Bob

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel BlogTBGB had the pleasure of attending Donald Lawrence's 20th Anniversary program at Living Word Christian Center yesterday evening, where Dr. Bill Winston is pastor.  Two points struck me during the remarkable program:1) Lawrence is unquestionably one of the finest gospel songwriters of his generation.  He blends high [...]

Last night, TBGB and Robert Sacre', gospel historian and professor from Belgium, visited with the Wardlaw Brothers, a family quartet from Georgia, as they made their way through Chicago and Milwaukee en route to St. Louis and Indianapolis.The group is currently on the road promoting their latest single, "Right Now Lord," from [...]

“Song 4 U”Melody Laurewww.melodylaure.com“Song 4 U” is the second single release from Boston-born singer-songwriter Melody Laure.  Her original aspiration was to go R&B, but her church-singing roots won out.  The lethal combination of Melody’s forceful vocals and pumping electronic R&B beat turn this love song to Jesus into a power [...]

Desmond PringleFidelityKingdom Records (2013)www.kingdomrecordsinc.comBy Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel BlogThe gospel sound of Desmond Pringle (no relation to singer-chorister Keith Pringle) is more of a direct link to the early contemporary work of the Hawkins Family than most of today’s artists.  Fidelity, Desmond Pringle’s debut solo album for Kingdom Records [...]

Billy DorseyMarathon(2013)www.BillyDorsey.comBy Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel BlogAlthough he is a fitness buff, the marathon Billy Dorsey sings about isn’t the 26.2 mile version but the all-encompassing 24/7/365 version.Grammy, Stellar, and Dove Award-winning songwriter and producer Dorsey is well known for his work with Lecrae, especially on Gravity, which made [...]

(Dallas, Texas) (June 12, 2013) -- The votes have been tallied, and the 2013 Grand Prize winner of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s 4th annual Most Powerful Voices Gospel competition is Vetrea Slack Ruffin from Harvest, Alabama.  Vetrea beat out 651 artists for the coveted title and will receive: - The opportunity to perform [...]

I was so sorry to hear the news today, passed along from Cherli Montgomery, that Gospel Announcers Guild leader Donna Grady Creer (pictured) and her husband Donald died in a house blaze in Little Rock, Arkansas, early this morning.Donna was a tireless worker on behalf of gospel music and one [...]

Joe Ligon & the Mighty Clouds of JoyAll That I Am: Chapter OneMCG Records (2013)www.mcgrecords.comBy Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel BlogThe Mighty Clouds of Joy are among a handful of Golden Era gospel quartets whose main lead singer is still with them.  I won’t even venture a guess as [...]

“No Turning Back”Israel & New Breed, feat. Aaron LindseyFrom Jesus at the Centerwww.newbreedmusic.com“No Turning Back,” Israel & New Breed’s follow-up single to their hit, “It’s Not Over (When God Is In It),” is a highly percussive, brassy workout on successful endurance in the face of nearly unsurpassable obstacles.  Aaron Lindsey [...]

Darron McKinneyThe Breath of GodAlliance Entertainment (2013)www.darronmckinney.comBy Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel BlogOnce outlawed from all churches but the sanctified churches as a tool of jazz babies (at best) or the devil (at worst), the saxophone has since become the predominant solo instrument in gospel jazz.Darron McKinney is one [...]