release CD featuring some of gospel’s top acts

Habakkuk Music and BlackGospelPromo.com have teamed up and released Got Gospel? The Best Indie Tracks, Yesterday, Today & Forever. This is the first of a series of compilation CDs to come.

According to BlackGospelPromo.com’s Veda Brown, creating a compilation CD has been a longtime interest.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for years.  So many of my friends in the industry have stepped up and allowed us to use their songs for this project and I’m grateful. Indie labels and artists have become a major force in music so we’ve selected some of the best indie tracks to create a must-have CD compilation.”

Got Gospel? The Best Indie Tracks, Yesterday, Today & Forever consists of 14 tracks by popular artists Vickie Winans, Lisa Page Brooks, Youthful Praise, Marvin Winans, Canton Jones, Bryan Wilson, Rance Allen and others.


Additional information about Habakkuk Music and BlackGospelPromo is available at www.habakkukmusic.com and www.blackgospelpromo.com, respectively.

Video – “God Is Faithful” – Jennifer Holliday

Jennifer Holliday has released her first gospel music video for the single “God Is Faithful.”  The song was written by Keith A.Williams and is the featured song on her current digital-only EP, available at CD Baby.  
Holliday was presented to another generation of music enthusiasts recently, after her appearance on this season’s American Idol with finalist Jessica Sanchez.  The two brought down the house with the tune that made Holliday a household name, “And I Am Telling You,” from the Broadway musical, Dream Girls.

2012 BET Awards Nominees Announced

Kim Burrell

Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell, James Fortune & FIYA, Fred Hammond, and Trin-i-tee 5:7 are the Best Gospel Artist nominees for this year’s BET Awards.

The show will air live July 1, at 8 PM EST, on the BET network with Samuel L. Jackson as the host.

See the complete list of nominees here: BET Awards ’12 Nominees.

Pastor Marvin Winans robbed, carjacked

“This kind of nonsense just has to stop,” Pastor Marvin Winans told ABC7 Action News Wednesday afternoon after being assaulted, robbed, and carjacked while pumping gas at a Detroit Citgo.  He spoke further with ABC7 Wednesday night upon leaving the hospital with a fractured finger.

The pastor of Detroit’s Perfecting Church, Winans is also a Grammy-winning singer.  His current musical collaboration, “Let the Church Say Amen,” features him with Andraé Crouch on Crouch’s The Journey project and has become an instant classic.  Winans also appears in a recurring acting role on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, and he recently gained even more prominence as the eulogist for the homegoing of Whitney Houston.

Helen Baylor breaks silence on music industry pitfalls and her recent addiction

Helen Baylor recently sat down with CBN’s Efrem Graham (May 10), and candidly addressed the negative influences that pervade the gospel music industry.

During her interview, Baylor–recognized in gospel for her riveting testimony and thankfulness for having “a praying grandmother” (The Live Experience/Word Records)–also discussed her marriage, which ended after 30 years, and the recurrence of her struggle with drugs.

Aretha Franklin to be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame

GMF is excited to learn that Aretha Franklin will be added to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame this August in Tennessee.  It is another well deserved honor for the “Queen of Soul,” whose roots in gospel music run deep.  CBS News is one of several outlets that shared the announcement a few days ago: Aretha Franklin to Join Gospel Hall of Fame.

You can listen to a few of Aretha’s classic gospel pearls on the YouTube channel of GMF’s partner, Gospel Experience.  The channel has an entire playlist (below) devoted to her.

Related Story
Aretha Franklin: Pumping Out Soul and Preaching Up Gospel


Song by Renee Spearman and Prez pays respect to mothers

(Hollywood, CA)  Established in 1908 to honor mothers worldwide, Mother’s Day is now one of the world’s most beloved holidays.  To mark the occasion, award-winning inspirational duo and JDI recording artists Renee Spearman and Prez have released a classic Mother’s Day song entitled “Happy Mother’s Day,” featuring Prez Blackmon.

The song is available on iTunes.

"No Weapon" – Pastor Linwood Dillard and The Voices of Citadel

“No Weapon”
Pastor Linwood Dillard and The Voices of Citadel
From the CD, Pastor Linwood Dillard Presents Churchin’ with The Citadel (2012)
http://citadelofdeliverance.com

Put your dancing shoes on, because you will surely need them for “No Weapon.”  Pastor Linwood Dillard and The Voices of Citadel’s exuberant single is an extended praise break with a layer of lyrics proclaiming the obvious: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”

The high energy stomper begins with an igneous 13-second homily before the band thrusts the choir into its emphatic declaration.

Superintendent Linwood Dillard, Jr. is the founding pastor of Citadel of Deliverance Church of God in Christ in Germantown, TN, and the International Youth Department President of the Church of God in Christ, Inc.

“Love No Limit” – Carl Brister

“Love No Limit”
Carl Brister
From the CD, Undefeated (2011)
www.carlbrister.com

It’s the inspirational gospel remake of Mary J. Blige’s hip-hop soul track, but Carl Brister makes “Love No Limit” his own with rewritten lyrics and his smooth and occasionally jazzy vocal.

Describing himself as a fan of Blige, Brister says, “After I accepted my calling to minister, the words ‘Love No Limit’ took on new meaning and reminded me of God’s unconditional love which has ‘No Limit.'”

Brister, who is a classically trained vocalist, serves as an associate minister, worship leader, and vocal instructor at Irvington, NJ’s Christian Love Baptist Church.