Check out the latest single from JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise, titled “After This.” It’s an encouraging praise anthem letting believers know that “there will be glory after this!”
The new single is from the group’s upcoming album, due in 2012, on Light Records.
I’ve just added it to the Pundit Player on the bottom of your screen. Take a listen and let me know what you think!
Don’t dare think that Deon Kipping is a newcomer to the industry. With indie releases under his belt, and having written such acclaimed hits as “Praise Him In Advance” (Marvin Sapp) and “Incredible God” (JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise), Deon is no novice.
He recently signed his first major label deal with Verity, so you’ll be hearing much more from him, starting with his new single, ”I Don’t Look Like (What I’ve Been Through),” which hits iTunes on November 1, 2011!
He will also be one of the featured artists on Kirk Franklin’s Fearless Tour this fall.
Cuz I love ya, and I love Deon’s music, you can listen to it right here, right now, on the Pundit Player!
Take a listen on the bottom bar of this site and let me know what you think!
The Gospel Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit founded by Dr. Teresa Hairston (of Gospel Today magazine) fifteen years ago, is adding regional conferences to its ever-popular annual Praise & Worship Conference, the first of which begins TODAY in Cleveland, OH.
Each regional conference will consist of Friday evening ‘Worship and Word’ services, followed by an artist showcase featuring local talent. From that talent pool, local artists may receive an invitation to perform at an upcoming annual conference or live recording.
Regional conferences end on Saturday mornings with a three-hour seminar featuring Dr. Teresa Hairston, along with national speakers and recording artists, including Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Wess Morgan, Joe Pace, JJ Hairston and Dr. John Guns.
A quick look at the cities/churches sponsoring a regional conference:
Aug. 19 – Aug. 20 | Cleveland, OH | New Spirit Revival Center
Sep. 23 – Sep. 24 | Bloomfield, CT | First Cathedral
Sep. 30 – Oct. 01 | Washington, DC | Mt. Calvary Holy Church
Nov. 11 – Nov. 12 | Sacramento, CA | This Is Pentecost Fellowship Ministry
Next year’s annual conference will again take place in Jacksonville, FL, from February 16-18, 2012.
For more info about the regional conferences and the annual conference, visit Gospel Heritage’s website at http://www.gospelheritage.org.
Be there!
Hey buddies… just a quick reminder that JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise will be recording their new album live TOMORROW in Bloomfield, CT.
Click here for my initial write-up on the event. You don’t wanna miss it!
On the heels of their successful current project, Resting On His Promise, JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise are prepping for the live recording of a new project on Friday, July 8 at 6pm at The First Cathedral in Bloomfield, CT.
You don’t wanna miss this one, folks. With guests including Bishop Hezekiah Walker, Jessica Reedy, Tye Tribbett and Kathy Taylor, I’ve got a feeling that the night is going to be one to remember.
Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, and can be purchased right now, right here: http://www.youthfulpraise.org. You can also grab them at The First Cathedral (360 Colorado Avenue, Bloomfield, CT).
For more info, visit http://www.youthfulpraise.org.
Lucinda Moore, winner of this year’s Stellar Award in the ‘Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year’ category, will be honored for her first Stellar win this Friday, March 4th at a celebration in Durham, NC.
Vickie Winans and radio personality Melissa Wade will co-host this concert celebration, which will feature guest performances by JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise, James Hall, Zebulon Ellis and more!
Event Location:
Greater Joy International Ministries
2000 Chapel Hill Road | Durham, NC
919-294-8123 | http://www.greaterjoyim.org
Tickets:
General Admission: $10
Advance Seating: $20
VIP Seating: $30 (includes reserved seating & a reception)
To purchase tix, or for more info, visit http://www.lucindamoore.eventbrite.com.
Anyone planning to attend?
Light Records has announced JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise will record their new project on Friday, July 8, 2011 at First Cathedral (1151 Blue Hlls Ave) in Bloomfield, CT.
More details as they come!
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.
The 26th Annual Stellar Awards were held in Nashville, TN this past Saturday.
Special awards went to Donald Lawrence (Lifetime Achievement), Kirk Franklin (Notable Achievement) and Vanessa Bell Armstrong (Living Legend).
Here’s a full list of the night’s winners…
Artist of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Fred Hammond
James Fortune & FIYA
Marvin Sapp
Song of the Year
BeBe Winans, “Close to You”
Fred Hammond, Calvin Rodgers, Phillip Feaster, Ericka Warren, Michael Bethany and Dynna Wells, “They That Wait”
James Fortune, C. Fortune and T. Vaughn, “Encore”
Marvin Sapp, “Best In Me”
Male Vocalist of the Year
Byron Cage
Fred Hammond
J. Moss
Marvin Sapp
Female Vocalist of the Year
CeCe Winans
Karen Clark Sheard
Lucinda Moore
Tamela Mann
Group/Duo of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Forever Jones
James Fortune & FIYA
The Anointed Pace Sisters
New Artist of the Year
Forever Jones
Kristina Halloway
Travis Greene
Victory Cathedral Choir
CD of the Year
Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable
J. Moss, Just James
James Fortune & FIYA, Encore
Marvin Sapp, Here I Am
Choir of the Year
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
James Hall & Voices of Citadel
Victory Cathedral Choir
Wilmington Chester Mass Choir
Producer of the Year
Aaron Lindsey, Here I Am
Donald Lawrence, The Experience
Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable
James Fortune, Terrance Vaughn and Ayron Lewis, Encore
Contemporary Group/ Duo of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Forever Jones
James Fortune and FIYA
Trin-i-tee 5:7
Traditional Group/Duo of the Year
James Greer & Company
The Anointed Pace Sisters
The Christian Angels
The Mighty Clouds of Joy
Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year
Byron Cage
Fred Hammond
J. Moss
James Fortune
Traditional Male Vocalist of the Year
Alvin Darling
Darrell Hines
Marvin Sapp
Marvin Winans
Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year
CeCe Winans
Karen Clark Sheard
Lisa Page Brooks
Tamela Mann
Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year
Fredericka Faison
Lucinda Moore
Shirley Caesar
Vanessa Bell Armstrong
Contemporary CD of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans, Still
Fred Hammond, Love Unstoppable
J.Moss, Just James
James Fortune and FIYA, Encore
Traditional CD of the Year
James Hall & Voices of Citadel, Won’t It Be Wonderful
Marvin Sapp, Here I Am
Shirley Caesar, A City Called Heaven
Vanessa Bell Armstrong, The Experience
Urban/ Inspirational Single / Performance of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans, “Still”
Forever Jones, “Get Ready”
James Fortune & FIYA, “Encore”
Marvin Sapp, “Here I Am”
Music Video of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans, “Close to You”
Kirk Whalum, “Make Me a Believer”
Shirley Caesar, “Playground In Heaven”
The Anointed Pace Sisters, “If I Be Lifted Up”
Contemporary Choir of the Year
God’s Little Soldiers International
Myron Butler & Levi
Youth for Christ
Youthful Praise featuring JJ Hairston
Traditional Choir of the Year
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
James Hall & Voices of Citadel
Victory Cathedral Choir
Wilmington Chester Mass Choir
Special Event CD of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans, Still
Kirk Franklin, Are You Listening
Various Artists, CoCo Brother Live Presents Stand 2010
Various Artists, WOW Gospel 2010
Rap/Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year
DJ Official, Entermission
Everyday Process, Outtadisworld
Sho Baraka, Lions and Liars
Trip Lee, Between Two Worlds
Children’s Project of the Year
God’s Little Soldiers International, Soldier Story
Kingdom Kids Worldwide, Kingdom Kids Worldwide Volume 1
The Velasquez Family Singers, While We Still Have Time
Youth for Christ, Thanks In Advance
Quartet of the Year
Reverend F.C. Barnes & Company
The Christian Angels
The Golden Wings Quartet
The Mighty Clouds of Joy
Recorded Music Package of the Year
Cameron Hilson and Mark Neubauer, Get Ready (forever Jones)
Denise Trotman, Here I Am (Marvin Sapp)
Derek Blanks and Ken Barboza, Still (BeBe & CeCe Winans)
Jeff Gilligan, Love Unstoppable (Fred Hammond)
Praise and Worship CD of the Year
Darwin Hobbs, Darwin Hobbs Live: Champion
James Fortune & FIYA, Encore
Phil Tarver, Place of Worship
The Anointed Pace Sisters, Access Granted
The awards show will air on gmc on March 5 at 8pm ET. Before that, however, you can catch it in most major markets (check your local listings) between January 22 and March 13.
A list of performers and presenters for the 26th Annual Stellar Awards has been released!
Among the performers are Marvin Sapp, Beverly Crawford, Deitrick Haddon, the Nevels Sisters, VaShawn Mitchell, the Soul Seekers, the Williams Brothers, the Rance Allen Group, forever Jones, JJ Hairston and Joshua’s Troop. Also performing will be an all-star choir in tribute to Kirk Franklin, and the winners of the 2010 How Sweet the Sound competition in tribute to Donald Lawrence.
Award presenters and other participants will include J Moss, Dorinda Clark Cole, Hezekiah Walker, Andrae Crouch, Vickie Winans, Lisa Page Brooks, DeWayne Woods, Wess Morgan, Myron Butler, Yvette Nicole Brown, Dr. Bobby Jones and more.
The show will be taped this Saturday in Nashville, TN, at the Grand Ole Opry House, and will air on gmc on March 5 at 8pm ET. The program will also air in various national markets from January 22nd through March 13th. Check your local listings!
