On Saturday, I was fortunate enough to attend the kick-off concert of this year’s McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour in Atlanta, GA.  This year, the tour features the incomparable Bishop Hezekiah Walker as the headlining act and I had a BLAST.  Lemme tell you a bit about it–

Traffic in Atlanta was BRUTAL this weekend, but the concert was well worth the trip.  I arrived at Ray of Hope Church in Decatur, GA at around 5:30pm and met with some of the great folks that organized and executed the entire tour event.  Their passion– not just for putting on an excellent concert, but also for the philanthropic work that McDonald’s does– was evident and contagious.

After chatting with the organizers for a bit, I popped into Bishop Walker’s dressing room for a quick chat (I’ll give you a recap of our conversation in another post– he talks about his work with McDonald’s and, yes– plans for a new album!).

I made my way to my seat in the practically-packed sanctuary, and not a moment too soon– gospel artist and radio personality Darlene McCoy was just about to hit the stage to MC the event!

We heard a bit about McDonald’s 365black.com initatives, as well as other ways in which the restaurant chain gives back to the local community.  Aside from the famed Ronald McDonald Houses, in which provide a “home-away-from-home” to children receiving medical treatment, and their families.  It struck me as a really profound need that is somewhat easy to overlook.

After meeting two children who benefitted from the help of the charity– India and Terry– the concert began with urban gospel artist Canton Jones.  I think we stood on our feet the ENTIRE time of his performance, which included one of his latest hit tunes (and my favorite of the evening),  ”Window.”

Up next was Hezekiah Walker with a full band and members of the Love Fellowship Choir (there were 11, but it sounded like 40!).  I’ve always said they’re my favorite choir EVER, but concerts like Saturday night just serve to confirm that all over again.  Starting his set with “Power Belongs to God,” before moving to “Clean Inside” and “I’ll Make It,” the show was full of energy and the accompaniment of an entire audience singing along.

The pace slowed down a bit as the group moved into “Grateful” and ”I Need You To Survive,” during which Bishop Walker talked about the importance of the community outreach efforts of McDonald’s.

The night closed out with the entire audience on their feet, dancing and singing to “Souled Out.”

I STRONGLY encourage you to make plans to attend one of these events, folks.  The McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour not only provides uplifting entertainment and ministry, but you’ll get an opportunity to learn more about the heartbeat of one of the world’s largest companies.  And you’ll see that it does a bit more than serve some of the best french fries on this side of Heaven.

Nearly all of the events are FREE to the public and well worth your time.  For more info on the tour, including upcoming dates, visit http://www.mcdonalds.urbanministries.com/.

Have you guys heard “I Shall Live and Not Die,” the new single from Darlene McCoy?

I’m diggin’ it.  It’s got an ethereal, but grand worship vibe to it… the tune is singable and current to today’s music climate.

More than that, “I Shall Live and Not Die” is a powerful declaration that we, as believers, would do well to embrace until we know it in the very depths of our hearts.

The driving bridge, with its echoing “I’ll finish strong” has been on repeat in my mind all day. This is good.

Check out the single on the Pundit Player at the bottom of the screen and let me know what you think!

I got a chance to catch up with one of the busiest newer artists in the gospel industry– Darlene McCoy.

Not only is she a celebrated recording artist (her self-titled debut album did pretty well in 2007), Darlene can be seen on television, heard on radio, viewed on web video chats… geeeeez!  You definitely don’t wanna miss out on the exciting stuff that she’s doing– it’s innovative and Kingdom-building.

Anyway, she can talk about all that she’s doing better than I can, so here’s my chat with Darlene McCoy…

*     *     *

EJ:  Hey there! How are ya?

DM:  I’m good.  How are you?

EJ:  I’m good!  Thanks for taking a minute to chat with me.  You’ve got a lot going on right now, right?

DM:  Yeah!

EJ:  Talk to me about what’s up.

DM:  Well, I’ve got a new radio show.  I’m a midday host on Atlanta’s Praise 102.5.  That, in itself, is taking a lot out of me because I’ve never been in radio in my life (other than some work that I did with Canton Jones).  So, I’m learning and getting the feel of things and that’s been really cool.

That all happened in the middle of me working on my second record, so some things have slowed up a little bit, but I’m still trying to get that ready and done.

EJ:  Very nice!

DM:  Also, I have an online ministry called “In My Living Room.”  It just kinda started on Facebook, but it’s become pretty popular.

EJ:  It REALLY has.

DM:  Yeah, with Facebook and Twitter… a lot of my online friends.  “In My Living Room” is kind of a reality ministry and, basically, we talk about life topics.  More than just what we talk about in church… we talk about a little more.

EJ:  Why was that important for you to do?  Were we lacking stuff in church?! *laughs*

DM:  Absolutely!  A lot of times, we lack reality in church.  People don’t realize that you were human before you became a Christian.  There are so many things that we miss by trying to box all of life into Christianity.

And what I mean by that– I don’t want people to get me wrong– we definitely govern ourselves as Christians, but we live our lives as human beings.

*pauses and says to herself “Is she getting arrested?!“*

*returns to the convo*  I’m sorry.

EJ:  *laughing hard*  You’re driving?

DM:  *laughing*  I’m sorry.  I’m driving… and I’m nosy, too.  I am SO nosy! *laughs*

EJ:  *laughs* That’s hilarious!

DM:  But unfortunately, sometimes our church experience is all that we have, as Christians, to give to the world.  And we don’t take the time to have a common ground with non-Christians.

EJ:  So true.

DM:  So, the whole idea behind “In My Living Room” is that, the things that are hush-hush– things we don’t want to talk about– let’s talk about ‘em and bring the reality of life to it.

And I’m actually going to start moving more into the direction of talking about life-focused topics that are mainstream, not just Christian.  But with that, I’ll give the Christian HEART behind it.

EJ:  Sure.

DM:  You know what I mean?  So that people can understand that we’re not just a bunch of church folks.

EJ:  Right.  They’ll see that we actually deal with practical issues in life.

DM:  Yeah.  We deal with practical issues.  And also, a lot of non-Christians think that the life of a Christian is boring.  It’s so wack.  And they think it’s a little club that you have to be invited to join.  And they’re like “whatever.”

But when they see us living life, and being successful in life, and doing great things in life… then, they wonder “okay, how do you do ALL of that?”

EJ:  Wow.

DM:  And that becomes attractive, for non-Christians, so they’ll want to know who Christ is.

EJ:  Awesome.  I’ve watched “In My Living Room” a couple of times and you have a great turn-out of people weighing-in on topics via chatroom.  Where are you broadcasting from?

DM:  Well, I was broadcasting right from in my living room.  And that’s where the name came from.  It didn’t dawn on me until months later that “In My Living Room” could actually mean Christian living. *laughing*

EJ:  C’mon now!

DM:  I was talking about, like… my ACTUAL living room. *laughs hard*

EJ:  *laughing* Right!  Like, “in my HOUSE.”

DM:  And I talked to my husband about it later and he said “I’ve never thought about it being our living room, I thought it was the CHRISTIAN LIVING room.”  I was like “oh.” *laughs*

But lately, I’ve been so busy– I’ve got two sons playin’ football, I’m running all over the place– I’m logging in whenever and from wherever I can.

EJ:  I hear that.  And that’s the beauty of the web.  When do you do it and how can people be a part of it?

DM:  What they need to do is, every Wednesday night at 10pm ET, go to www.darlenemccoytv.com and log in.  You type in your nickname, whatever you wanna be called.  You don’t have to say your real name– you can remain anonymous and say what you want.

The only thing is, if you say stuff out of the way… if it’s vulgar or whatever it is– I always wear this stiletto Versace boot and I will BOOT you out of my living room. *laughing*

EJ:  *laughs* It’s gotta be a Versace, though!

DM:  *laughing* It’s a Versace!

EJ:  That’s good, though, because I know that even on GospelPundit, sometimes people get a little testy.

DM:  Yeah.

EJ:  Now, you were doing something on TV before, too, right?  You were doing some weight-loss challenge…

DM:  Yeah!  I was with Dr. Ian Smith, State Farm’s 50 Million Pound Challenge.  Gospel Music Channel asked me to be their artist for that particular effort. And I did.  I lost 30 pounds with the plan…

EJ:  Congratulations.

DM:  Thank you very much.  Then, gained 25 BACK…

EJ:  Well, that’s… alright!

DM:  *laughing* And just lost 26 more.

The thing of it is– and I’ve learned this from experience– you cannot deprive yourself of things you need because once the diet is over, you’re gonna gain it all back.  So, I’m on a new eating plan now and I’ve lost a lot of weight by just eating right.

And by eating right, I mean just looking on the labels on the backs of bread or something. You know? The actual BAG.

EJ:  Yooo!  Yes!  Because, for real, my wife just bought some 12-grain bread yesterday and I said “it’s so healthy!”  And she said “actually, that 12-grain bread has more sugar and less fiber than the 7-grain bread.”  But how would you know that unless you look at the back?! You’d assume that 12 grains were better than 7.

DM:  That’s exactly right.  It’s really important to know the guidelines and how to read what’s there.  Once you know that, you’re good.

EJ:  Now, you mentioned a second record in the works.  Talk to me about where that’s gonna be.  Are you’re still at EMI Gospel?

DM:  No, I’m not at EMI anymore, but we’re talking about the distribution part going through EMI Gospel.  I just… I dunno… that whole label thing is a different kind of beast.

EJ:  Yeah.  It can be rough.

DM:  And I think that… with me, on EMI Gospel, brand new artist… there were already so many established artists that there was just… y’know, I guess… there was no time for me. *laughing*

They had so many other things they were working on, y’know?  So many… I would say “bigger fish to fry”… with my record, it was like “okay, do your best, chick.” *laughing*

EJ:  *laughs* But that album did well.

DM:  It was a blessing.  The record was nominated for two Dove Awards– for Urban Album Of The Year and Urban Song Of The Year.  And I have to say that EMI did an incredible job with getting my name out there, even without a budget.

EJ:  Sure.  And at the end of the day, it’s about a FIT.  A lot of new artists think they wanna be signed to a big label– Verity or EMI or whatever– but a lot of artists don’t realize that if they don’t FIT you, or they are not a business that provides what your particular ministry requires, it may not be the best situation.

DM:  Right!  You’re so right.

EJ:  So, when DO we get some new music?  Are you gonna add something on MySpace or do we get a sneak listen somewhere?

DM:  I might sneak and let my “In My Living Room”-ers listen to a song.

EJ:  Very nice.  So, there’s ANOTHER reason folks need to get on the ball.  Get up in the living room.

DM:  *laughing*  C’mon in my living room and lemme turn the speakers up!

EJ:  *laughs* Right! You’re doing some great stuff.

DM:  But I wanna say to you EJ, I really enjoy your blog.  It’s just cool.

EJ:  Wow.  Thank you.

DM:  Yeah.  I just enjoy it.  I especially enjoy reading your blog because it’s so… I wanna say “off-key” but I want you to understand what I’m saying.  It’s so “not the norm.”  And you have such a fresh perspective on the things that you write, so I just really enjoy it and I’m honored to do this interview with you today.

EJ:  Oh, absolutely.  Thank you so much.  I knew that I wanted to chat with you– I saw all that you were doing and I thought “this is real.  This is someone who has a burden for the work to be done in the industry.”

DM:  Amen.

EJ:  And I gravitate toward that– it’s more than just singing.  Ok, you’ve got a nice album and what not, but if you’re stank backstage…

DM:  HA! *laughing*

EJ:  But that’s for another article.

DM:  And I’ve never been able to understand that.  It’s like “you say you’re a Christian?!  Ewwwww!” *laughing*

But I really feel like the Lord is raising up no-names as the new names.  And people that are coming RIGHT from the heart of God.  Right from under His shadow, if I can get REAL spiritual with you. *laughs*

EJ:  For the holy rollers!

DM:  *laughing* Right!  They’re coming RIGHT from the hiding place! *laughs*

But, seriously, he’s giving those people the platform to let others know that it’s SO not what it used to be.  We don’t have to settle for that garbage.

EJ:  Amen.  I’m exciting for what he’s doing.

DM:  Yeah.

EJ:  Well, thanks so much for talkin’ to me.  I really appreciate it.

DM:  Ok, my friend.

EJ:  And keep in touch.  I’m sure I’ll talk to you soon.

DM:  Ok, EJ.  Take care!

EJ:  You too.  Bye-bye.

*     *     *

You probably gathered from the interview– Darlene McCoy is HILARIOUS.  She exudes such humility with a boldness based on what God has called her to do.  I love it.  And, as I said… HILARIOUS.

Just for your listening pleasure, here’s a video of her singing “Amazing,” one of my favorite songs from her (it’s just one of those feel-good grooves!):

What did you guys think of the chit-chat?  Talk to me!

Shout out to my college bud, Carcyle, for putting me on to this.

Apparently, Darlene McCoy has a website called Darlene McCoy TV on which she streams a live ”television show” called In My Living Room.  Well, TONIGHT’S EPISODE is addressing the questions: “Should R&B Singers Sing Gospel?” and “Should Gospel Singers Sing R&B?”  It features a live chat feature, so I think you can voice your opinions in real-time.

It’s particularly timely for us, considering y’all are STILL weighing in on the topic of gospel artists singing for r&b/secular stuff.  And if you haven’t weighed in yet, do so here.

The program airs from her website at 10pm ET, 9pm CST, 7pm PT.  Check it out here:  http://www.darlenemccoytv.com/

If anyone tunes in, lemme know what y’all think?

Some streets in Nashville are confusing.  I drove RIGHT past stuff so frequently… but by the time we made it to the swank, reception-style gathering at the ASCAP offices, all was well.  Gospel industry powerhouse, Neily Dickerson, coordinated the event and it was great.  I grabbed some hors d’oeuvres and got ready for the showcase, hosted by Darlene McCoy.

First up was Darrel Petties & Strength In Praise.  They did a great job.  The choir was tight and Darrel Petties was rather engaging.  I don’t own any of his stuff, but I may have to make a quick purchase.  This one song they sang, “Down At the Cross”… good Lawd!

After that, we were blessed by Jessica Greene (multiple Stellar Awards nominee and, ultimately, winner of the Best New Artist award).  Though she’s a “new artist,” she gave it to us like a seasoned professional.  She commanded the attention of that whole room– yes, folks, put your sushi down and gather ’round.

Finally, mega-producer Tommy Sims got up with an acoustic guitar and, with Daniel Weatherspoon on keys, performed “Sinner’s Prayer,” which he wrote for Marvin Winans’ recent solo release.  An amazing performance!

Also in the house were artists Andraé Crouch, Darwin Hobbs, Isaac Caree, Kevin LeVar, David Ivey and industry folks Sheilah Belle, Teresa Hairston, and Monica Coates.  There were tons of other folks, too, but I can’t name ‘em all.  Great job, ASCAP and Neily!

No time to waste, though, cuz I had to run to the Red Carpet event.  Stay tuned!

And look for photos SOON in the 2009 Stellar Awards Weekend Photo Gallery!