EnduranceI’ve Got a HomeSCCME Records 2008www.musicbyendurance.com “I’m talking about foot tappin’, hip smackin’, good old fashioned church!” This line, from Endurance’s uptempo workout “Old Fashioned Church,” could well be the group’s personal motto. The Stellar-nominated three-man quartet from Houston provides listeners with plenty of opportunities to tap feet and smack hips on I’ve Got a Home. “We Don’t Have Church” echoes the sentiments of “Old Fashioned Church” by lamenting that the worship service used to be an all-day Sunday event, but today “church begins at eleven o’clock and ends at twelve o’clock” (sounds like the Catholic Mass!). An unintentionally relevant ...

Congratulations to the Dixie Hummingbirds and Dr. Bobby Jones. They joined Dolly Parton, Lari Goss and Michael W. Smith as the latest inductees in the Gospel Music Association (GMA) Gospel Music Hall of Fame. The ceremony took place in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, February 2. Pictured above (L-R) are: GMA Foundation Executive Director Steve Brallier; Inductee Lari Goss; Inductee Lyndon Baines Jones of The Dixie Hummingbirds; Inductee Michael W. Smith; Inductee Dr. Bobby Jones; Inductee Dolly Parton; Ed Harper, chairman of the GMA Foundation Board; GMA President/CEO John W. Styll; Sundray Tucker (daughter of deceased Inductee Ira Tucker of The ...

Miss Walk Around Heaven All Day:The Untold Story of Cassietta Baker GeorgeCassietta Lerone BakerSelf Published 2008www.cassiettaleronebaker.com “One of these mornings/It won’t be very long;You’ll look for me and I’ll be gone.” And then a piercing chord from a Hammond B3 swings down like the blade of a guillotine. That’s “Walk Around Heaven All Day,” as performed by Cassietta George. Though credited to the Caravans, this 1964 recording for Vee Jay Records that bears musical resemblance to “That Lucky Old Sun” is really a Cassietta solo. There are no other Caravans present on the recording, but no matter, nobody else was ...

Perfect PeaceIn His WillChurch House Music 2007www.perfectpeaceministry.com Husband-and-wife team Lee and Ruth Burns of Alexander City, Alabama continue to spread country church goodwill whenever they perform as “Perfect Peace.” Proof of this is evident throughout In His Will, the duo’s follow-up to its 2006 firecracker Jesus is a Sure Thing. Regardless of whether the ten songs on In His Will were culled from hymnbooks or are new compositions, they all have that good old Baptist sing-along quality: simple melodies and repetitive, easily remembered verses. The best moments on the CD are when Lee and Ruth harmonize with background vocalists Shane ...

Joiner’s Five Trumpets, arguably the most popular quartet to come from Gary, Indiana, was honored Sunday, February 8, 2009 at a musical celebrating Black History Month and saluting local quartets. The event was sponsored by New Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Gary, where the Rev. Benjamin J. Holmes is pastor. Mr. James Jones, a member of Joiner’s Five Trumpets; and Mrs. Virginia Joiner-Holmes, beloved local gospel announcer and daughter of the group’s founder and manager, the late Rev. Milton E. Joiner, accepted the honor. Jones joined the group in the mid-fifties and stayed on until the 1970s. Left to right: ...

“Jesus Promised Me a Home Over There”Jennifer HudsonFrom the Arista CD Jennifer Hudson (2008)www.jenniferhudsononline.com Chicagoan Jennifer Hudson now has a Grammy Award to set next to her Oscar. At the 51st Grammy Awards on February 8, 2009, the “RnB Album of the Year” award was bestowed on Jennifer Hudson’s eponymous debut CD. To be sure, Jennifer Hudson is packed with hits such as “Spotlight,” “Pocketbook,” “If This Isn’t Love” and the song she sang tearfully at the awards ceremony, “You Pulled Me Through.” But the final track is truly the closer. “Jesus Promised Me a Home Over There” is the ...

From the Associated Press: black gospel artists who won honors at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, held February 8, 2009. Gospel Performance: “Get Up,” Mary Mary; track from “The Sound” (Columbia) Gospel Song: “Help Me Believe,” Kirk Franklin, songwriter (Kirk Franklin); track from “The Fight of My Life” (Fo Yo Soul Ent./Zomba Gospel; Publishers: Universal Music-Z Songs/Kerrion Publishing) Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: “Thy Kingdom Come,” CeCe Winans (PureSprings Gospel/EMI Gospel) Traditional Gospel Album: “Down in New Orleans,” The Blind Boys of Alabama (Time Life) Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: “The Fight of My Life,” Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul Entertainment/Zomba Gospel) The ...

Steve Mann of Black Box Photography in Asheville, NC has been promoting and photographing Tommy Ellison and the Singing Stars and other gospel quartet figures for fifteen years. He was given exclusive permission to photograph Bro. Ellison’s homegoing service, held Saturday, January 10, 2009 at Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia, SC. TBGB is honored to share these photos with you; special thanks to Steve for his generosity. Mann reports, “It was a beautiful service with tributes from the Singing Stars, the Swanee Quintet, The Brooklyn Allstars, Doc Mackenzie, Darrell McFadden and the Six Voices of Zion.” Singing Stars Dennis ...

God Did That ThingBishop Bobby Hilton & Word of Deliverance Mass ChoirBVHilton Records 2009www.goddidthatthing.com If his new live project, God Did That Thing, is any indication, Forest Park, Ohio’s Bishop Bobby Hilton is no one-hit wonder. Hilton and the Word of Deliverance Mass Choir’s single, “God Did That Thing,” is just one example of a project brimming with powerful choir performances, fueled further with prominent guest appearances by Dorothy Norwood (on the title track) and Twinkie Clark, among others. The mass choir is traditional-leaning, complete with shouting leads and fortissimo harmonizing backed by walking electric bass lines, snarling bluesy guitars ...

TonyaSpecial FriendKingdom Records 2008www.kingdomrecordsinc.com No doubt about it: Tonya Baker can sing. I don’t mean “sing” as in big-voiced, megachurch-filling gospel diva. Tonya has what I consider a bright pop sensibility, like a Regina Belle or a Heather Headley. Whether delivering a gospel ballad or an energetic, beat-laden groove, Tonya’s beautiful voice floats over and through the melody with the strength and grace of an eagle. The musicians backing her provide a light but vigorous jazz soundtrack anchored by the gentle but firm tinkling of a piano. The songs on Special Friend are varied somewhat in style, tone, and theme, ...