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JGM Pick of the Week – August 18, 2026
By itself, “Always There” is a conventional mid-tempo gospel ballad, but Carlton Person’s voice sells it.
Lisa Knowles-Smith, Darrel Walls, & More Win Big at 41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards
The Stellar Gospel Music Awards celebrated its 41st year honoring excellence in gospel music with an unforgettable evening of powerful performances, moving tributes and special honors celebrating the artists and trailblazers who continue to shape the genre.
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Bob Marovich of the Journal of Gospel Music interviews gospel recording artist Lil Prince.
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Recent Posts
JGM Pick of the Week – August 18, 2026
By itself, “Always There” is a conventional mid-tempo gospel ballad, but Carlton Person’s voice sells it.
Lisa Knowles-Smith, Darrel Walls, & More Win Big at 41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards
The Stellar Gospel Music Awards celebrated its 41st year honoring excellence in gospel music with an unforgettable evening of powerful performances, moving tributes and special honors celebrating the artists and trailblazers who continue to shape the genre.
Sponsored Post:
It’s been a while since we’ve posted anything on the Soul Messengerz, but “New Jerusalem” gives us that opportunity, even if the song was first introduced by the men about two years ago.
“Thirst No More” is the auspicious debut single by the Nu Nations Choir of New Orleans.
Urban Gospel and Contemporary Christian artist Aaron Lavelle signs a deal with TRIBL Records, marking a major milestone after more than a decade of building his career independently.
BET Sunday Best finalist Marjane’ adds a single to her music catalog by invoking Psalm 30:5 to encourage all discouraged listeners that although things are bad now, they won’t always be.
Karen Wooten leads the venerable Chicago Mass Choir on “He’ll Make It Alright,” a hard-charging declaration of encouragement in the midst of life’s trials.
Robert Marovich, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Gospel Music, received the 2026 Tyrone Porter Living Legacy Award from the Arnold Fields Endowment Foundation and Palmetto State Gospel Music Association on March 7, 2026.
LATEST 5 STAR REVIEWS
The Gospelaires of Dayton, Ohio Moving Up – The Early Years 1956-1965 Gospel Friend (release date: November 17, 2017) www.gospelfriend.com By Bob Marovich The Gospelaires of Dayton, Ohio, were one of the hardest singing quartets on the gospel highway during the genre’s storied golden era. The quartet was part of touring packages that crisscrossed the [...]
Ruth La'Ontra I Got You ALJR Music Group/Tyscot Records (release date: September 22, 2017) www.tyscot.com By Bob Marovich To the best of my recollection, the last time a Ruth Jones was in gospel music, she was a teenager singing with Sallie Martin. Finding it difficult to keep boy-crazy Ruth in check, Sallie returned her to [...]
Various Artists Jesus Rocked the Jukebox Craft Records / Concord Music Group (2017) http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/jesus-rocked-jukebox-small-group-black-gospel-1951-1965/ By Bob Marovich In addition to its estimable contributions to the religious, social, and political life of African Americans, the church has also been an effective music training school. Untold numbers of men and women have learned to sing or play [...]
Nichole Nordeman Every Mile Mattered Sparrow Records / Capitol CMG Label Group www.sparrowrecords.com By Bob Marovich Christian singer-songwriter Nichole Nordeman has a lot to say in her new album, Every Mile Mattered, and we need to hear it. In a hauntingly beautiful voice that evokes contemporary folk artists Beth Nielsen Chapman and Alice Peacock, Nordeman [...]
Bigger Than Me Le’Andria RCA Inspiration (release date: July 21, 2017) By Bob Marovich Bigger Than Me, Le’Andria Johnson’s fifth album, is her best album since her 2011 debut, the chart-topping Music World Gospel release, The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson. Best because the songs, for the first time since Awakening, feel right for her, melodically and lyrically. [...]
LATEST PICK OF THE WEEK – SINGLES
Melvin Crispell III – the BET Sunday Best Season 9 champion – gives James Fryson’s classic composition “God Is” an easygoing shuffle tempo.
Bri Babineaux’s best single in a while, “Confident” lives up to its title in lyric and overall musical swagger.
“Wonder In My Soul” Pastor Stephen E. Boyd From the SB Entertainment album Chronicles of My Country Church Vol. 1 (release date: April 12, 2024)
“Clap My Way” Micah Lee Micah’s Music (release date: July 19, 2024)
The beloved Dottie Rambo composition is especially poignant in the wake of the plane crash that took the lives of three of the four members of The Nelons just weeks ago.
By Robert Marovich
In A City Called Heaven, gospel announcer and music historian Robert Marovich shines a light on the humble origins of a majestic genre and its indispensable bond to the city where it found its voice: Chicago.
By Robert Marovich
In A City Called Heaven, gospel announcer and music historian Robert Marovich shines a light on the humble origins of a majestic genre and its indispensable bond to the city where it found its voice: Chicago.
By Bob Marovich Kenny Lewis, founder and leader of the Stellar Award-nominated gospel group One Voice, didn’t have to go any further than the current news to find inspiration for his new album. “With the way that the economy was going and with the election,” Lewis told JGM, “we really didn’t know what was going [...]
By Bob Marovich Relaxing on the tour bus after a concert, Lamont Sanders could still hear the shouts of “Encore!” from tens of thousands of audience members echoing in his mind. The Bible says your gift will make room for you, Sanders reflected, and it had. He had signed with Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Andre [...]
By Bob Marovich No doubt about it, Canada has a thriving gospel music community. Some artists, such as Londa Larmond, the Quebec Celebration Gospel Choir, and the Sojourners quartet, have somewhat broken through into the U.S. gospel music market. I say somewhat, because in comparison to the long litany of Canadian pop artists who conquered [...]
By Robert M. Marovich The Journal of Gospel Music was saddened to learn of the passing of the Reverend Dr. Janice Brown-Stephens. She transitioned from earth to glory on August 30, 2024, at age 80. The following is based on a bio I wrote for the Malaco Music Group website some years ago: The Reverend [...]
First Lady Wanda Wilson Fielding submitted this homegoing information: We will celebrate Quincy‘s amazing God ordained life in the blessed facility of: Faithful Central Bible Church 400 W Florence Avenue, Inglewood, California 90301 (310) 330-8000 The viewing will be on Friday September 13 between 5pm-7pm. The Musical Tribute will follow immediately from 7pm-9pm or as [...]
