I took a minute before writing my thoughts about this year’s Stellar Awards, held in Nashville, TN this past Saturday.  Aside from being utterly exhausted by Monday morning, I also wanted to reflect a bit before I penned my thoughts. Having so reflected, here we go…

The 26th Annual Stellar Awards program was hosted by Donnie McClurkin– the first time that only one person has had hosting duties.  It had to be a bit exhausting for him, but he’s a great host who keeps the energy high both on and off-camera.

For me, one major highlight of the show was that newer artists (or those that we don’t see often on national TV) were given performance slots– the Soul Seekers, forever Jones, the Nevels Sisters, Joshua’s Troop… I think the overwhelming consensus has been that the “same people” get booked for the Stellars, the Celebration of Gospel, etc.  This year, I feel like the mold was broken a bit.  And that’s good.

Similarly, some non-”regulars” won in a few categories– Lucinda Moore for Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year, Darwin Hobbs for Praise & Worship CD of the Year… it seemed like, for a lot of categories, one could not predict the winner. That’s fine, until one also cannot explain the winner, and there were quite a few head-scratching moments as it relates to the winner’s list.

I’m not going to dig too deeply into how I feel about who won an award and who didn’t– what’s done is done.  But I will say that the Just James from J Moss was career-defining and one of the only albums in the past decade that I have allowed to play without skipping a track.  That he didn’t win one of the many awards for which he was nominated is more than unfortunate.  I also think that forever Jones had the greatest eligible song of last year with “He Wants It All,” but the family band wasn’t even nominated in the “Best Song” category.

You’ll see the edited show in various markets beginning this weekend (check your local listings) and on gmc on March 5th at 8pm.  But I’ll tell you my fave moments now–

Key performances for me came from JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise, who opened the show with “Lord, You’re Mighty,” as well as Beverly Crawford who simply does not disappoint on stage, and VaShawn Mitchell with his unstoppable hit “Nobody Greater.”  I also loved the Nevels Sisters (they whipped their “hair back and forth”) and the quartet moment, which featured INCREDIBLE vocals from The Rance Allen Group, the Soul Seekers and the Williams Brothers. Deitrick Haddon commanded the stage like few can on his set.  But at the end, it was Marvin Sapp, in a moving tribute to his wife MaLinda, who had the entire audience on their feet (and nearly in tears) before Donnie McClurkin had us all pray for Pastor Sapp– hope they show that on TV.

Fairly or unfairly, the Stellar Awards really needed to meet or exceed the performance success of last year’s 25th Anniversary Stellar Awards.  While this year’s show was not bad, it’s hard not to knock it down a few pegs in comparison to the incredible show from last year, with its once-in-a-lifetime collaborative performances.

But then the question becomes “should they be considered ‘once-in-a-lifetime’?”  As the show did this year with the quartet collabo, is there not a way to creatively combine performances each year in such a way that the Stellar Awards consistently features unique performances that you cannot see elsewhere?

If I’ve seen an artist perform his or her song at the Gospel Heritage Conference, then GMWA, then COGIC Convocation and, finally, Celebration of Gospel over the past year, what’s so special about seeing them do it again on the Stellar Awards?  The suits and dresses?  The lights and house band? The audience?  It’s not enough.  We need more than a performance of the song– we need a moment.  Last year, the Stellars gave us hours of moments. This year, we also got a couple. But we need more. I get that last year’s show was special– but I do believe that the gospel community wants it to be the norm.

In any case, kudos to Central City Productions and the Stellar Awards– it’s not an easy task and, for all the commentary I’m giving, I still wouldn’t miss a taping for the world. Here’s to a good 26th, and a great 27th.

Immediately following the taping of the 25th Annual Stellar Awards, social networking sites were flooded with praises, lauding THIS show as the best Stellar Awards EVER.  And I agree.

I’ve attended numerous times and I’ve watched the show since I was kid growing up in Chicago– the performances on this show were innovative and you’ll be hard-pressed to find more memorable and captivating performances right now.

!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!

During the taping, I sent tweets via Twitter about who was on stage, but intentionally left off the songs that were being performed.  Here, I’m recapping the ENTIRE taping, so if you wanna leave anything to your imagination, don’t read any further.

If you wanna know the juicy details, do proceed…

As you probably know, the show was hosted by Donnie McClurkin, Vickie Winans and Kirk Franklin.  They did a great job, especially Vickie, who served as comic relief for much of the night.  There was no hype man between set changes this year, so we could’ve gotten really restless but for Vickie’s jokes about herself.

For the first time, the Stellar Awards featured a live house band, which was led by producer Percy Bady.  This made a WORLD of difference because the sound was tighter than ever, the performances came to life, and we weren’t bound by the restrictions of each artist’s performance track.  EXCELLENT decision.

If you follow my tweets, you know that I said that the theme for this year’s show would be COLLABORATIONS.  Almost all of the performances on the show are medleys between artists that have made significant contributions to gospel music over the past 25 years.  The others were performances from artists that left a great impression on the industry in the past year.

The show opened with a collabo between Ricky Dillard & New G and Hezekiah Walker & LFC.  If you love choirs, you’ll get a glimpse of Heaven within the first coupla minutes of the program!

Ricky Dillard & New G performed “Search Me” before transitioning into the classic vamp of “More Abundantly”… you know, the part where the sopranos, altos and tenors break down into parts, singing “JOYYYYY!”  During this time, the Love Fellowship Choir had joined them on stage, just in time for Bishop Hezekiah Walker to lead them in their hits “I Need You To Survive” and “Souled Out.”  It was electrifying.

The next performances came from the legendary Vanessa Bell Armstrong, performing her hit single “Good News.”  She looked incredible and sounded even better.

In a traditional female vocalist collaboration, we were super blessed to witness Lady Tramaine Hawkins sing “Changed” (it doesn’t matter how many years have passed– her voice DOES NOT CHANGE) before Dottie Peoples came on stage to sing “On Time God” like you wouldn’t believe.  As if that wasn’t enough, Pastor Shirley Caesar came to the stage to tell us about ol’ Shoutin’ John in “Hold My Mule”  Y’all remember that song?!  It was a classic performance.

The next collabo came from Richard Smallwood and Smokie Norful.  This was absolutely one of the best performances.  Fortunately, I had seen it during some rehearsals, because I could’ve missed the whole thing.  An usher at the Grand Ole Opry House used this time to SCREAM in my area, talkin’ about “are there any SEAT FILLERS over here?!”  Fortunately, my wife told her to “shhhhh!!!” and we still caught some of it.  Don’t mess with Janice Gaines, y’hear?

Picture it– Smallwood and Norful, both in tuxedos (with tails), each at a black grand piano, tickling the ivories like nobody’s business.  Richard Smallwood started by playing Smokie’s “I Need You Now,” then Smokie followed by playing Richard’s “Center Of My Joy.”  Smokie then played and sang “Dear God” (from his latest project) and Richard Smallwood capped the performance off with his classic anthem, “Total Praise.”

New Artist Of The Year Crystal Aikin came to the stage next with her hit single “I Desire More,” and left the entire room desiring more… I could’ve heard her on that vamp all day.  Her voice soars, effortlessly, and she’s got such control and sincerity… a true treasure.

Another stand-out performance came from our favorite bro & sis– BeBe & CeCe Winans, singing their latest single “Grace.”  They looked like a million bucks and they sounded like they never took a 15-year break.  They’re just pros who don’t miss a beat.

Up next was another classic performance– Kirk Franklin performed with his singers– new and old– a medley of his greatest hits, including “Silver & Gold,” “Why We Sing,” and a bunch of others I’m forgetting.  The best part of the performance was probably when Tamela Mann and Dalon Collins joined them to sing “Now Behold The Lamb.”  That auditorium went UP and IN.  CLASSIC!

Up next was the popular single “I Trust You” from James Fortune & FIYA.  They gave a great performance and reminded everyone why he had such great success at radio– it’s a singable anthem that encourages souls… great stuff.

The next performance is one that you’d BETTER watch for on the broadcast.  Don’t take bathroom breaks even remotely close to this segment.  I’m talking about the all-male vocalist collaboration between Donnie McClurkin, Byron Cage and Marvin Sapp.  There are hardly words to describe it.  The song list was great–  ”Never Would Have Made It,” “The Presence Of The Lord Is Here,” “Faithful To Believe,” “Marvelous” (by Walter Hawkins), and “Stand.”

Each of the three guys took turns singing on “Never Would Have Made It” and “Stand.”  By the end of their set, the ENTIRE room was on its feet worshipping.  They came back in on “Stand” and the taping had to take a break.  I’ve NEVER heard Byron Cage sing the way he did, Donnie’s range was limitless and powerful (as always) and Marvin Sapp was simply incredible.

At this point, Kirk came out and shared some of what’s been on his heart.  One thing that stood out was a quick phrase he gave– “IN ADVANCE.”  He shared that, as we sleep, as we doubt, while we’re not knowing what is going to happen, GOD has thoughtfully already worked everything out for us, in advance.  Our response to THAT should be that we praise Him, in advance.  It was a very powerful moment– I know I’m not typing it well enough to convey that, but… you’re gonna have to trust me.

The fire was kept burning by the next performance, which came from Israel Houghton and Mary Mary.  Israel performed via satellite from London, while Erica & Tina Campbell looked and sounded great on stage as they sang the Grammy-nominated “Every Prayer.”  I loved the concept of it and the execution.  Great job.

The finale of the show came sooner than I had prepared for– I guess I wanted to go until midnight or something– but when it came, it was great.

Donald Lawrence & The Co. (and you guys KNOW I love me some Co.!) sang “Back II Eden” with the Atlanta West Pentecostal Church Choir, winners of How Sweet The Sound (HSTS), behind them.  It was a great concept to include the choir because HSTS was such a great and popular part of the gospel industry this year.  And when Floyd Wilkinson came up to do his vamp… I’m sayin’… I could listen to that vamp 10 times in a row and never got tired of it.

What I think you WON’T see on camera is Vickie Winans clownin’… she won Female Vocalist Of The Year and the award was presented by Shirley Caesar, Dorothy Norwood and Albertina Walker.  When she won, she was so overwhelmed and blown away that she went to the podium and said to Albertina (who sat with an oxygen tank next to her), “girl, gimme some of this [oxygen].”  I NEED them to not edit that out! LOL

Also, you probably won’t see Tina Campbell with her gorgeous new lil’ baby, TJ.  She walked to her seat with him at one point, and the whole audience awww’ed and oooo’ed cuz it was just priceless.

Even without those moments, you’re gonna get all the rest… and that’ll be one of the best set of televised gospel performances you’ve ever witnessed.

I commend Don Jackson, Central City Productions, Barbara Wilson, and the entire Stellar Awards production crew for an incredible show– definitely my favorite over the past decade, and probably EVER.  Elegant, professional, classic… it was more than just a celebration of 25 years of the Stellars… it was a celebration of gospel music.  Perfect!

Soooooooooooo… sound good to anyone else?  Anyone attend and wanna chime in?  Did I miss anything???

The holiday weekend is upon us, so I’ll keep this short.

Don Jackson of Central City Productions has issued a “thank you” message to Stellar Award fans and supporters.

If this letter was intended to respond to the points that I made in the Open Letter, I must respectfully state that it falls short of my expectations.  Essentially, it dismisses many of the industry’s concerns.  Rather than actually responding to the way the gospel community is feeling, or to the notion that Central City might have made missteps, we are asked to rest assured that the process actually is fair and bursting with integrity, despite what we’re feeling.

Well, thanks!  It seemed sketchy, but if Central City says it’s not, then it must NOT be.  Dunno how we missed that, guys…

I’m reprinting the letter here for your information:

*     *     *

To: Stellar Award Fans and Supporters
 
From: Don Jackson, Founder & Executive Producer of the Stellar Awards
 
RE: 25th Anniversary of the Stellar Awards Thank you Message
  
Dear Stellar Awards Fans and Supporters:
 
As Founder and Executive Producer of the Stellar Awards I want to personally thank you for your  overwhelming support of our Awards Program,  especially now that we are entering our 25th year Anniversary on National Television with the taping  of our  show on January 16th, 2010 in Nashville Tennessee at the Grand Ole Opry House. Your dedicated support has enabled us to continue the production of our Stellar Awards on National Broadcast and Cable television, which has resulted in our Stellar Awards attaining the position as the # 1 rated Gospel Music Awards show on television today, according to Nielsen Media Research. 
 
Our continuing mission of the Stellar Awards is to establish an environment through our Awards show where Artists and other Industry Professionals are recognized for their achievement and significant accomplishment in the field of Gospel Music for national recognition; and to support, encourage and promote Gospel Music Worldwide.  
 
Over the 25 year history of the Stellar awards I have openly met with Gospel Music Industry Executives, Artists, the Gospel Music Media outlets and  Faith based Institutions in our community, where I have welcomed their suggestions and recommendations on all aspects of our show, to maintain the highest standard and integrity  of our production as well as our Entry, Nominating and Balloting policy and procedures.  I will continue this open outreach to the Gospel Music Industry in the future, in an effort to improve upon our Stellar Awards production and procedures, and I will always welcome your constructive feedback and recommendations in regards to every aspect of our show.  
 
As a direct result of the constructive  feedback of the Gospel Music Industry, from the sources I’ve identified above,  I am pleased to inform you that for our 25th Anniversary Show we implemented several improvements to our Entry, Nominating and Balloting process that we feel strengthened our overall Voting process and made our procedure more open and inclusive, while continuing to maintain the integrity, fairness and highest standards of our overall process for everyone.  
 
The improvements that were implemented included changes in the following areas:
 
#1. The extension of our Voting Eligibility entry period window to allow additional time for the submission of qualified entries;
 
 #2. Changing our entire Voting procedure to an Online Internet voting process which included Eligibility submissions, and both 1st & 2nd round balloting,  versus a mailed hardcopy paper Eligibility submission and  ballot process;
 
 #3. Expanding the Charting System to include the entire Nielsen Media Data Systems, which added the Nielsen Broadcast Data System (BDS), versus using only SoundScan and Billboard Charts;
 
 #4. Opening up the first round of our voting process to Fan voting, to have an opportunity to  involve  Gospel Music Fans in our “Fan Favorite” voting process,  without compromising the final voting process of the 2nd ballot by SAGMA members which ultimately determines the final Stellar Award Nominees and winners. 
   
These changes resulted in the following improvements to our overall procedure of:
 
#1. Giving Record Labels and Artists additional time to submit their entries during an expanded Eligibility window, which resulted in increased submissions
 
#2. Improved our nominating and voting procedure by going online and eliminating the hardcopy paper Eligibility submissions and  ballot, which resulted in an increase in the voting process
 
#3. Increased the representation from Independent Labels dramatically, by using all of the Nielsen Data Charting systems including Nielsen BDS in the charting system without compromising the integrity of the voting process
 
#4.Opening the process up to Fan voting in the “Fan’s Favorite” categories, which resulted in an overwhelming response from our Gospel Music Fans where we will once again announce our “Fan’s Favorite” voting categories at our pre-show awards in the categories of Song of the Year, New Artist of the Year and Choir Of the Year, which does not affect the final voting from the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA) members in these categories.
 
Based upon the above constructive improvements in the voting procedure we are positively elated with the results and feel that the process is more inclusive and fairer to everyone in the Gospel Music Industry.
 
I want to mention that our 25th Stellar Awards Anniversary production planned for our taping on Saturday January 16th, 2010 is shaping up to be our best show ever! Please join me and our co-hosts Kirk Franklin, Vickie Winans, and Donnie McClurkin in our celebration of Gospel Music’s biggest night…The Stellar Awards. (Please see attached promotional flyer).
 
I greatly appreciate your support over the past 24 years and look forward to your continuing commitment.
 
Lastly as we prepare for our 25th Anniversary show, I would like for you to join me in prayer as we acknowledge that the Stellar Awards is God’s work! Our goal and mission is to raise Gospel Music to its highest level for the Glory of God. We are invoking God’s presence and guidance as we plan and organize to uplift His name. We are asking you to help us uplift His name. Please join us in prayer to speak the words of love, peace and harmony for the Glory of God throughout our Stellar Awards production. This is God’s work! In the name and through the power that is in the name of Jesus, we declare IT IS DONE! Thank You God!
 
God Bless!
 
Don Jackson
Founder & Executive Producer

*     *     *

Your thoughts?

This afternoon, I announced on Twitter that I’ve drafted an Open Letter to the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA) and Central City Productions (CCP), the two bodies responsible for the Stellar Awards and its voting process.

As many of you know, there was a tremendous uproar among the gospel music community when this year’s Stellar Award nominees were announced last week, leading many to question the integrity and legitimacy of the awards program altogether.

Without making a statement either way, I believe that God led me to write what will, prayerfully, prompt an edifying dialogue within the gospel music community and, ultimately, lead SAGMA to address some very valid concerns regarding some of its operating procedures.

I have pasted the entirety of my Open Letter below.  I invite you to comment here, on the blog, about it.  Even more, I urge you to sign the petition that I started, so that SAGMA & CCP can understand how widespread some of these concerns truly are: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/sagma.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

*     *     *

 Open Letter ToThe Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA)
And Central City Productions

I believe gospel music to be the greatest genre in the music industry.  More than the excellent musicianship and staggering vocal abilities, the message of the Gospel, often wrapped in a diversity of sounds, is the only message that has the ability to truly transform lives and set its listeners free, eternally.

Twenty-five years ago, Central City Productions (CCP) began the Stellar Awards, acknowledging the value of this genre of music and embarking on a journey that would better the gospel music industry for decades to come.  It is with great pride and gratitude that I applaud Don Jackson and his team at CCP for their commitment to gospel music, the people who create it, and the consumers who are blessed by it.  Understandably, then, it is with a great degree of sadness and frustration that I now pen this letter to express my concerns with the current state of the awards show, specifically as it relates to the voting process.

Immediately following the Stellar Awards press conference on October 29, 2009 in Nashville, TN, the gospel music community witnessed a rather significant outcry from consumers, media, commentators, artists and executives within the gospel industry on numerous social networking websites and new media outlets.  Shocked by the absence of several chart-topping, established artists from the nominees list, and by the presence of several lesser-known artists in some of the overall categories, the gospel community’s voice of dissension rose greater by the hour.

As I am certain you will agree, the value of any awards show is only as great as the perceived legitimacy of its voting process.  At present, the overwhelming sentiment of the gospel music community is that the SAGMA voting process has been compromised and no longer adequately reflects the voice of the gospel industry.  With prayer and thought, I have drafted this letter in hopes of creating a dialogue with SAGMA about how the gospel community can, collectively, ensure that integrity and legitimacy return to the Stellar Awards voting process.

I have pinpointed three key areas of concern, from which a litany of other issues flow—enforcement and accountability, membership criteria and, most recently, the public vote.  I briefly address each of these concerns below:

~ Enforcement and Accountability ~

At its core, I believe the issue to be one of enforcement and accountability.  SAGMA should enforce the rules it has in place and the gospel music community should be able to determine whether those rules are, in fact, being enforced.  Though I am a dues-paying member of SAGMA, I do not possess a copy of any governing by-laws for the organization, nor do I know that such by-laws even exist.  The gospel community has no way of ensuring that the SAGMA Executive Board follows protocol, as we have not been made privy to what the protocol is.  As a result, various decisions have been made for which we can trace neither the origin nor intent.

For example, for each of the past three years, the eligibility dates, by which an album must have been released in order to be considered for an award, has shifted for reasons not fully explained to the community.  Months are skewed and deadlines extended but, in the end, the validity of the award is diminished in the sight of the public.  The official website of the Stellar Awards states that a “confidential Nominating committee” ensures that eligibility criteria are met, but such a committee is of no effect if the eligibility criteria remain fluid and erratic.

Similarly, the website states that entries must be “charting on the Billboard or Nielsen Sound Scan charts” in order to be included on the first ballot.  If I were to audit the first ballot, which was made available to public voting, and compare the first-round nominees with the Billboard charts of that eligibility period, I am not convinced that each nominee would be listed.

Finally, I am absolutely certain that, this year, the first-round ballot was changed in the middle of the voting period to add an artist who was not originally on the list of first-round nominees.  No official statement was made by SAGMA about the addition of that artist’s name whatsoever—the gospel music community was expected to simply accept it and proceed accordingly.
 
Within SAGMA, decisions appear to be made unilaterally and behind closed doors.  The gospel music community is given information on a need-to-know basis, if at all.  While I can respect the notion that this process requires a certain degree of confidentiality, I believe that greater transparency is still necessary.  It is essential to the integrity of the organization.

~ Membership Criteria ~
 
According to the official website of the Stellar Awards, CCP formed the Stellar Awards Gospel Music Academy (SAGMA) to serve as the “official Stellar Awards voting body aimed at industry professionals.”  The website further states that, to acknowledge the numerous supporters of gospel music “who are not actively working in the industry,” a second level of membership was added to SAGMA—that of an Associate Member.

As it presently stands, any individual who desires to participate in the Stellar Awards voting process may do so after simply completing an application, which we assume has been reviewed by someone, and paying the annual membership fee of $85.  In fact, and perhaps in response to the national economic crisis, SAGMA boasted a “2-for-1” discount this year, such that two individuals were able to join the voting body for the price of one.

Though the SAGMA membership application designates that one must join either as an “industry professional” or as a “non-industry professional,” the criteria for what constitutes an “industry professional” seems unreasonably broad, allowing applicants to either select an industry role from among the roles listed, or to simply write-in a role, and submit a biography.

I believe that the integrity of SAGMA requires that voting members have their finger on the pulse of what has been driving the gospel music industry that year.  To discourage the tendency to turn an awards show into a popularity contest, it is essential that the voting body of SAGMA be comprised of professionals who work in this industry, not merely anyone who submits a membership payment that year.

I take note of the requirements of the voting bodies of other awards shows, such as the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), which is responsible for the GRAMMY Awards.  In order to be a voting member of NARAS, one must have “creative or technical credit on a minimum of six tracks” on albums that have been “commercially released in the United States.”  Further, qualifying albums must have been sold on a non-consignment basis, such that a retailer must have purchased the albums in advance of individual sales.  If an album is only sold on Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, or similar websites, it does not qualify.

Clearly, because of the intricacies of our industry, SAGMA cannot adopt such a strict policy.  A great amount of albums released in the gospel music industry do not receive such broad distribution, and are often sold on a consignment basis.  Still, the NARAS requirements have merit and should at least be considered in restructuring the eligibility requirements of a “voting member” of SAGMA.

Also unique to our genre and industry is a consideration of the type of voting designation that should be extended to members of choirs and ensembles.  Perhaps a membership distinction of some sort should be made between a signed recording artist in our industry, and a person whose name is merely added to unverifiable liner notes as a member of a large mass choir, for example.  It seems unlikely that the two share equal footing in terms of expertise, leaving me to wonder whether they should share equal voting rights.  The current “pay-to-vote” structure strips SAGMA of its legitimacy in the public view.

~ The Public Vote ~

This year, the industry saw SAGMA undertake a positive and noteworthy initiative—allowing the public to participate in the Stellar Awards voting process.  I believe, however, that the weight of the public’s participation should have been tempered in some way.  Other awards shows have created special awards, such as “People’s Choice Awards” or “Fan Favorite” awards.  Similarly, some awards shows allow the members’ votes to carry greater weight than the internet votes of the public (i.e., in a 2:1 ratio).

In either case—by creating a special award or by weighing the votes accordingly—the governing bodies of other awards shows have successfully acknowledged the voice of consumers while resting on the expertise of industry professionals.  In so doing, the voting bodies have maintained the integrity of the voting process.  I believe this to be a viable option for SAGMA and the Stellar Awards.

I am not asking that SAGMA and CCP amend the current list of nominees or in any way change its plans for the upcoming awards program.  Despite rumblings on the internet about consumers who plan to boycott the upcoming awards show and future shows, I have no intention of doing so.  Instead, I am eager to celebrate the past 25 years of gospel music with CCP and SAGMA.

I respectfully urge you, however, to take these concerns into consideration for the upcoming year.  I believe I can speak for the gospel music community in requesting an opportunity for continued dialogue and a review and/or revising of the current SAGMA structure and operating procedures.  At the very least, I look forward to a public statement in response to the above-noted concerns.  Please be careful to not merely dismiss this letter as a shallow complaint.  I believe that the concerns in this letter represent the concerns of the full spectrum of the gospel music community.

It is vital that the gospel music community believes in the integrity of the SAGMA voting process.  It would be tragic to see the Stellar Awards, now in their 25th year, begin to flounder, as the designations of “Stellar Award winner” and “Stellar Award nominee” come to carry no significance in our marketplace.

Sincerely,

EJ Gaines
Editor, GospelPundit.com

Word has it that Central City Productions (production company of the Stellar Awards) are planning to launch a new venture– the Stellar Awards Mother’s Day Gospel Music Festival.  The first such event is scheduled for May 7-9, 2010 in Orlando, FL.

Apparently, the special invited guest speaker is First Lady Michelle Obama.  Several musical guests have been invited, including Yolanda Adams, Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, The Clark Sisters, Byron Cage, Hezekiah Walker, Kirk Franklin… a little of everyone, but none yet confirmed.

I mean… I think it’s nice to see Central City branching out, but I dunno if people are gonna travel to Orlando for a Mother’s Day weekend.  First of all, the holiday is so near and dear to everyone’s heart that most people try to spend that time with family.  Ideally, I guess folks could bring their mothers to Florida for it, but who has money for all of that?  Flight, hotel, concert tickets for you and yo’ mama…

Maybe I’m wrong, though.

Would YOU go?