Check out this cool behind-the-scenes peek into all that went into making this year’s BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Awards luncheon.
It’s a pretty cool glance at the production efforts of the BMI team as they prepare one of the most highly-attended and highly-anticipated events in gospel music.
On Friday, January 13, 2012, BMI held its annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music awards luncheon at Nashville’s Rocketown. The invite-only industry gathering has become the hottest ticket in town.
This year, BMI saluted the music and ministry of Bishop Hezekiah Walker and Kirk Franklin.
A virtual who’s-who was in attendance… Kim Burrell, Israel Houghton, Fred Hammond, Isaac Carree, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Jason Nelson, Jonathan Nelson, Jessica Reedy, Virtue, Asaph Ward, Ricky Dillard, Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, BeBe Winans, DJ Rogers, David & Tamela Mann, Dayna Caddell, Brian Courtney Wilson, Dorinda Clark Cole, Marvin Sapp… my fingers are tired, but just think of EVERYONE in gospel music. 
Check out these photos from the event!
The 13th annual BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards, held during Stellar Awards weekend each year, will honor Kirk Franklin and Hezekiah Walker at this year’s event on Friday, January 13, 2012 in Nashville, TN.
No word yet on who is slated to perform, but we’re hoping Donald Lawrence will, as always, arrange the musical tribute.
The invite-only tribute luncheon has become one of the most well-attended, highly anticipated events of the weekend. In recent years, the event has been later broadcast on gmc.
September is Gospel Music Heritage Month!
To celebrate, this site will… well, there’s going to be a conference on… wait, no… an awards show will honor…
Nevermind. September is Gospel Music Heritage Month and, every year, very little is done to celebrate it. I’m chiefly guilty of it– I think I may have attempted to begin thinking about doing something a couple of years back.
A bit of background… the country has been celebrating Gospel Music Heritage Month since 2008, after Congress passed legislation acknowledging September as the month to honor gospel music. The initiative was spearheaded by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) and the National Recording Academy for Arts & Sciences, Gospel Music Channel (now known as gmc) and the Gospel Music Association.
But did you even know it was Heritage Month? Do you support or celebrate it?
I bet you’re not among the 864 people who “like” its official Facebook fan page, nor are you among the 37 people who follow its official Twitter profile (don’t feel bad, I just learned of it as I wrote this). And I know you don’t visit the GospelMusicHeritage.com website, which now simply redirects to the homepage of gmc, the organization that hosted the web address as the movement grew.
Ok, it’s not completely as desolate as I’m making it seem.
At the top of this month, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts hosted its 3rd annual “Evolution of Gospel” celebration in honor of Heritage Month. With a “Kennedy Center Honors…” type of vibe, the night honored the contributions of Dr. Bobby Jones, Cathy Hughes and First Lady Michelle Obama, who was unable to attend. The evening featured performances by Kirk Franklin, Richard Smallwood, Marvin Sapp and more.
And Heritage Month’s social media properties are hinting at some OFFICIAL event taking place in Houston, TX this month, though they haven’t announced a date or location.
My thought is that, because the gospel music community does not have an official, unified trade organization representing it, there is no group charged with really celebrating anything in it, including Heritage Month. Plenty of organizations– from SAGMA to GMWA, GMA to BMI, NARAS to various acronyms in between– have done their part to honor the music and culture, but these groups are often overworked and understaffed, with other primary corporate objectives. Their celebrations are splintered across the country and across the calendar year. Who can plan a month’s worth of unified gospel music activities?!
Again, this is not a knock against anyone– GospelPundit.com hasn’t exactly been the hub of Heritage Month features, trivia and giveaways. I tend to tell myself “ahhh, next year!”
But my observations do raise the question– we don’t really celebrate Gospel Music Heritage Month, do we?
If you agree, fine. If you disagree, tell me where the party is and let’s have at it.
Either way, I think we all need to do a bit more.
It’s been a minute (too much of one), but we’re going to hold up Eric & Anson Dawkins, better known as Dawkins & Dawkins, in prayer this week!
After taking a ten-year hiatus, the brother duo that helped shaped the sound of contemporary/urban gospel music, has returned to the gospel scene in full force this year. After announcing that they had signed with Light Records at the end of 2010, the duo performed at the BMI Trailblazers Awards in January. They released their first single, “Get Down,” this Spring and their new album, titled From Now On, hits stores on July 26. It’s a busy schedule, so let’s lift them up, cool?
Father, thank You for the music ministry of Eric and Anson Dawkins. Thank You for gifting them to write and record music that has blessed many, over several decades. Thank You for the platform that You’ve given them, and for the weight that it carries.
Lord, I pray for Eric and Anson– that they would be equipped and strengthened in their careers, especially for the remainder of this year. With their album coming out, I pray that You would protect them from anything that would serve to distract them from their purpose. I pray against negative influences, discouragement, pride, anxiety, doubt, fear… I pray that You would make them confident in this area.
And I ask You, God, to bless their individual endeavors, too. As they devote their time and energy to the duo artistry, please preserve their individual goals and lives. Bless their families and relationships, keeping them safe and secure.
And beyond their artistry, I pray that You would continue to strengthen the bonds of their brotherhood. I pray that they will continue to grow together, grow closer, holding each other accountable and pouring into one another in a way that glorifies You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Amen! Okay, join me in praying for our brothers– Eric and Anson Dawkins– by posting your prayer in the comment section below!
Hey guys, just a reminder to tune-in to gmc tomorrow night (Saturday) at 7pm ET (immediately followed by a repeat airing at 8:30pm ET) to catch the incredible performances that went down at this year’s BMI Trailblazers Awards luncheon in Nashville, TN.
The show will honor Shirley Caesar and Commissioned with some of the most jaw-dropping, once-in-a-lifetime performances you’re ever gonna see. Cuz that’s how BMI rolls!
BMI has announced that its Trailblazers Awards luncheon, the heralded, exclusive event of each year’s Stellar Awards weekend, will be aired on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 7pm ET, exclusively on gmc.
The special, co-hosted by Donnie McClurkin and Kim Burrell, was recorded live during last month’s 12th Annual BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon on Friday, January 14th. Honored this year were Shirley Caesar and Commissioned, with jaw-dropping performances from Kim Burrell, the Clark Sisters, Ledisi, Lucinda Moore, Marvin Sapp, Dawkins & Dawkins, Men of Standard and many more. Donald Lawrence, with DeWayne Woods, handled musical direction of the event.
An encore presentation of the program will air at 8:30pm ET, immediately following its initial broadcast.
BMI has just announced its honorees for the 2011 BMI Trailblazers awards– they are COMMISSIONED and SHIRLEY CAESAR!
The annual musical tribute luncheon is THE PLACE to be during Stellar Awards weekend (aside from the awards, themselves). The invitation-only event takes place on Friday, January 14th at Nashville’s Rocketown.
Hopefully, gmc will broadcast the event again, as it did this year in honoring Donnie McClurkin and Andrae Crouch.
Is it just me, or does anyone else reeeeeallly hope the powers-that-be at BMI will honor Walter Hawkins at their annual BMI Trailblazers Awards during Stellar Awards weekend in Nashville this January???
The only problem– BMI honored The Hawkins Family in 2006. In that tribute, they included music from both Walter & Edwin… too much to do a repeat?
I dunno. But oooh, it’s just such a PERFECT fit. Then, broadcast that bad boy on gmc again?! Whaaat?!
Come on, somebody… is it just me?!
At the BMI Trailblazers awards, Marvin Winans shared a bunch of stories about his early experiences with Andraé Crouch. They didn’t televise all of that, but it was one of the highlights of the afternoon for me.
I love hearing stories about this industry. Not for the blog or to dazzle my friends– just to know and enjoy ‘em.
The other day, I thought to myself “I wanna just go to lunch with someone and get some good gospel stories.” But I can’t figure out whose stories I wanna hear.
A big part of me wants to say Kirk Franklin. Another part wants to say Donald Lawrence. And yet another part wants to say Shirley Caesar… all three would have incredible stuff to share… I dunno.
Outta curiousity– whose stories do you wanna hear?
Which gospel artists would you wanna have lunch with???
