SurrenderDaniel Young Music MinistryYoung Entertainment 2008www.myspace.com/danielyoungmusicministry Detroit’s Daniel Young may be an independent artist today, but he’s most assuredly a major label talent. Surrender, the sophomore release by the Daniel Young Music Ministry, is well nigh flawless. This fresh, young singer/songwriter and his combo of well-honed musicians deliver one energetic song after another, each crackling with crisp arrangements, strong pacing, expressive singing and skilled musicianship. I can’t say enough good things about this project. From “Praise,” which opens with a quick-step interlude that riffs on the congregational rouser, “Praise Him,” to “Don’t Leave,” a lovely praise and worship ballad about ...

On his Christian spoken word track, “A New Creature,” Poet Keith Ferguson announces, “The Bible says, ‘Let everything that have breath praise ye the Lord.’ We must be able to express ourselves, so if it takes rapping, poetry, making beats, whatever it takes to get your feelings out, just pray.” TBGB first met Poet Keith Ferguson at the Gospel Music Workshop of America last summer and this month spoke to him by telephone from his home in Fort Worth, Texas. Tell us a little about yourself. KF: I am married with three kids, and serve as minister of music and ...

“He Didn’t Give Up On Me”Curtis BransonFrom the Stew Records CD I Still Have a Praise (2008)http://cdbaby.com/cd/curtisbranson “He Didn’t Give Up on Me” is a gratefully rendered acknowledgement of God’s commitment to, and faith in, His people when they face tribulation and even after they “mess up, gave up the right for the wrong.” Chicagoan Curtis Branson delivers this lovely and inspirational gospel ballad with a humble cry lodged somewhere in the back of his throat. The simple and honest message, and its presentation by Branson, whose voice combines the huskiness of Michael McDonald and the plaintive shout of Marvin ...

TBGB had a chance to speak with Pastor Donnie McClurkin, whose new project, We All Are One (Live in Detroit), is scheduled for release March 31, 2009. The first single, “Wait on the Lord,” was TBGB’s March 9 Pick of the Week. TBGB: Let’s talk about your new album for Verity Records, We All Are One (Live in Detroit). Given your earlier ministry at Detroit’s Perfecting Church, this live album must have felt like a homecoming for you. DM: It really was like coming home. Straight Gate Church, the host church for the recording, was filled to capacity. People were ...

Gospel Legacy: Walter HawkinsLight Records 2008www.lightrecords.com Released in February 2008, this volume in Light Records’ ten-CD “Gospel Legacy” series is essentially a sampler of high points in the Hawkins Family’s first three celebrated Love Alive recordings. Thus, it includes the Hawkins’s moody, intoxicating “Changed” and their smash hit “Going Up Yonder,” one of the most influential gospel recordings of all time. Incidentally, “Going Up Yonder” is, for all purposes, a two-parter: the first section contains the motif and the second features an extemporaneous and explosive solo by Tramaine Hawkins. By the end of the performance, Tramaine Davis Hawkins has transitioned ...

Glenda TaylorLord I Wanna Thank YouGlenda Taylor Ministries 2008www.myspace.com/glendastaylor Born in Fort Worth, Texas and now living in Houston, Psalmist Glenda Taylor has one foot in traditional and the other in contemporary gospel. Her vocal resume reflects this: she has been a featured soloist for the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses and the National Baptist Convention, but has also worked with contemporary stars such as fellow Houstonian Yolanda Adams. While Glenda is no stranger to recording – she has participated in several recordings by Houston’s JOY Baptist Tabernacle, where she is Minister of Music – Lord I Wanna ...

For Immediate Release: March 18, 2009 The 25th Annual Chicago Gospel Music FestivalJune 6 & 7 In Millennium Park The 25th Annual Chicago Gospel Music Festival returns to Millennium Park June 6 and 7for a celebration packed with gospel music stars. This milestone event kicks off the 2009 lakefront music season with Grammy®, Stellar and Dove winners Kirk Franklin and Donnie McClurkin as two of the top artists headlining the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Celebrating 25 years of Gospel Music at its best, the festival offers national, international and local Gospel Performances beginning at 11:00 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. each day ...

From Indiana University: BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana University Professor Portia Maultsby was closely involved with the development of “Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy,” a groundbreaking, two-week festival at Carnegie Hall celebrating African American culture. The festival, which began March 4 and runs through March 23, was conceptualized and curated by renowned soprano Jessye Norman. Maultsby, an IU professor of ethnomusicology in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomuscology (College of Arts and Sciences), became involved with the project last June, working with Norman as a general consultant, artistic advisor and editorial assistant throughout the project’s development. The ...

Last Sunday afternoon, March 15, 2009, some of Chicago’s gospel legends pressed their way to Chicago’s Prayer Center Church of God in Christ, where Rev. Donald “Preacher” Gay is pastor, for a birthday celebration in honor of gospel piano virtuoso Geraldine Gay Hambric. Geraldine, recovering from a serious bout with ill health, was part of the hit-making gospel group, the Gay Sisters, with Mildred and Evelyn Gay. Their 1951 smash hit “God Will Take Care of You” (Savoy) helped make the Gay Sisters as popular in their day as Mary Mary, Trin-i-tee 5:7 and the Clark Sisters are today. Other ...

From ROCspace News: Ken Cook, manager of national promotions for EMI Gospel and well-known gospel music executive, died Monday, March 16, 2009 at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN, after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 37 years old. A staple in the gospel music industry for many years, Ken was not only one of the most loved and well-respected men in gospel, he had many friends and recording artists who leaned on his expertise and his love for gospel music. Most recently, Ken worked as Manager, National Promotions for EMI Gospel from April 2006 to August of ...