Blog

From Labor to Reward: Joe Ligon of the Mighty Clouds of Joy [Arrangements Added]

Joe Ligon
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.

 

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.

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

John Joyner "I Found A Friend"

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

Frances Torain

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 art work“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.

Official Video – "Testify" – The Rev

Check out The Rev’s official video of his single, “Testify.”  The Rev (Jean G. Noel) is signed to Noel Music Group LLC, formerly known as ChristLine Entertainment Inc.


Le’Andria Johnson to star in ‘Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child’ stage play at Lincoln Theatre

(Washington, DC)  Tall One Outreach Ministries presents “Spare the Rod, Spoil the
Child” gospel play at the Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U Street NW, Washington, DC, on November
5, 2016, at 7:30 PM.

The award-winning gospel stage play is written by Dr. Mildred
Summerville and directed by James A. House. In this gripping and engaging dramatic piece,
a woman simply known as “Grandma” serves as the pillar of her surroundings. Her son’s
family is in crisis, and those within her neighborhood are drowning in chronic troubles of
their own. Through it all, Grandma seeks God on behalf of those who are not spiritually
inclined enough to seek Him for themselves. Even those who resent her, such as her son’s
sometimes-rigid wife, Linda, ultimately end up on Grandma’s prayer list. And when the walls
of the lives of those around Grandma seem to come tumbling down, they know who to turn
to for guidance and sound counsel. It’s not always advice that they want to hear, but it is
consistently the precise word needed to steer them in the right direction.

Using spirit-filled music and memorable characters like James, the doting son, Linda, the
insensitive daughter-in-law, Tracy, the high-strung teenager, and Sister Cantaloupe,
Grandma’s feisty sister, “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child” portrays issues within the community
such as family dysfunction, peer pressure, substance abuse, and other pertinent matters
that are too often inadequately addressed or considered taboo altogether.

Other characters in the cast bring even more drama to the script. In her God-given wisdom,
Grandma confronts Tracy’s suppressed anger and bitterness, convincing her to disclose facts
about a rape kept secret for years. Also, she fervently prays for her grandson, William, who
has a change of heart and averts a life of gang involvement.

Though compounding events take a toll on Grandma, the audience will rejoice in knowing
that this elderly woman’s life was prayer-centered, purpose-inspired and inevitably not at all
lived in vain. Extraordinary drama, corrupt karma, a supportive pastor, and a praying
grandma, all come together to make “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child” a must-see theatrical
production. Infused with foot-stomping gospel music, this is soul-stirring entertainment that
will warm hearts, tickle funny bones, uplift the spirits, and search the souls of all those who
experience it.

Gracing the stage are Grammy Award winning artist Le’Andria Johnson, gospel singing
sensation Shawn McLemore, who is known for his hit single “I Believe,” featuring James
Fortune, Dr. Pauline Key, and Comedian Trina Jeffrie aka Sis. Cantaloupe. Viewers are
in for an unforgettable experience! The additional supporting cast members are Hope
Demps, Anthony A.D. Demmer, Bria Walker, Trenton Lumpkin, Elizabeth Henry,
Hasan Texeira, Dana Kristina-Joi Morgan, and Rhonda McLemore.

About the Writer/Producer
Dr. Mildred Summerville recently received an award from the
Heritage Registry of Who’s Who in the field of Spiritual Education
Entertainment for her award-winning play, “Spare the Rod, Spoil
the Child,” and she is an exclusive member of the Heritage Top
100. She was also a 2016 Down East Honoree of the Lifetime
Achievement Award. Dr. Summerville is an active member of Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority and Mt. Calvary Word of Faith Church in
Raleigh where she serves as an armor bearer for Pastor Shirley
Caesar. During her association and work with the renowned
gospel artist, Summerville realized she had a zeal and talent for
entertainment.

Source – Summerville Promotion and Production Co.

"It is Well" – Joe Pace Presents: Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr. and the Shiloh Church Choir

Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr. and the Shiloh Church Choir cover art

“It is Well”
Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr. and the Shiloh Church Choir
From the CD, Joe Pace Presents: Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr. and the Shiloh Church Choir (September 23, 2016)
Shiloh Worship/360MusicWorX
www.Shiloh.church/music

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

The sacred hymn “It is Well (With My Soul)” is two years older than the 141 year-old Shiloh Baptist Church, shepherded by Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr.  Nevertheless, Joe Pace’s arrangement of the hymn staple, as featured on the project, Joe Pace Presents: Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr. and the Shiloh Church Choir, melds the tune’s enduring lyrics with modern musical and vocal stylings to refresh the morning worship standard for a new generation.  

The Shiloh Church Choir’s contemporized version of “It is Well” is characterized by an uptempo rhythmic bounce and a vamp in which they emphatically affirm, “It is well with my soul / It is well with my soul, it is well!“

Pace is a Grammy, Dove, and Stellar-nominated songwriter, producer, and choir director.  The music industry veteran presently serves as Shiloh’s pastor of worship and arts.