Right: BMI Gospel Songwriter of the Year honorees Kierra and J Drew Sheard II at the 2022 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards. Photo Credit: Steve Lowry for BMI. “Speak To Me” Named BMI’s Gospel Song of the Year Aaron Lindsey, J Drew Sheard II, Kierra Sheard and Jeshua “TedyP” Williams tied for Songwriter of the Year Be Essential Songs Honored as Publisher of the Year (March 31, 2022- NASHVILLE, TN)– Today BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) celebrated the best and brightest in gospel music at the 2022 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards held at the National Museum of African ...

Atlanta, GA — The stage is being set for the biggest night in Gospel Quartet music. The inaugural Quartet Music Awards (The QMAs) will take place on Saturday, June 18, at Center Stage Theater, 1374 West Peachtree Street in Atlanta, GA. The ceremony will be a history-making night of electrifying performances and memorable moments. The QMAs will showcase the rich legacy the genre of Quartet has contributed to the landscape of Gospel, Soul, Blues, Rock, and R&B music. The award show will be hosted by ‘the hottest host on the east coast’ Justin Rufus and Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones. The ...

By Robert M. Marovich The gospel music community is mourning the loss of Derrick Lee, who transitioned from labor to reward February 19, 2022, at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He had been battling health issues for some time and had been in the hospital since the week after Christmas 2021. Friends and associates sete up a GoFundMe page to help defray his hospital expenses. From Newark, New Jersey, Lee was a talented songwriter and musician who went on to become the music director for BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel, the longest-running gospel music television program. After his show’s 35-year tenure ...

Nashville, TN — Legendary Stellar Award and NAACP Award-winning radio announcer Connie Denell Cato-Dickerson was the pride of Nashville. The daughter of radio legend Evelyn Cato, the first black female disc-jockey in the Southeast, Denell started as a sports reporter for her school newspaper while attending Riverside High School in Chattanooga, TN. She worked for two local Chattanooga radio stations, WNOO AM and WNTP, hosting the Quiet Storm shows before attending the famed Morris-Brown College, a historically black college in Atlanta, GA. Denell went on to attend Georgia State University and worked at the local Atlanta radio station WAOK FM ...

“It’s Time” Mary Glover Independent (released October 20, 2020) By Robert M. Marovich In tone, tempo, and message, Mary Glover’s “It’s Time” commands people to snap out of it, get right, act right, and be joyful in the Lord. Glover’s sassy and declarative alto, honed in the community of quartet singers, is the ideal vehicle to lift everyone out of their seats and feel the excitement she feels. As such, she evokes other powerhouse gospel singers like Monica Lisa Stevenson, Lemmie Battles, and Lisa Knowles. From Lima, Ohio, and now living in Cleveland, Glover started singing at age six and ...

Nashville, TN (June 28, 2021) – RCA Inspiration celebrated the 2021 BET Awards with a powerful night for Gospel, as two #1 hits from Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul/RCA) were lauded at this year’s awards. The sixteen-time GRAMMY®-winning artist, songwriter and producer was honored with the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award for the second consecutive year, winning for his #1 Gospel hit single “Strong God” (from his hit album LONG LIVE LOVE). Franklin also kicked off the night’s broadcast in an exuberant opening performance with Lil Baby, showcasing their #1 Gospel hit “We Win” (featured from the soundtrack for ...

“Wait” Kevan Peabody Twinkem Productions (release date: October 16, 2020) www.twinkemp.com By Robert M. Marovich Taking Proverbs 3:5-6 in part for his text, veteran gospel singer Kevan Peabody implores listeners on “Wait” not to despair but to trust and “wait on the Lord.” To a traditional-flavored but sonically robust arrangement featuring piano and warbling organ, Peabody croons his declarations in a mellow tenor peppered by blues notes. “Trust and never doubt,” he sings, “God will always bring you out.” The song, written by Steven Roberts, has the feel of a church solo augmented by a full studio backing. Bay Area ...

Reverend Lawrence Thomison Going to Church Dherico Music (release date: May 26, 2019) www.revlawrencethomison.com By Bob Marovich Going to Church, the latest release by the Reverend Lawrence Thomison, lives up to its billing. Produced by Derrick Lee for Dherico Music, Going to Church is an album of songs rendered in an older style by the full-throated Cedric Sesley & Out 4 Souls choir and soloist Thomison, who demonstrates that he can shout and squall like a quartet singer-turned-Baptist preacher. Despite the album’s old-school modality, the rhythm section, and especially Kenny Jackson’s thumping bass, keeps the musical body firmly fixed in ...

“If It Wasn’t For Your Love” Mag Elliott M.E. Productions (2017) www.magelliott.com By Bob Marovich When she was eighteen, Mag Elliott impressed listeners with her debut gospel single, “Worthy.” Suddenly, she was receiving opportunities from all directions to sing on gospel programs. In the process, Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones heard her and brought her into his New Life vocal group. This past June, Elliott was named New Artist of the Year at the Rhythm of Gospel Awards. This honor comes on the heels of her new single, “If It Wasn’t For Your Love.” She sings that God’s grace restored trust ...