Blog

Franklin sweeps gospel categories at Billboard Music Awards

By Libra Boyd 
Gospel Music Fever

Kirk Franklin walked with not one, but all three of the awards for which he was nominated at this year’s Billboard Music Awards.  The ceremony took place Sunday evening (May 22) in Las Vegas and aired live on ABC.  Kirk won in the categories of Top Gospel Artist, Top Gospel Album (Losing My Religion), and Top Gospel Song (“Wanna Be Happy?”).

The gospel luminary is currently enjoying the success of his “Twenty Years in One Night” World Tour–which commemorates his tenure in the music industry with songs he recorded across the span of his two decade career.

The complete list of Billboard Music Award winners is available here.

R.I.P. Wilbert Williams, former member of the Clouds, manager for the Mighty Sanfordaires

Mighty Clouds of Joy

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

The gospel quartet music community mourns the passing of Wilbert Lee Williams (pictured far left), who died May 14, 2016.  He was 57.  

Williams was a former member of the Mighty Clouds of Joy.  He is featured on the group’s albums Power, Live in Charleston, Together as One, and Gospel Legacy.  

Williams was also a lead singer for the Mighty Sanfordaires, whose projects include Fire and Pick Me Up. The Sanfordaires celebrated their 49th singing anniversary this past Sunday, just one day after Williams made his transition.  The event easily turned into a bittersweet tribute to the group’s longtime frontman and manager.

The funeral service is scheduled for Thursday, May 19, at 3 PM, at Works for Christ Christian Center, 1395 Fire Tower Road, in Sanford, NC.

GMF remembers Rufus Poole; benefit musical still set for May 22

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever 

Homegoing services were held in Durham on Thursday, May 5, 2016, for Rufus Poole, lead singer of the New Stars of Faith.  Poole transitioned April 30.  He was 80 years old.  

Rufus Poole pictured with the New Stars of Faith

I recall one particular occasion almost exactly one year ago when Poole and the New Stars of Faith ministered at New Hope Person Baptist Church in Timberlake.  That evening, I sat on the front pew, no more than four feet from him, as he himself sat in a metal folding chair with his group of singers standing beside him.  With the assistance of oxygen, he sat in that chair tapping his knee and occasionally leaning forward—all while singing under the power of God.  I watched, listened, clapped, and swayed, realizing in that moment that I was witnessing something very special.  Poole did not use vocal acrobatics or any other techniques common to quartet music showmanship.  Simply put, his straightforward, unhurried approach to a gospel song and his manner of delivery were both unique and inimitable.

This Sunday, May 22, Teresa Caviness and Fula Wilds will host the New Stars of Faith benefit musical program at W.A.I.T.T. Outreach Ministries, Inc., 2206 Harvard Avenue in Durham.  Scheduled to sing are The Dowdy Boys of Pittsboro, The Inspirations of Oxford, Shirley McCaden and Company of Henderson, and others.  Poole personally invited many of the groups slated to appear there.  The program starts at 3 PM.

Sensational Nightingales to give free live concert in Burlington – May 19

Mark your calendars for Thursday, May 19, 2016.  The Sensational Nightingales will appear live in concert at the Allred New Mission Baptist Church.  The service begins at 7:30 PM, and the church is located at 244 Kerr Chapel Road in Burlington, NC.

Admission is free, and a love offering will be received.

The service, hosted by James Dixon and Pastor Jimmy Richmond, also features gospel singer Evangelist Barbara Dixon.

Brown, Franklin earn triple Billboard Award nominations

Brown

Congratulations to this year’s finalists for the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.  

Stellar Award history-maker Anthony Brown and group therAPy and Kirk Franklin earned noms in each gospel category–Top Gospel Artist, Top Gospel Album, and Top Gospel Song. 

Tasha Cobbs, Travis Greene, and Marvin Sapp each earned two noms.  Johnathan McReynolds, Erica Campbell, and Brian Courtney Wilson also landed one nomination each.


You can view the complete list here.

The show will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on May 22, 2016, at 8 PM ET and will be broadcast live on ABC.

Tye Tribbett named host of new BET Sunday morning inspirational show

(New York, NY)   BET Networks has announced the new programming that’s heading to its
network of stations which includes BET and Centric. The announcement
came at its annual Upfront presentation last week, with a commitment to
offer more original programming than ever before. It was announced that two-time GRAMMY®, Soul Train, Dove, and Stellar Award winning
recording artist Tye Tribbett has been tapped to host the network’s new Sunday morning inspirational series Joyful Noise.

Tribbett states, “I
have not stopped smiling and dancing since I received the news! I am
beyond honored to be continuing such a monumental legacy as new host of
BET’s Sunday
morning inspirational show Joyful Noise. Dr. Bobby Jones has laid an
INCREDIBLE foundation and I’m so ready to continue to BUILD. All I have
to say is LET’S GOOOOOO!”

The
hour-long show will feature a blend of performances from today’s gospel
super stars, rising new artists, powerful personal testimonies, and
insightful man-on-the-street interviews. In addition to a variety of
musical performances, each show will also feature a power-filled
sermonette by one of the nation’s leading pastors. Finally, Joyful Noise will showcase amazing local churches from around the nation, giving
viewers the opportunity to get their hometown church featured on the
show.

In
addition to Tribbett’s new hosting job, the radical singer, songwriter,
and preacher who’s known for his edgy and energetic live performances is
also preparing for his next live recording. The session, titled A Bloody Win, will take place on Friday May 6, at The Redemption Center in Greenville, SC beginning at 7 PM ET. The recording is free and open to the public.
 From the J. Hardy Agency

Barnes, Jenkins, Stampley, et al. to appear in concert for historic college-prep school – April 30

Barnes

The Piney Woods School, one of only four remaining African-American
college-preparatory boarding schools in the country, is hosting its
second annual “Give From Your Heart” scholarship fundraising concert on Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 5 PM at Word and Worship Church, 6286 Hanging Moss Road, Jackson, MS 39206. Tickets ($20 in advance/$25 door) are available at www.pineywoods.org or www.eventbrite.com.

The concert line-up includes Luther Barnes and his band, Pastor
Charles Jenkins, Micah Stampley, hip-hop artist Uncle
Reese, Jermaine Dolly and Lady Erica Donalson. The Piney Woods School
Choir (aka The Cotton Blossoms Singers) will open the program. The event
will be hosted by Willie Moore, Jr., the host of the syndicated radio
program “The Willie Moore Jr. Show” that is heard in 21 markets.

“We’re
very excited,” says radio executive Jerry Smith, one of the event
organizers. “So many artists have offered their support via either a PSA
or donating time to perform at the concert.”

A public service
announcement campaign featuring Jussie Smollett and James T. Alfred from
FOX TV’s drama series Empire and gospel artists ranging from Kirk
Franklin to Candi Staton is in force at radio stations nationwide.

The
Piney Woods School is not an ordinary institution. It is a boarding
school that provides an oasis for students thirsty to escape their rough
environment–over 75% of them hail from lower income neighborhoods
where peer pressure and failing school systems often discourage
learning–to pursue higher education. The Piney Woods School’s rigorous
educational, spiritual and vocational curriculums surround students with
positive peer pressure and 99% of the graduating seniors are admitted
to colleges and universities. The school has been chronicled on 60 Minutes, and U.S. News & World Report profiled it as one of the top
10 boarding schools in the nation. 

From Bill Carpenter

Tye Tribbett gears up for live recording, The Bloody Win, May 6

(Nashville, TN)  Two-time GRAMMY®, Soul Train, Dove and Stellar Award winner Tye Tribbett preps for his next live recording, The Bloody Win.  A powerful and highly in demand artist, Tye’s music ministry is a gift to all who experience it–and on Friday, May 6,
he will unleash a new body of work for his upcoming album release. The
recording will take place at The Redemption Center in Greenville, SC. It’s a free concert, open to the public and is destined to be
life-changing. Doors open at 6 PM, the recording begins at 7 PM.

The
radical singer, songwriter, and preacher who’s known for his edgy and
energetic live performances continues to shatter the mold of what is
traditionally known as gospel music. A true innovator, with one of the
most relevant voices of this generation, Tribbett is set to create a
dynamic new caliber of music.
The recording is the follow-up to Tribbett’s best-selling album Greater Than (Live)
(Motown Gospel) which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums
Chart (four consecutive weeks), #4 on Billboard’s Digital Albums chart,
and #9 on Billboard’s Top 200 (all genres). The success of the album led
to Tribbett earning two GRAMMY® Awards for Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Song, a Soul Train Music Award for Best Gospel/Inspirational Performance, a GMA Dove Award for Contemporary Gospel/Urban Album of the Year and a Stellar Award win for Male Vocalist of the Year.
From the J. Hardy Agency

"Oh How We Love YOU" – TIFF JOY

“Oh How We Love YOU”
TIFF JOY
From the CD, TIFF JOY (2015)
Walkway Music Group/Tyscot Records


Tiff Joy Oh How We Love You art workBy Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

“Oh How We Love YOU” is the current radio single from TIFF JOY, the Stellar Award-winning singer/songwriter who wrote and performed the hit “Amazing” with Ricky Dillard and New G.

TIFF JOY opens the exultant praise from her self-titled album with an invitation to “put’cho hands together” before directing lyrics of adoration to the Lord.  The beginning lines of which are, “Glory to God in the highest / You are great and greatly (You are greatly to be praised)…”
“Oh How We Love YOU” is co-written by TIFF JOY, Phillip Feaster, Angel Feaster, and Calvin Rodgers.  GMF featured the official lyric video here: Official Lyric Video – “Oh How We Love YOU” – TIFF JOY