By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
Prayers have been lifted for media personality/pastor, Cory “CoCo Brother” Condrey, ever since the news broke of his involvement in a horrific head-on collision last month. In the Periscope update that soon followed, his wife, Joann Rosario-Condrey, disclosed that he sustained several breaks and injuries.
Media sources initially reported the head-on collision was near fatal. Yesterday, Cory, who is recovering, tweeted the tragic news that the man who hit him has now passed on. Prayers and well wishes continue to flood social media as Cory shares his journey to recovery with his supporters.
If his face or name is familiar, then you probably recognize Cory as the former host of BET’s Lift Every Voice or as the voice of radio shows “The Spirit” and “CoCo Brother Live: The Weekend.” He and Joann are pastors of RainFire Church Maranatha in Douglasville, GA.
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Caesar to be honored with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
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| Photo Courtesy of eOne Music |
By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
The Recording Academy announced today (Dec. 19) that Shirley Caesar is the recipient of one of the seven 2017 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards bestowed by the Academy. Other Lifetime Achievement Awardees are jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, country singers Charley Pride and Jimmie Rodgers, vocalist Nina Simone, musician/songwriter Sly Stone, and rock band The Velvet Underground.
According to a press release from The Recording Academy, “The Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording, while the Trustees Award honors contributions in areas other than performance. The recipients are determined by vote of The Recording Academy’s National Board of Trustees. Technical GRAMMY Award recipients are voted on by The Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing® Advisory Council and Chapter Committees, and are ratified by The Academy’s Trustees. The award is presented to individuals and/or companies who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording industry.”
Of Pastor Shirley Caesar, The Recording Academy writes,
A deeply spiritual and affecting gospel singer, Shirley Caesar’s emotive vocal talents were discovered in a church choir when she was 10 years old. She is arguably best known for her eight-year tenure with the Chicago-based gospel group the Caravans, whom she joined after appealing to Albertina Walker to sing a solo with the group. Electing to pursue a solo career in 1966 alongside her own choir, the Caesar Singers, she subsequently carved out a profile that earned her the title of First Lady of Gospel Music. Caesar’s roll call of achievements includes 11 GRAMMY Awards®, 14 Stellar awards, 15 Dove awards, a NAACP Image Award, a Soul Train Music Award, and two current 59th GRAMMY nominations.
Caesar, 78, has enjoyed a highly successful 2016 that, in addition to the GRAMMY nominations for her Billboard chart-topping album Fill This House, has included a number one spot on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart for “Hold My Mule” (as result of the viral Internet success of the “U Name It” Challenge featuring a portion of the sermonette), and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"This Christmas" – Joshua Rogers
“This Christmas”
Joshua Rogers (2016)
Mixed Bag Entertainment
http://www.thejoshuarogers.us
By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
Certain Christmas songs put you in the holiday spirit from the opening note. Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” is one of them. Forty-six years following its original release, Joshua Rogers delivers a cover of the R&B/soul classic.
Rogers, who became the youngest person and first male to win BET’s Sunday Best, chooses an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to “This Christmas.” The gospel sensation‘s sage decision underscores his facility for traversing music genres and pays tribute to Hathaway’s creative genius.
Rogers is gearing up to drop a new album in summer 2017.
From Labor to Reward: Joe Ligon of the Mighty Clouds of Joy [Arrangements Added]
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| Photo from Joe Ligon Facebook profile |
GMF joins thousands of others in mourning the passing of quartet legend Joe Ligon today (December 11). Jamaal Moore, a friend of GMF, first informed us of the news. We extend our condolences and prayers to Ligon’s family, friends, and fans during this difficult time.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT REGARDING THE DEATH OF WILLIE JOE LIGON
We are heartbroken to share the news that the World’s Greatest Male Gospel Singer – Willie Joe Ligon, Founder and Lead Singer of the three-time Grammy Award-winning group – The Mighty Clouds of Joy of Los Angeles, California passed away today, Sunday, December 11, 2016.
Joe was a loving Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Cousin, Uncle, Mentor, and Friend to so many who loved him dearly. Joe will always be remembered as one of the top-selling and most awarded Gospel Artist of All Time because of his recordings and music that continues to bless millions all around the World.
As much as Joe 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 amazingly humble man, we also celebrate his remarkable life as one of the most successful artists in Gospel Music History 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 as he did with The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves.
For those who may ask what they can do to honor Joe, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service to mankind, accomplishment by being your best and doing your best and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a stormy day think of Joe and get comfort in knowing that he is no longer in the storm that was too long.
Additional information about the final arrangements will be released to the General Public pending Mr. Ligon’s Family’s approval.
We kindly ask everyone to please respect the Family’s privacy during this time of bereavement.
Thank you!
Best regards,
Pastor Isaac Lindsey
Manager
Joe Ligon & The Mighty Clouds of Joy
www.JoeLigon.org or www.TheMightyCloudsofJoy.org
Update (12/16/16 at 10:30 PM ET) – Arrangements regarding the Celebration of Life services for Joe Ligon have been issued in the official statement below. Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. will deliver the eulogy.
Update (12/16/16 at 10:30 PM ET) – Arrangements regarding the Celebration of Life services for Joe Ligon have been issued in the official statement below. Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. will deliver the eulogy.
2017 Grammy nominees announced
By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
Originally posted Dec. 6, 2016 at 5:30 PM
Last updated Dec. 6, 2016 at 11:42 PM
Congratulations to gospel’s nominees for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. Given her extraordinarily successful year, it isn’t surprising that Shirley Caesar earned two noms for Best Gospel Performance/Song (“It’s Alright, It’s OK”) and Best Gospel Album (Fill This House).
Gospel trendsetters Kirk Franklin and Hezekiah Walker also earned nominations, along with Jekalyn Carr, Travis Greene, Tamela Mann, Tim Bowman, Jr., Todd Dulaney, and William Murphy. In addition, God Don’t Change: The Songs of Blind Willie Johnson received a nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album. The Blind Boys of Alabama picked up a nomination for their performance (“Mother’s Children Have a Hard Time”) on the album in the Best American Roots Performance category.
To see the complete lists in each of the gospel categories, visit: 59th Annual Grammy Awards Nominees [Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Award Genre]
The awards show will air February 12, 2017, at 8 PM ET on CBS.
Pictured left to right from top: Caesar, Greene, Carr, Murphy, Walker, Bowman, Mann, Franklin, and Dulaney.
Prayers up for Tonya Lewis Taylor
The following was provided to GMF in a media release. Please keep Tonya lifted in prayer for a speedy recovery.
(New York, NY – December 1, 2016) Gospel artist Tonya Lewis Taylor was rushed to the emergency room and has been in the hospital since Tuesday. On Monday night, she started to complain of severe head pains. Tonya, who insists that she doesn’t get headaches, mentioned in a Facebook post that she felt like “her head was about to explode.” Tonya has a family history of aneurysms and strokes, and she is currently undergoing tests to determine the source of the issue. Please keep her in your prayers!
Tonya Lewis Taylor’s single “I’m A Winner” from her latest project/EP I’ve Got To Win debuted in the top 30 on the Billboard Gospel Charts. With the highly anticipated release of her national debut album Delayed But Not Denied in 2014 (on which she wrote and co-produced all of the songs), Tonya’s music has seen incredible momentum, blazing radio airwaves.
Tonya Lewis Taylor’s single “I’m A Winner” from her latest project/EP I’ve Got To Win debuted in the top 30 on the Billboard Gospel Charts. With the highly anticipated release of her national debut album Delayed But Not Denied in 2014 (on which she wrote and co-produced all of the songs), Tonya’s music has seen incredible momentum, blazing radio airwaves.
Lewis-Taylor is not only a singer/songwriter and producer but a teacher, award winning philanthropist and an author. Wherever she goes, she engages, encourages, and empowers people to reach their full potential in their personal, entrepreneurial and spiritual lives.
"I Found a Friend" – John Joyner
“I Found a Friend”
John Joyner (2016)
Available at CD Baby
By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
“I Found a Friend” is the newly released single from NC minister and musician, John Joyner. Joyner’s silvery tenor lends itself to ballads, which he demonstrates in a pair of verses describing discouragement, dismay, and loneliness. “When my friends, they turn their backs on me,” he sings, “I can say I have a best friend, and He’s all I need.”
“I Found a Friend” is produced by Brian Foster. Joyner leads Order My Steps Outreach Ministry in Oxford, NC.
GMF remembers Roxboro area singer Frances Torain of the Torain Family Singers
By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
GMF joins the local gospel community in mourning the passing of Frances Torain, a founder and lead singer of the Torain Family Singers of Roxboro, NC. Torain made her transition Tuesday, November 1, 2016, after recent years of health challenges. She was 78 years old.
The Torain Family Singers recently celebrated their 47th anniversary. Over the years, they have canvassed the NC/VA area singing God’s praises, including their uptempo arrangements of audience favorites “99 1/2 Won’t Do” and “The Train.”
Frances’s singing style was non-showy, rustic, and churchy. A highlight of her musical performances was her ability to deliver a rollicking traditional number in an abbreviated fashion, leaving congregations clapping, tapping, and craving more as she and the group returned to their seats to enjoy the remainder of the service. She and the Torain Family Singers would sometimes pack as many as three tunes into seven minutes–a task that is seldom accomplished nowadays at gospel musicals.
GMF lifts the Torain Family and friends in prayer during this difficult time. Arrangements, per Cunningham and Nelson Funeral Home, are as follows:
Visitation
Monday, November 7, 2016
1-5 PM
Cunningham and Nelson Funeral Home
87 Brookland Church Road, Hwy 158 East
Roxboro, NC 27573
&
6-8 PM
Christian Apostolic Holiness Church
5445 McGhee’s Mill Road
Semora, NC 27343
Funeral Service
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
2 PM (body will lie in state for one hour prior)
Christian Apostolic Holiness Church
5445 McGhee’s Mill Road
Semora, NC 27343
"Serpent" feat. The C.O.R.E. (Video)
Enjoy The C.O.R.E.’s music video, “Serpent,” written by Christian rappers Judea, Deacon Authority, Johnny Fatz, Seth, and Tha Professa. The C.O.R.E. is signed to MG Music Group.
"Say Yes" – Tiffany Jeffers
“Say Yes”
Tiffany Jeffers (2016)
Write Haus Music Group
www.tiffanyjeffers.com
By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
The intro of Tiffany Jeffers’ single “Say Yes” could easily be part of an old Nintendo game. But get this: just as quickly as the synth sequence catches your ear, the classically trained gospel singer’s richly textured vocal comes to the fore and the music mellows into R&B and soul sweetness.
“Say Yes” is the single from Tiffany’s debut EP by the same name, which features 10 songs produced by Morgan Turner and Josh Lay of Rhyme and Reasons Productions. The song’s message is solid and straightforward–surrender to God’s will–and the vibe is palatable to listeners with urban gospel tastes.
Tiffany hails from Baltimore, MD.