Category: News

Black quartet gospel music was celebrated in all its glory last weekend at the Quartet Music Awards (The QMAs). The inaugural event took place Saturday, June 18, at Atlanta’s Center Stage Theater with Dr. Bobby Jones and Justin Rufus as hosts.

Throughout the evening, awards were presented in 16 categories for excellence in quartet music. QMA Honors were also presented to pay homage to the legacy and contributions of the late Lee Williams (Lee Williams and The Spiritual QC’s), Tiffanie Tutu Agee (The Truthettes), George Dean (The Gospel 4), Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, Harvey Watkins, Jr. (The Canton Spirituals), Cleve Graham (The Pilgrim Jubilees), Spencer Taylor (The Highway QC’s), and the late Percy Griffin (The Swanee Quintet). 

The Quartet Music Awards was birthed from the vision of D. Chubbs Morton and Connie Birth. Morton is a songwriter, musician, and frontman for the quartet group D. Morton and Gifted. Birth is a gospel radio personality and music executive.

GMF congratulates all the inaugural QMA recipients.

Male Vocalist Of The Year
Darrel Petties

Female Vocalist Of The Year
Lisa Knowles-Smith

Mixed Quartet Of The Year
Blest By Four

Graphic Designer Of The Year
Johnathan Johnson (Merge Media)

Producer Of The Year
Ray Braswell

Radio Announcer Of The Year
James “G-Man” Guy

New Artist Of The Year
The Robinson Bunch

Label Of The Year
Malaco Records

Song Of The Year
“I Still Got Joy”
(Roy & Revelation)

Album Of The Year
Quartagious
(The Williams Singers)

Male Quartet Of The Year
Darrel Petties & Take 2

Female Quartet Of The Year
Lisa Knowles-Smith & The Brown Singers

Emcee/Host Of The Year
Justin Rufus

Promoter Of The Year
Cheryl Snell

National Artist Of The Year
The Gospel Legends

2022 QMA Artist Of The Year
Men Of Prayze

(Los Angeles, CA) – Good things come to those who wait. It’s a timeless, unquestioned truth that’s never been more accurate than when considering the legendary CeCe Winans’ first full-length live recording, Believe For It (Pure Springs Gospel / Fair Trade Services). After almost 40 years of patiently waiting, Winans’ millions of fans around the world were blessed last year with an uplifting live worship experience that listeners have said is hard to top.

But Winans’ true fans know that exceeding expectations while surprising her audiences has been a hallmark of her incomparable career. So leave it to the 15-time Grammy winner to conceive and launch the only project that could follow the recorded album. She’s taking Believe For It on the road! 

Winans has just announced her first national tour in over a decade. Sponsored by Compassion International, the tour is stopping in 21 cities beginning in Indianapolis on September 21, and CeCe promises to bring together church, community, and friends for an amazing, highly anticipated night of worship.

“This tour is going to be amazing,” says the 15-time Grammy award-winning Winans. “I can’t wait to share this experience LIVE with everyone across the country who has supported my career for all of these years, and those who will be hearing the new album for the first time.”

During the tour, Winans will be sharing classics like “Alabaster Box,” “More Than What I Wanted,” and many other hits that have made her the best-selling and most awarded female gospel artist of all time.

And If you’ve not yet heard Winans’ new Believe For It, you should give it a listen before Winans comes to your hometown this fall. In addition to the title track, the album features fan favorites “Never Lost,” “No Greater,” and “Fire.” 

Speaking of fire, the album’s incendiary third single, “Goodness Of God,” is burning up the charts with 205+ million US streams, 148+ million video views, 110+ million TikTok views, and #1 on CCLI’s Top 100 chart (measured from over 250,000 churches’ worship services).

Transparent Productions, one of the largest producers of Christian concerts, tours, and festivals across the U.S. provides the marketing and promotion wheels behind the Believe For It Tour, partnering with Winans to ensure she connects with fans in key cities.  For ticket information and more tour details, go to www.cecewinans.com.

Greensboro, NC (June 20, 2022) – UCON (Unwind Communications Outreach Network) and WSPAA (Winston-Salem Performing Arts Alliance) crowned the winners of the inaugural Little Miss and Junior Miss Juneteenth Pageant. Participants in the Little Miss Juneteenth Pageant are girls ages 7-10 years old and girls ages 11-14 years old for the Junior Miss Juneteenth Pageant from various cities throughout the state. “The pageant is designed to provide the girls with soft skills necessary to be well rounded and successful in life as well as building their confidence and offering encouragement,” says Linda Greenwood, UCON director.  

To enter the pageant, the girls had to have a 2.0 GPA and participated in special sessions in haircare, journaling, presenting on camera, Juneteenth history as well as fundraising. Along with the pageant WSPAA executive director Elliott Lowery, UCON director Linda Greenwood put together a special gospel celebration that highlighted the rich heritage of the African  American culture on Sunday, June 19^th in Greensboro at the Van Dyke Performing Arts Theater.  This event featured an incredible line-up of regional and local artists – storyteller Fred Motley, renowned contemporary gospel artist W.I.L., and gospel rappers Ezzy Wall and Mr. GP.  

During their year-long reign, Little Miss and Junior Miss Juneteenth are expected to promote positive images through school appearances and community events and serve as role models and spokespeople for Juneteenth.

The Winners

Little Miss Juneteenth representing High Point, NC is Saraiyah Johnson, the daughter of Michelle and  Tacuma Johnson. Saraiyah attends The College Prep and Leadership Academy, also known as The Point. The first runner-up for Little Miss Juneteenth is Serenity White, who represents Winston-Salem. Serenity is the daughter of Victoria Montgomery and attends Ward Elementary.  

Junior Miss Juneteenth representing Greensboro is Joie Holding, the daughter of Tiffany Donnell and Daniel Holding. Joie attends Morehead Elementary.

About UCON and WSPAA

UCON and WSPAA are 501c3 organizations. UCON’s mission is to raise the awareness of community residents on the benefits of collaborating with communication venues, disseminate information pertaining to broadcasting, teach people about broadcasting, develop musical artists through training, and inform the community about how communication technology works. 

The mission of WSPAA is to inspire, uplift, and educate underserved children, youth, adults, and seniors. We seek to build the self-esteem and self-worth of the communities we serve through the performing arts.

Music legend Candi Staton has scored a gold record certification for her dance anthem, “Hallelujah Anyway” (Defected Records). London-based Defected Records recently mailed Staton a plaque celebrating the gold status of “Hallelujah Anyway” in Belgium.

“I’m so tickled,” Staton says. “I knew the song was popular because European promoters always ask me to put the song in my concert repertoire when I play Europe. However, I had no idea that it had gone gold in Belgium. I’m so thrilled that these remixes are introducing my voice and the gospel message to a new generation of clubgoers.”

Candi Staton first recorded the infectious groove for her Proverbs 31 Woman (Beracah) album in 2002 when the song received heavy airplay rotation on Radio One’s gospel format. A decade later, DJ Simon Dunmore (founder of the world’s largest dance music recording label, Defected Records), commissioned German DJ, Larse, and the legendary Chicago House DJ, Frankie Knuckles, to create their mixes that have racked up over 10 million streams on Spotify alone. It was an instant smash in clubs across the globe. It has since been remixed by other influential DJs such as Eric Kupper, Moplen, David Penn, and Dr Packer. The song has also been covered by London’s House Gospel Choir on their 2020 Island Records release, RE//CHOIRED.  

– From a press release

Tamela Mann, Donnie McClurkin, The Clark Sisters, and T.D. Jakes are among the 2022 inductees.

Spotlighting a cross-section of history’s most influential Black artists, entertainers and icons, the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame (BMEWOF) Crown Jewel of Excellence Black Music Month Class of 2022 Induction and Juneteenth Celebration will be held on Saturday, June 18, in Atlanta. The Black American Music Association (BAMAssoc) and the Georgia Entertainment Caucus (GEC), collaboratively announced the ceremony and plans for the Black Music Month Class of 2022 Induction. 

A full list of all 16 inductees is as follows: 

Cathy Hughes (Foundational)
Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (Foundational)
Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff (Foundational)
Robert Smith (Foundational)
Run DMC (Foundational)
T.D. Jakes (Foundational)
Charlie Wilson (Mainstream)
Donnie McClurkin (Gospel)
Tamela Mann (Gospel)
The Clark Sisters (Gospel Group)
NAS (Hip-Hop)
Angela Bassett (Actress)
Steve Harvey (Mogul)
Bob Marley (International)
Patti LaBelle (Legacy)
Prince (Legacy)

With a national and international appeal, the BMEWOF will acknowledge, preserve, respect, and inspire the Black creative community for generations to come. Atlanta has long been the mecca of Black music and entertainment and the BMEWOF has already become a key addition, showcasing the industry’s greatest contributors.

The Crown Jewel of Excellence emblems for the inductees of the BMEWOF are permanently installed on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, in front of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Crown Jewel of Excellence emblems for June 2022 – and for every class of inductees moving forward – will continue to be added at the BMEWOF’s location in historic downtown Atlanta, preserved for all the world to see, and for generations to come.

For information and updates on the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame head to: http://www.theblackwalkoffame.com/

– Excerpted from a press release

The ninety-six-year-old Church Music Publishers Association (CMPA) has elected Bryant Scott as its 54^th President. Scott, who is also president of the world’s oldest-operating African-American owned gospel recording label, Tyscot Records, and its publishing arm, Tyscot Publishing, will be the organization’s first president of African-American heritage.  John Shorney, Chairman of the Board for the CMPA Action Fund states, “We are delighted to elect Bryant into this CMPA position for the coming year.  He has shown tremendous leadership in the Christian music publishing industry, and we are excited to work alongside him for the benefit of all Christian songwriters and publishers.”  Bryant Scott states, “I am honored to serve the member publishers of the CMPA who represent the greatest songs in the world!”

The CMPA was founded in 1926, and is an organization currently of 51 music publishers who come together to share mutual areas of concern regarding copyright information, education, administration, protection, and legislative advocacy. It includes the publishers of almost every major church denomination as well as other contemporary publishers such as Capitol CMG Publishing, Curb/Word Entertainment, Gaither Music Company, Hillsong Music Publishing, and Maverick City Music, among others. Its publisher members’ works range from recent favorites such as Chris Tomlin’s “Good Good Father,” to vintage compositions such as Andrae’ Crouch’s 1964 anthem, “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power,” to heritage hymns such as “How Great Thou Art” and “Great is Thy Faithfulness.”  For more information on CMPA, log on at cmpamusic.org.

– From a press release

The Choral Arts Society of Washington and the combined gospel choirs of Washington Performing Arts will co-present treasured annual event Living the Dream…Singing the Dream tribute concert on Sunday, April 10, 2022, at 7 pm, rescheduled from January 30, 2022. The performance pays tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. while celebrating the power of music, collaboration, and human spirit. The program ​​transcends race, age, and gender to unite all who honor Dr. King’s ideals. During the performance, Choral Arts will also present its 2022 Humanitarian Award to visionary and cultural activist, LaTosha Brown.

“As one of our most beloved annual events, we are thrilled to bring Living the Dream…Singing the Dream, the joyful celebration to honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., back to the stage with our partner Washington Performing Arts,” says Choral Arts Executive Director Tad Czyzweski. “Our founder Norman Scribner conceived the idea for this concert in 1969 after the riots and assassination of Dr. King. It’s an honor and privilege to shine a light on the impact of Dr. King and celebrate individuals who are keeping his dream alive.”

Favorites such as “You’re the Lifter,” “My Soul’s Been Anchored,” “Why Do We Sing,” and the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Nolan Williams’ We are the ones to heal our land will be sung by the Choral Arts Symphonic Chorus and Washington Performing Arts Gospel Choirs. NBC4 news anchor, Shawn Yancy, will host the program. This year’s honoree, LaTosha Brown (pictured right), has shown incredible leadership through her dedication to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Brown is a nationally recognized “go-to” expert in Black voting rights and voter suppression, Black women’s empowerment, and philanthropy. She is the co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute and has worked in 23 different countries including Kenya, Guyana, and Brazil. Her next mission involves resourcing and empowering women across the diaspora.

“Dr. King’s legacy has long inspired this collaboration and indeed the mission and vision of the Washington Performing Arts’ Gospel Music Choirs,” says President and CEO of Washington Performing Arts Jenny Bilfield. “The collaboration between artistic and music directors, performers, and organizations speaks to the commitment to a shared community and collective effort. We look forward to sharing a great evening of music, tribute, remembrance, and celebration alongside each other.”

Visit https://choralarts.org/living-the-dream-singing-the-dream/ for more information.

– From a release