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Gospel community reacts to the death of international superstar Whitney Houston

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever
Originally posted Feb. 12, 2012 at 12:16AM 
Last Updated Feb. 13, 2012 at 9:08AM
Whitney Houston and Kim Burrell at the 2011
BET Celebration of Gospel, after their unforgettable
performance of “I Look to You.”
Photo from www.whitneyhouston.com
I was taking in a comedy show Saturday evening when I received word of Whitney Houston’s demise at the age of 48.  Actually, I was listening to an up and coming balladeer pay a fantastic musical tribute to another music icon who left us too soon, Luther Vandross.  There was nothing I was able to say when my friend turned to me stunned and whispered, “Libra, Whitney Houston is dead,” except, “It’s got to be a hoax.  Google it.”  How I prayed to be right!
After the search results confirmed the shocking news, I sat through the show reflecting on Whitney’s music.  She was a pop icon.  She is a pop icon.  And she, like countless other entertainers, started in her church, New Hope Baptist in Newark, NJ.  Gospel influences were all around her.  Her mother Cissy Drinkard Houston, a superb soprano–who once sang backup for Elvis Presley, Mahalia Jackson, and Aretha Franklin–was a member of the well-known gospel recording group, the Drinkard Singers.  Her cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick were members of the Gospelaires, later renamed the Sweet Inspirations.  Aretha is Whitney’s godmother.

Awards and recognitions amassed throughout Whitney’s career are unmatched by any other female artist.  Even The Preacher’s Wife original soundtrack, which features her flawless vocals on a number of gospel and R&B tracks, is reported to be the best-selling gospel album of all time.

Expectedly, the Twitter world has been abuzz with sentiments from the gospel music industry.

Richard Smallwood, whose composition “I Love the Lord” was performed by Whitney on The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack, tweeted, “No words…my heart is so heavy. Love and prayers to Cissy Houston And Bobbi Kris and the rest of the fam. RIP Whitney Houston.”  Later, he added, “[T]his is just SO surreal. Cant wrap my mind around it……[sic]”

“I’m so sorry to hear of the news of Whitney Houston,” posted Kierra Sheard.  “She was one of music’s greatest. I’m praying for the family.”

James Fortune said via tweet, “We have lost an ICON! I am deeply saddened by the news of Whitney Houston’s passing! Praying for her family! RIP.”

From left: Houston, Caesar and Winans

The chart-topping diva shared close relationships with CeCe Winans and Shirley Caesar through the years.  In 1996, the trio’s gospel medley brought down the house at the 38th Grammy Awards show.  Sunday, Winans shared on Twitter, “I LOVED her SO much, but God loved her more. I pray she’s resting in His arms!”

“RIP Whitney Houston…,” tweeted duo Mary Mary.  “[O]ur hearts are so heavy we’ll always Love you…[sic]”

Cemented in the annals of BET’s Celebration of Gospel is Whitney’s surprise duet with Kim Burrell in 2011.  The vocal powerhouses brought the riveted audience to its feet with Whitney’s “I Look to You” from her last album of the same name.

Sunday evening, Burrell told CNN at the Grammys that she last heard from her friend the day before.

“I got to LA for this, and she told me to call her when I got here; we [were] going to go the Clive [Davis] party last night.  So I called her and I missed her and so…she called me and missed me and so she left a message at about 2 o’clock….I called back several times and of course I didn’t get an answer, because my friend (pause) had died.”  Burrell said Whitney was “in great spirits as always.”

Burrell became emotional as she continued to speak of their close friendship of 13 years.  “I love her,” she said through tears, “And she’s my sister–and she’ll always be my sister.  I love her dearly.”  She went on to share that she’d spent time with Whitney’s daughter Bobbi Kristina, who calls her “Auntie Kim,” on Saturday.

Grammy-winning producer Kevin Bond tweeted, “‘I Look To You!’…….What a befitting song for her ending! After Everything and Everyone else is gone I look to you God! [sic]”

Jason Nelson appropriately petitioned on his Twitter page, “Please keep the family of Whitney Houston in your prayers. This loss affects all of the music community.”

GMF indeed extends condolences to Whitney’s family and friends.  Our prayers are with them as they mourn the passing of one whom the world knows as a true music sensation.

Aretha Franklin: Pumping Out Soul and Preaching Up Gospel

By Libra Boyd
Gospel Music Fever

Mostly everyone knows that Aretha Louise Franklin is the Queen of Soul.  If not, at her insistence, they’d better recognize.  I’m pretty confident that everyone at Durham Performing Arts Center is clear about it, but after the second half of last night’s ninety minute show, some may think she’s solidified a spot among gospel’s royals, too.

Aretha Franklin
Photo: The Herald-Sun | Bernard Thomas

Aretha’s fans see she makes no apologies for her relationship with Jesus Christ, and aficionados know her roots run deep in the church.  So it was, Her Majesty took us on a ride through five decade’s worth of R&B and soul hits before sitting at the piano to play and sing “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”  It was easily the most emotional performance of the night, with her instrumental intro and interlude underscoring the depth of her musicianship.  And while the song itself isn’t gospel, its composer Paul Simon cites Rev. Claude Jeter’s line, “I’ll be your bridge over deep water if you trust in My name,” taken from the Swan Silvertones’ “Mary Don’t You Weep,” as his inspiration.

Maybe that’s why Aretha got to feeling churchy and wound up hurling a sermonette at the audience by the song’s end, testifying that the Lord’ll make a way.  Of course, charismatic church folk know they can’t just “think about Jesus” without wanting to “dance all night.”  By the time her hallelujahs infiltrated the rafters and penetrated the heavens, the orchestra had cued up music for a praise break.

From there, Aretha stepped back to centerstage.  Staying in her gospel vein (which incidentally brought her the biggest selling album of her career, Amazing Grace), she sang the worshipful “One Night with the King” before abruptly shifting gears to her 80’s R&B smash “Freeway of Love.”  Determined to include God on that ride too, Aretha shouted “Good God Almighty” and recited the 23rd Psalm while her singers turned the corner on the vamp and changed lanes–first chanting “freeway” and then “higher,” before accelerating to an exclamatory “Jesus!”

The old school would call it straddling the fence.  Somehow, however, the Queen has managed to maneuver the freeway of sacred and secular without being frowned upon by the same churchers who declare it to be disgraceful when other artists do so.  Personally, I’m okay with the presence of gospel tunes in her concert repertoire.  Considering the massive success of Amazing Grace though, I think she’d be just fine singing an entire gospel number and letting it stand alone.  No fusion needed.  Or let’s see, how can I phrase this lyrically?  Ah yes, Let It Be.

All the same, there is a reason Aretha is the Queen.  A darn good reason.  And whether it’s pumping out soul or preaching up gospel, the living legend totally gets my R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

David Peaston of R&B and gospel acclaim has died

David Peaston, son of the Clara Ward Singers’ Martha Bass and brother of soul singer Fontella Bass (“Rescue Me”), died Wednesday from complications of diabetes.  He was 54.
Photo credit: Ian Dickson/Redferns
Peaston is probably most known for his songs, “Two Wrongs (Don’t Make It Right)” and “Can I?” which came following his big break on Showtime at the Apollo in the late 1980’s.
In the early 1990’s, the Soul Train Award winner recorded a gospel album with his mother and sister called Promises: A Family Portrait Of Faith. 
GMF sends condolences to Peaston’s family, friends, and supporters.

You can read more about his career at www.stltoday.com.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Mahalia Jackson’s passing

On this date in 1972, Mahalia Jackson–widely regarded as the world’s greatest gospel singer–passed away.  She was 59 years old.  (Almost all news reports indicated she was 60, because her birth year was supposedly 1911.  Her grave marker, however, bears the inscription of 1912 as her year of birth; therefore, she would not have turned 60 until October of 1972.)

Fifty-nine years of age is awfully young, but in her relatively short lifetime, Jackson blazed trails with her contemporaries, stirred souls with her spirited performances, and advocated for civil rights with the heavyweights.  One of her notable associations during that era was with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  A piece published in The Dispatch on Jan. 28, 1972, announces her death and quotes then-President Richard Nixon on her far-reaching impact: Gospel Singer Mahalia Jackson Dies at 60.

October 26th will mark the gospel singer’s 100th birthday.

Related Story 
Mahalia Jackson’s hometown commemorates her 100th birthday with several events

“Victory Is Mine” featured on soundtrack of Oscar nominated movie

Malaco Music Group recently announced that a Malaco published gospel song appears in the Academy Award nominated film The Help.

“Victory Is Mine,” written by Dorothy Norwood and Alvin Darling, and a staple in congregations across the country, is featured in the movie.

The Help and/or its actresses are nominated for Oscars in the categories of Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress.

"Victory Is Mine" featured on soundtrack of Oscar nominated movie

Malaco Music Group recently announced that a Malaco published gospel song appears in the Academy Award nominated film The Help.

“Victory Is Mine,” written by Dorothy Norwood and Alvin Darling, and a staple in congregations across the country, is featured in the movie.

The Help and/or its actresses are nominated for Oscars in the categories of Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress.

Johnny Otis (1921-2012) – "The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues"

Johnny Otis, singer, musician, bandleader, and former pastor, died Tuesday.  He was 90 years old.  Otis, who was the son of Greek immigrants but identified himself as a member of the black community, was the father of singer-songwriter and musician, Shuggie Otis.

According to his bio, the multi-talented artist discovered, among others, Etta James, who was once a featured vocalist in his band.  (James passed today at the age of 73.)

In a career that spanned seven decades, Otis, sometimes referred to as “The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,” enjoyed one success after another in the music industry.  He was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

In later years, Otis reportedly founded and pastored the now defunct Landmark Community Gospel Church in California.

You can read more about his extensive career in the Chicago-Sun Times and The New York Times.

GMF offers sympathy to the relatives, friends, and fans of Johnny Otis.

Etta James succumbs

Etta James, famed singer whose best known hit is perhaps “At Last,” has died just a few days shy of her 74th birthday.

James, like countless other blues, R&B, and soul singers, got her start in the church. Gospel historian Bob Marovich conducted an interview with her several years ago that he will re-air on his radio program “Gospel Memories” next week. See his piece for more information: Etta James dies at 73.

GMF extends condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Etta James.  Her music will not soon be forgotten.