Efforts to launch first gospel radio station in Cypress underway – Your Houston News: Living.

By Bob Marovich I first met Pastor Mack C. Mason more than a decade ago. Our mutual appreciation for traditional gospel music brought us together for lunch in Chicago’s Loop. At that lunch, Pastor Mack not only gave me great advice, but I took it. He suggested I join the Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild. I did.  The Guild helped inspire The Black Gospel Blog, which is now the Journal of Gospel Music.   The Guild also introduced me to so many of you reading this right now. At that first meeting, Pastor Mack said prophetically, “Something good is going to come ...

By Bob Marovich Photo: Dr. E. LaQuint Weaver II & the Hallelujah Singers perform on the main stage Saturday night. Credit: Candice Shavalia / Big Red Hen Films Dr. E. LaQuint Weaver II & the Hallelujah Singers and Dr. Patrick Bradley & Westside Baptist Church Choir, the Christian rock band True Witness, and the Eternal Light Singers quartet were among the big winners during the Sixth Rhythm of Gospel Awards. The awards weekend was held July 24-27, 2014, at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Activities shifted Saturday evening, July 26, to the beautiful Alys Robinson Stevens Performing Arts Center ...

DALLAS (August 5, 2014) – Grammy Award® Nominee Tamela Mann and Gospel Icon Kirk Franklin have a lot to celebrate. The “Take Me To The King” digital single, written and produced by Franklin and recorded and performed by Tamela, has been RIAA Certified Gold, having sold more than 500,000 digital copies. Tillymann Music Group label head and Tamela’s manager and husband, David Mann, presented Tamela with her RIAA Certified Gold plaque during their Comedy and Concert event on Friday, August 1 at the Victoria Fine Arts Center in Victoria, Texas. “What an amazing surprise to be presented with my first ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 4, 2014) – Stellar Award-nominated gospel recording artist Alexis Spight is being released from her recording contract with Mathew Knowles’ Music World Gospel to ink a record deal with the newly formed Uncle G Records. Uncle G Records is headed by Veteran Industry Executive Greg “Uncle G” Lyons who has also served as Spight’s manager since she signed with Music World Gospel following her success on BET’s Sunday Best. “Congratulations to Greg Lyons and the upstart of Uncle G Records and the signing of Alexis Spight, former Sunday Best runner up and Music World Gospel artist,” said Knowles, ...

Film ‘Get on Up!’ Reveals James Brown’s Gospel Roots – US – CBN News – Christian News 24-7 – CBN.com.

By Bob Marovich On Tuesday, July 29, members of the Gospel Announcers Guild of the Gospel Music Workshop of America saluted their longtime friend and leader, Al “The Bishop” Hobbs, with a special musical program at the GWMA Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.  Among the performers were Rev. Milton Biggham, Dottie Peoples, and Dorothy Norwood.  Two of his children were present for the tribute. It was the first year Hobbs, struggling with cancer, was unable to attend the annual Gospel Announcers Guild convention, for which he has served as chairman for many years.  Nevertheless, he called in frequently from his home in ...

By Bob Marovich The Journal of Gospel Music learned today from Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild President Yvonne Wesley-Seabrooks that Phyllis Brown of Chicago’s beloved Brown Sisters has passed away. According to the Brown Sisters website, Phyllis was the group’s bookkeeper.  It was a fitting responsibility, since she had worked in accounting for TransAmerica for more than two decades.  In addition to singing with the group, Phyllis attended the Pillar of Truth COGIC, led by her father, Pastor Ben Brown. The Stellar-nominated Brown Sisters of Chicago made the Billboard charts with “Awesome God,” a single from their 2009 Live in Chicago album on ...

By Bob Marovich In 2012, the Wheeler Avenue Mass Choir recorded a CD in honor of the Houston, Texas church’s fiftieth anniversary. The full-length album, Oh To Be Kept by Jesus, brought together the church’s music department and two longtime collaborators, Wheeler Avenue music minister Henry “Hanq” Neal and Leon C. Lewis, who produced the CD. Lewis wrote a song called “I Believe” for Neal, who sang lead on it. Almost immediately, the church recognized the song would become the album’s main selection. But no one could have anticipated that “I Believe” would be Neal’s last solo. The Grammy-nominated vocalist, ...