To GMF Readers:
Since GMF first reported “Shirley Caesar to be crowned ‘Queen of Gospel,'” it has been brought to our attention that portions of GMF’s piece have been published verbatim on other websites without proper credit.
We welcome you to share the information you read here, but please credit Gospel Music Fever™ and/or post a link to the original GMF post. Thank you.
Press Release from Bill Carpenter
Over the last decade, Stephen Hurd has distinguished himself as one of the leading voices in urban praise and worship music and his songs “Undignified” and “Lead Me To The Rock” are sung at faith gatherings around the globe. Now, he’s preparing to release his most ambitious project yet, O That Men Would Worship, his sixth CD and the first on his own Hurd The Word recording label. He has designed the new CD as a tool to inspire men to take on a greater leadership role in church worship services.
Recorded live at The First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro, MD, where Hurd is the Minister of Music, the collection is scheduled to hit retail stores on March 20, via a distribution deal with Central South Distribution, Inc.
“My goal is to get men and especially men of color to realize that worship is not a feminine sport,” Hurd says. “In this season, I feel we should come together and lift up a sound that has the power to change families and strengthen communities and help brothers to get a glimpse of what real worship is. I think when men see other men worship it gives them freedom to worship without feeling emasculated.”
Joining Hurd for this manly worship experience are Verity Records artist Jason Nelson, Christian pop artist Anthony Evans and Minister Deonte Gray who is a member of the 7 Sons of Soul vocal group. Hurd created an all male sextet of singers to back certain songs and a coed group called Extol to back the CD as a whole. Aside from co-writing most of the songs, Hurd produced the fifteen track set alongside up-and-coming producers Kenny Shelton and Anthony Brown. Celebrated producer Steve Ford, who’s worked with acts ranging from Phyllis Hyman to Richard Smallwood, created the lush string arrangements while the in-demand Phil Lassiter (John P. Kee, Marvin Sapp) delivered the hearty horn arrangements.
“It was the easiest thing I’ve ever done,” Hurd says of the recording. “There was no drama. Everybody was excited to be there and came with the attitude of what can I do to make this impact?”
Minister Johnson
Thank You For Saving Me – Catalog Vol. II
Psalms Way Music Ministry (2011)
www.theministerjohnsoncatalog.com
By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
Minister Lamont C. Johnson’s Thank You For Saving Me – Catalog Vol. II is full of west coast flair. The Sacramento songwriter and minister of music’s charisma is apparent from the CD’s opening track, the trotting “Won’t Just Say I’m Saved,” but it’s really the collaborations that nicely round out this 13-song contemporary gospel project.
“I’m Doing It God’s Way (Women’s Anthem),” which I’d be none surprised to hear in a gospel stage play, features Carla Fleming as a Godly woman laying out her standards to the player who wants to “just kick it.” The anthem is dedicated to Minister Johnson’s wife, Felicia, whose commitment to sexual purity before marriage changed his walk with the Lord.
Adrian Weatherspoon joins Minister Johnson for “They Never Knew You Were God,” a slow, heartfelt preface to the subsequent “You Are the King,” which features Deneen Cox’s warmly textured contralto over a bed of velvety background vocals.
On the title track, Minister Johnson croons an ode of gratitude to his Savior atop minimal musical accompaniment: finger snaps, electric piano, and guitar. Norman McDaniel eventually takes the guitar solo and crafts an intimate melody for the final few bars.
Other selections are in the vein of today’s popular contemporary music, save the ear-arresting “God’s Time.” Surely, it’s the lyrics targeted to the members of “Bedside Baptist Church” that will prompt you to “get up, get dressed, and get in” to a house of worship on Sunday morning!
Thank You For Saving Me – Catalog Vol. II is a testament to Minister Johnson’s diversity as a songwriter and zeal for spreading the gospel through music.
Favorites
“You Are the King” – “Thank You For Saving Me”
Fever Meter
SIMMERIN’ (3 of 5 Stars)
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“Just That Good (The Albertina Walker Tribute)”
Dorothy Norwood
From the upcoming CD, God’s Been Just That Good (Available March 20, 2012)
http://www.malaco.com/
Dorothy Norwood is warming up traditional radio with her current single “Just That Good (The Albertina Walker Tribute).”
Norwood, this year’s recipient of the Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones Legend Award at the Stellars, joins Monica Lisa Stevenson and Bishop J.D. Means for a traditional tribute to her friend and mentor, Albertina Walker. Rather than somberly reminiscing, the Caravans alumna opts to esteem her comrade before forging ahead into the uplifting song of gratitude and praise.
“Awesome God”
Maurette Brown Clark
From the CD, The Sound of Victory (2011)
www.maurettebrownclark.com
Maurette Brown Clark is the kind of singer that can usher you right into the presence of the Lord, and the vertical “Awesome God” from her The Sound of Victory project is confirmation.
The choir along with gospel music’s sweetheart worship their way through the song’s alternating stanzas, with each set getting a modulation and an additional layer of instruments. “Awesome God” crescendos to its zenith shortly after the three-minute mark, before bursting into its refrain: “Oh You/Oh You/You are an awesome God!”
Maurette’s ability to lead you into the Lord’s presence makes it likely that you will lose yourself in worship and forget all about her simple but intense lead vocals and exhortations.
GMF has learned from Mildred Summerville that the “First Lady of Gospel” Pastor Shirley Caesar will be feted on April 29, 2012, during which she will be crowned the “Queen of Gospel.” The metaphorical crown was previously worn by the late Albertina Walker, who passed October 2010. Pastor Caesar, an alumna of the famous Caravans, considers Walker as a mentor, friend, and legend on whose shoulders she stands.
A multiple Grammy, Stellar and Dove award winner, Pastor Caesar is one of the most recognized and beloved women in gospel music, both here and abroad. Her recording career stretches across six decades.
The crowning ceremony will take place at Mount Calvary Word of Faith Church (3100 Sanderford Road, Raleigh, NC), at 4 PM, where Caesar pastors. The service will feature a host of gospel singers and performers including six year-old Symone Spencer, performing as Baby Shirley Caesar, Michael Boone, Leniyus Sullivan, Fayetteville State University Choir United Voices of Praise, Mount Calvary Word of Faith Choir, and the mini-stage play “Hold My Mule” by Lucy Hawkins of the 700 Club.
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Also performing are: The Caesar Singers, Virginia Beach, Juan Santiago and JSUP, The Maryland Mass Chior, Ruth La’Ontra Jones, Bishop Floyd Knowlin & Lighthouse Choir, Steve Johnson & Singers, New Bethel Baptist Choir, TDK Mime, and Anointed Voices of Praise.
Jerry Smith of The Light 103.9FM and Peggy Tatum of TCP Magazine will host.
The service is open to the public and all seats are free.
Update (3/17/12): A fan club donation along with congratulatory cards will be presented to Pastor Caesar during the ceremony. This is your chance to give her flowers while she can enjoy them, by showing her just how much her music has meant to you.
Cards as well as donations of any amount are welcomed. All checks should be made payable to Pastor Shirley Caesar and mailed to:
Dr. Mildred Summerville
Fan Club Coordinator
P.O. Box 21
Wilson, NC 27894
Related Story
Shirley Caesar on Today’s ‘Singingest’ Women, Whitney, and the Big Screen
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By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
Ever since she was twelve years old, Pastor Shirley Caesar has been living and singing for Jesus. More than six decades later, the multi-award-winning petite powerhouse shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. To the thousands who follow her ministry, it seems she not only gets better with age, but more youthful. Pastor Caesar’s ageless beauty, high energy, and lightning quick moves across stages and pulpits all over the world are unparalleled, but it’s her unmistakable sound, unapologetic consistency and unwavering spiritual conviction that have catapulted her into a class all by herself.
Ever since she was twelve years old, Pastor Shirley Caesar has been living and singing for Jesus. More than six decades later, the multi-award winning petite powerhouse shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. To the thousands who follow her ministry, it seems she not only gets better with age, but more youthful. Pastor Caesar’s ageless beauty, high energy, and lightning quick moves across stages and pulpits all over the world are unparalleled, but it’s her unmistakable sound, unapologetic consistency and unwavering spiritual conviction that have catapulted her into a class all by herself.
The day I spoke with Pastor Caesar, she was prepping for a relatively light task among numerous undertakings: performing and guesting as co-ringmaster for the UniverSoul Circus in Raleigh, where she resides. She was also discussing plans for McDonald’s GospelFest 2012, at which she will perform Mother’s Day Weekend in Newark, NJ. This year’s theme is “Honor Thy Mother.” It is a theme that’s dear to Pastor Caesar’s heart, for she has always been very candid about her relationship with her own.
“I watched my mom,” Pastor Caesar told GospelFlava.com a few years ago. “She didn’t teach me by word. She taught me by actions. I watched Mama and I watched her feed other folks. I saw my mom give second hand clothes to others in the community. I learned giving and sharing and through that I learned what true ministry is.”
Certainly, Pastor Caesar’s regard for her mother is evident particularly because she has recorded more “mama” songs than any other gospel artist, including her personal musical tribute “I Remember Mama.” (“Don’t Drive Your Mama Away,” “Faded Rose,” “I Love You Mama,” “Everyday is Like Mother’s Day,” and the country-turned-gospel classic “No Charge” are also part of her mama-themed catalog.)
For “The First Lady of Gospel,” however, ministry is filled with encouragement, admonitions, and old-fashioned mother wit–not just concerning respect for the family matriarch, but for nearly all of life’s twists and turns. Her anointing to pack a song with power that transforms may very well be the reason she has collected eleven Grammys, something she considers to be her greatest accomplishment aside from salvation.
It was probably that very same quality the late Albertina Walker noticed when she invited a then-teenage Caesar (pictured at far left) to join the famous Caravans in 1958. By no means was Walker’s group short on talent, but it was young Shirley Caesar’s vim and vocals that helped them soar to new heights. Fast forward to 2012: if Pastor Caesar had the role of recruiting for an all-star lineup similar to the Caravans, who would she pick?
“Oh wow! Let me tell you, one of the singingest women I know is Yolanda Adams–I would pull her out there in a heartbeat,” she declares. “I like Kim Burrell. I like…now we’re talking gospel, right?”
“Right,” I clarify before appending a second thought, “or if you would like to pull someone from– ”
“Aretha Franklin!” she exclaims without hesitation. “Yes, yes, that’s my girl. And my goddaughter who now sleeps was Whitney Houston…oh an awesome young woman gone too soon.” Pastor Caesar pauses wistfully, but quickly resumes, “There are many other voices out there, and I would include myself right in there with them–you know we have to give [audiences] some traditional gospel…and Vanessa Bell Armstrong, yeah, I would pull her in. And if it’s still gospel, Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle! Wow, don’t get me started with gospel singing and women!”
Pastor Caesar also has high praise for the industry’s newest vocalists. “We have some powerful young singers out there too that recently won [BET’s] Sunday Best. I’d pull them in too; those are some singing women.”
Not surprisingly, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee has performed with most if not all of the notables she mentioned. Is there a dream collaboration that remains?
“Andraé Crouch. I’ve always wanted to sing something with him,” she says. “But I’d like to do some more on the big screen; I’d like to do some acting.” To date, Pastor Caesar’s movie credits consist of appearances in The Fighting Temptations, The Unseen, and a cameo in Why Do Fools Fall in Love? She has also starred in musical stage plays and guested on sitcoms over the years.
For the living legend, acting is not a mere extension of her remarkable career. Rather, it is yet another means to present her message, her music, and her Messiah to the masses.