Wednesday at GMWA was a slower day, not cuz there wasn’t plenty to do, but because people were kinda dragging and showing their fatigue… folks were skippin’ events and what not. LOL

I got a chance to chat with Floyd Wilkinson, who leads the hit Donald Lawrence & Co. single, “Back II Eden.”  To be one of the singin’-est dudes you’ll find in the game, he is incredible kind, humble and down to earth.  And he’s hilarious.  Gotta love that.

I stopped by the “Tribute To The King” concert, which was being hosted by Kurt Carr.  I didn’t stay for the whole tribute, but I noticed some of his singers, so I’m sure they ministered their faces off.  I also got a chance to see Dottie Peoples and Chrystal Rucker backstage.  The attendance at the tribute was rather low, but they were goin’ in on some classic James Cleveland tracks before I had to leave.

Took a quick break for dinner at some Korean bistro (it was pretty good) before heading to the Youth & Young Adult showcase, which featured a bunch of great aspiring/new artists.

When I arrived, Isaac Cates & Ordained were on stage and sounded GREAT.  Not long after, Sunday Best finalist Zebulon Ellis got on the piano to play and sing the classic Milton Brunson tune “For The Good Of Them.”  I’ll say this– we, the Sunday Best viewing audience, were cheated out of experiencing how awesome his vocal ability is.  Dude can blow, FOR REAL.

A bit later, Melinda Watts performed “There Will Come A Day” from her new album, followed by a organ-accompanied “When We All Get To Heaven” and “When I See Jesus” medley.  It was HOT.

After her, JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise took the stage and performed their hit song “Incredible God, Incredible Praise.”  Lemme tell ya– incredible PERFORMANCE, too.  They ended their set with their new single, “Resting On His Promise,” and had Bishop Eric McDaniel join them for the vamp (as he does on the recorded version).  They had great energy and an even better sound.

I ducked out before the end, lest I fell out from fatigue– this week will wear you OUT if you don’t get your rest!  Geeeeez.

That’s it for now.  ‘Til later!

The Gospel Music Workshop Of America (GMWA) is in the final days of prepping– the week-long event kicks off this coming Saturday and runs through the 31st of July in Cincinnati, OH.

The convention, held at the Duke Energy Center, will feature daily morning worship sessions, workshops, showcases and nightly musicals.

I think I’m most excited about the full concert featuring Donald Lawrence and the huuuge concert on Thursday, the 30th, which will feature Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Dorinda Clark-Cole, J Moss, Kurt Carr, Byron Cage, Smokie Norful and more.  Ummm… that’s hot.  I may have to tweet live from that one.

Anyway, it’s not too late to register and buy tickets for stuff.  Visit http://www.gmwanational.net/ for more details.  And follow GMWA on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/GMWA.

Who else is planning to attend?  I wanna meet some of ya.  Hit me up and lemme know.

Timiney Figueroa-Caton and Anaysha Figueroa are sisters with similar tones, but each brings something unique to the table… rather, to the STAGE.

Most folks know Timiney from her classic work with Hezekiah Walker & LFC (“Calling My Name”) and, most recently, with the Kurt Carr Singers.  Anaysha’s just as busy– she sings with Kirk Franklin and has done several awesome guest spots (plus, I’ve been a fan since she sang “Lullaby Of Broadway” on the old skool film Life With Mikey).

Here’s a clip of them singing “Calling My Name”… great, heartfelt, worshipful…

Whatd’ya think???

There’s been a lot of buzz about Coko’s sophomore gospel effort, The Winner In Me, for several months now.  And lemme tell ya– the wait was worth it.

This project, in stores this coming Tuesday, is a great follow-up to her debut from a few years back– it demonstrates artistic growth while providing fans with the classic sound that we fell in love with on the first gospel album… actually, no… we fell in love with it back in the SWV days, didn’t we?!

Diverse tracks with memorable hooks and great production are hallmarks of this 12-track project, which features guest spots from Canton Jones, Israel Houghton, Kelly Price and Coko’s mother, Lady Tibba.  Among the producers are Coko’s husband (and industry drummer extraordinaire) Mike “Big Mike” Clemons and relative newcomer Jamiene “J Skills” Thompson (who produced half of George Huff’s latest project).  And I think I peeped some songwriting credits for David Caton and his wife Timiney. [Editor's Note: Timiney Caton's maiden name is Timiney Figueroa, as in... the lead soloist on the classic Hezekiah Walker cut "Calling My Name"... as in... current member of the Kurt Carr Singers... as in... the older sister of Anaysha Figueroa... need I go on?]

I digress.  Coko’s soaring soprano transitions well across a wide range of musical styles on this project– she moves from tracks with hip-hop beats, to modern churchy joints, to CCM-styled ballads.  But she remains at all times AUTHENTIC.  If I’m being honest (and I always try to be), I have to admit that I was looking forward to the Coko & Kelly Price duet because I wanted to hear them demolish a really churchy track.  Instead, they demolished a more urban track.  But “demolished” is the operative word, so how mad could I be?

Favorite cuts: “May Be The Last Time,” a single-worthy anthem that is sure to be added to repertoires of MANY praise teams; “Make A Way,” a rock-infused track laced with verses by Canton Jones (it’s hot); “The Joy Of The Lord,” an urban duet with Israel; “I Surrender,” an all-out song of… well, surrender; and “Renew My Mind,” a classic song of supplication for renewal, featuring Coko’s mother (who, if you recall, appeared on Coko’s debut project, on the “Mighty God” track).  That song, too, could be a fave on Sunday morning.  And, of course, I’m still enjoying the project’s first single, “Wait.”

The short and sweet of it: fans of Coko will absolutely not be disappointed, people on the fence will appreciate the great music on this project, and skeptics of the whole “R&B-turned-gospel-artist” phenomenon will have one more reason to pipe down.  Coko appears to have poured all of her energy into her passion– making music that glorifies God and edifies the Body of Christ.  With The Winner In Me, I think she succeeds at both.

It’s no secret, nor have I EVER heard it debated or disagreed with– Kurt Carr has some of the GREATEST singers in the game working with him.  Well, MY long-time favorite among them is Nikki Potts.

In this clip, she’s singing “O, My Soul Loves Jesus,” from the Awesome Wonder album.  Y’all remember that KILLER track?!  Whewwww! Thank you for aaaalllll you do, ma’am!!!

FOR REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL?!

Verity Gospel Music Group has made history as the first label to hold the top FOUR slots on the R&R Gospel Radio charts at once.  Congrats guys!!!

The line-up:

1.  Hezekiah Walker & LFC – “Souled Out”

2.  Donald Lawrence & Co. – “Back II Eden”

3.  Marvin Sapp – “Praise Him In Advance”

4.  Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers – “Peace And Favor Rest On Us”

Notably, all four of these songs are sing-able by your local church choirs on a Sunday morning, suggesting that the most successful songs in gospel remain those that translate well to church.

Thoughts???

Earlier today, I introduced you to our newest contributor, Ryan Chung (click here if you don’t remember).  And I told ya he’d be blessing us with a recap of James Hall’s live recording in Toronto, which took place on Saturday.  Well, here ’tis.

Ryan, it’s all yours, bro…

*     *     *

Well, the doors were scheduled to open at 6:30pm.  6:51pm anyone?  Nah, not yet, just make the people wait.  It wasn’t until 7:11pm that the doors finally opened.

The main event was the LIVE recording of the upcoming release from “The Professor”– Brother James Hall & Worship and Praise, Live in Toronto.  It was a tedious wait, but as soon as the praise and worshippers entered the beautiful sanctuary at Global Kingdom Ministries in Toronto, Ontario, the praise really began.

Toronto’s own Echoes Of Praise (a powerful 4-voice ensemble) opened the recording and brought the house down with their own twist of “Nearer To Thee.”  They really set the mood for true worship and THE VOCALS WERE ON POINT!  Backed by Londa Larmond-Moncreiffe & Amoy Levy (I think they are some of Canada’s vocal GREATS), Echoes Of Praise ended their worship set with “To Worship You I Live,” reminding the believer that their main duty is not to be entertained, but to give praise to GOD for as long as they live.

So, yea… time was still not our friend for the night, but the crowd made sure to make the best of it (I hope that some of ya’ll that attended and are reading this GOT TO CHURCH ON TIME the next morning!).  It was around 8:30-ish when Cheryl James & VOW (Voices of Worship) went to the pulpit to lay down some heavy chords and some of the most mind-blowing vocals to EVER (I can’t stress that enough) come out of Toronto.  And this is where I began to HATE this group (in a good way…don’t worry!)  They had the audacity to sing F.O.C.U.S.’ rendition of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”  There were only 6-8 singers…WHY DID THEY SOUND LIKE A FULL ENSEMBLE OF 40 SINGERS?  They are also a group to check out…straight from my home town.

9:00pm struck on our clocks…It was SHOWTIME!  Oh yea, forgot to add: it was a PACKED HOUSE.  But when you have Eddie ‘Animal’ Heyward (drums), Dewayne “DW” Wright (Timothy Wright’s son… amazing bass player), and Minister Melvin Crispell (organ) as the Musical Director, the house would have to be packed!  I also have to mention that Kurt Carr was in the building, too.  If an artist travels all the way from the States to see a recording in Toronto, you’ve done some good.

People from New York State, Kentucky, Montreal, and, of course, the host city were all in the building.  The music began, the choir members entered the stage, and the “voice” of the choir (Pastor Kevin Bond) began to speak.  Enter James Hall & Worship and Praise who, first,  ”BUSSED” our heads open with “God Is In Control.”  I might add that I never really liked the shiny lime green shirts, but Brother James pulled it off quite well with a simple black suit.

The tune was ringing, the hands began to clap, the shouts began to ring, and the praises were lifted.  James Hall represented by taking us back, doing songs like “I Never Shall Forget,” “He Shall Reign,” “Blessed be the Name” and the aforementioned “God Is In Control,” which will all appear on the upcoming CD and DVD.  NOTE: NO NEW SONGS… which was quite a bummer!

Confessional: As much as the vocalists were on point and the musicians were doing their thing, I will come clean: some of y’all who were there can testify that IT WAS A LONG RECORDING PROCESS.  I’m human– I started to become impatient…Oh Lord work on me!  I understand that mistakes happen, but I would say (I’m kind of a perfectionist): at least run through the songs before you record– it saves time and also preserves patience (for God is not the author of confusion…I’m just saying…lol).

Some details are gonna have to wait– he literally stopped the recording to tell people to stop videotaping on their Blackberries and phones, cameras, etc.  But I will note this: people that paid for the tickets really got to see how Brooklyn, NY does it, with A LOT of TORONTO FLAIR…

12:30am – The recording began to wrap up… yea I know, 12:30 in the morning!  But trust me– from this Toronto resident– the album is sure to NOT disappoint.

Holla!

Ryan

p.s. Did I mention that long-time soloist TUNESHA CRISPELL tore that church apart?!  GLORY TO HIS NAME!!

*     *     *

Thanks for the recap, dude!  I understand a coupla mistakes, but I’m mad about any excessive starting and stopping business– at one recording I attended, an artist did it so many times that he finally just said “we’re gonna have to do THAT song in the studio.”  LOL  The audience thanks you!

If this project features only throwback joints, I’m lookin’ forward to it cuz I haven’t been as excited about some of their newer stuff.  I wanna be a fan again!

Y’all PLEASE show Ryan some love and thank him for the recap!

What do y’all think about the recording???  Who’s excited for the album?

Did y’all catch The Best of The Stellars on Gospel Music Channel on Sunday?  I thought it was really great.

Vickie Winans hosts it and does a good job.  She’s hilarious to me cuz you NEVER know what she’s gonna do or say.

The episode I watched featured some of the best Opening Performances from the past 24 years (though, it really only went back as far as Fred Hammond’s “Let The Praise Begin” in 1999).  I forgot how good some of those performances were– from Kurt Carr’s “In The Sanctuary” to Dorinda’s “I’m Coming Out”… (sidebar: y’all remember how excited everyone was when Dorinda’s debut finally album came out?!).  And Yolanda Adams’ performance of “That Name” with Richard Smallwood on keys.  Oh my goodness…

Anyway, a good show with awesome performances and backstage interviews of Tye Tribbett, 21:03, Donnie McClurkin, Dorinda Clark-Cole… I’m excited to keep watchin’.

Who else saw it?  What did you think?

Earlier this week, Byron Cage took a minute to chat with me to discuss his upcoming LIVE recording in Detroit on March 13th!

We had a great convo about what folks can expect from this new album, how he’s developed as an artist, and I even got a couple of tidbits of random trivia about him.  He’s a personable and friendly guy… I rather enjoyed him.  I hope you enjoy the interview…. Here’s Byron Cage.

*     *     *

EJ:  How are you?

BC:  I’m good,  how about you?

EJ:  I’m great.  Thanks for taking the time to talk to me.  I really appreciate it.

BC:  Oh yeah, thank you.

EJ:  I wanna jump right in and talk about this upcoming recording that’s got everybody buzzing.  I wanna know what you’ve got planned for the people!  You’re going to Detroit, March 13th…

BC:  Yes!  March 13th.

EJ:  Talk to me about returning back there.

BC:  Oh man, you know, that’s my hometown.  I was born in Grand Rapids, but Detroit is where I consider home.  I was there for junior high school, high school, college… and I grew up in Detroit during the “golden era” of gospel music.  You had people like Donald Vails, Thomas Whitfield… I sang background for Thomas Whitfield.  Donald Vails was the minister of music at my church, Fred Hammond played the bass guitar there, I directed the choir.  Then, you have the Clark Sisters, the Winans, Rudolph Stanfield, Esther Smith, so many incredible artists… Rance Allen.  The concerts used to be amazing!

EJ:  I can only imagine!

BC:  Yeah, I grew up in that.  And even once I started in the industry… a lot of people don’t know that I sang background vocals on one of Commissioned’s albums, Will You Be Ready?

So, I look at the history of all of that, you know, the whole Detroit connection… and now I’m going back home to do my 6th recording.  I’m just so thankful that I’ve lasted in this time and people still wanna hear the ministry.

EJ:  What’s the direction of this album?

BC:  It’s a hard-hitting, praise and worship, Sunday morning, Wednesday night Bible Study, revival, on the treadmill, in your car… it’s all of that.

EJ:  I love it!

BC:  Yeah, it’s gonna be one of those CDs that you’re going to want to just get your groove on, get your worship on… there’s just such a wide variety of music on this one.

EJ:  Awesome.  Do you have any guest artists coming?

BC:  I do, indeed.  One, I can’t name yet.  We were trying to work out Pastor Marvin Sapp, but it didn’t work out for this one.  But, thank God, Pastor Marvin Winans is doing a song with me, my boy Tye Tribbett is coming to do a song I wrote called “In The Midst” with me… it’s gonna be a great time.

It’s being produced by the 2009 Stellar Award Producer of the Year, Aaron Lindsey.

EJ:  Well, we KNOW that’s gonna be hot.

BC:  Yeah, and we’ve got some great writers.  And the songs are just phenomenal.  I believe it’s gonna touch the lives of people in a special way.

EJ:  Nice, do you have background singers already lined-up?

BC:  Yeah, I’m using 3 of my background singers and I’m pulling 9 singers from Detroit.  You know, they say “it’s in the water in Detroit,” *laughs* so if I’m going home, there’s no sense in me bringing a whole aggregation of singers with me, ’cause there are so many great singers there in Detroit.

It’s gonna be like a big homecoming there, you know?  On March 13th, all roads are leading to Second Ebenezer Baptist Church and we’re just  looking forward to the Lord doing something magnificent through the praise and worship that evening.

EJ:  You have a title yet?

BC:  You know, we’re teeter-tottering.  I was thinking about calling it ”In The Midst,” but then I wrote this song with Aaron Lindsey… I just wanna do cartwheels when I hear that song!  So, I don’t know.

EJ: *laughs*

BC: *laughing*  I’m just grateful that it’s on MY record, you know what I’m saying?   Because if I heard it on someone else’s record, I’d be like “maaan…” *laughs*

EJ: Right!

BC:  But, I’m really looking forward to it.

EJ:  That’s great, man.  Tell me: how do you feel that you have evolved as an artist?  What, if anything, is different about you on this album, musically or ministry-wise?

BC:  Well, you know, I started out in the industry pretty much as a very creative artist.  I produced my first two records and I thank God for them because they kind of established me as an artist.  Both projects were nominated for Stellars, though neither of them won.  But when I got to GospoCentric, Vicki Mack Lataillade wanted to move me out of the “Byron Cage & Purpose” era and she just wanted to sign me as a solo artist, a praise and worship leader.  I said, “I don’t know if the church is ready for praise and worship,” and she was like “are you kidding me?  Did you see what happened when you did ‘Shabach’ with Full Gospel Baptist?  All the Baptist churches had praise teams the next year!”

EJ: *laughing*

BC:  So, the next song I wrote was “Yet Praise Him,” and she signed me.  We were having creative battles at first because I wanted to stay in that group setting and she didn’t want that.  She brought in Kurt Carr, a phenomenal writer and great producer, and he wrote “The Presence of the Lord Is Here” for me and the rest is history.

The next record had “I Will Bless The Lord” and, though that record was wonderful and it was a blessing, it was somewhat hurtful to me as well.  Brother Isaiah Thomas, who is a very talented writer, his original form of that song had different words.  I wrote all the words over because I wanted to add more scripture to it.  And when it won “Song of the Year,” of course I didn’t get any accolade as being co-writer of the song.  But the Lord showed me something, as I evolved in the music business of what we do, and I understood that there are just certain things that you don’t do.  If you wanna change the words to a song, you gotta let people know, you gotta sign agreements… so that was something that I learned from it.

With The Proclamation, I wrote the majority of the songs on that one and I’ve just watched this whole musical ministry go from writing for a group to praise and worship… For this upcoming album, I wrote a song called “Goodbye,” which just deals with relationships and people and strongholds that have tried to hinder you… I’m saying ”Goodbye” to them in 2009.  And that’s a growth for me, because I’ve never written a song like that.

EJ:  Wow.  That’s awesome.  You’ve also managed to feature a bunch of incredible guest artists on your albums.  Who have you NOT yet worked with that you are dying to have on one of your albums?

BC:  Hmmm… Man, I have so many favorites.  Of course, Karen Clark-Sheard has been one of my favorites of all time.

EJ:  Absolutely!

BC:  I love her ministry.  I think if there was someone I would have loved to have on this upcoming record, it would have been… like, Vanessa Bell Armstrong.  Some of these up-and-coming singers are really incredible, too, like Nikki Ross.  Oh, and I would love to get up there and go toe-to-toe, although I couldn’t, with Kierra Sheard! *laughs*

EJ:  Oh, she’s ridiculous.  I just saw her on the BMI Trailblazers thing and I just had to stare at the screen, like “this is unreal.”

BC:  Yeah, and she did a hard song.  I think she did “Jesus Is A Love Song,” right?

EJ:  Yeah, man.  It was incredible.

BC:  Oh, she ABSOLUTELY tore it up.

EJ:  Most definitely.  After your break-out hit, “The Presence of the Lord Is Here,” you were practically swept up into a whirlwind of success– tons of performance spots, a bunch of awards.  On the more personal side, how do you stay grounded?  Are you the same “Byron”?

BC:  You know what?  I stay grounded because I’m a minister of music of a church.  I’ve been here at Ebenezer AME, in Fort Washington, Maryland, for 11 years and these jokers know how to keep me grounded!

EJ: *laughs* It’s like THAT?!

BC:  *laughing*  They don’t consider me “The Prince of Praise,” or “Byron Cage the Artist.”  Some visitors come to church and they want to take pictures or get autographs, but for the most part, like… I’m at church now and getting ready to go to choir rehearsal in a few hours.

EJ:  Really?

BC:  Yeah, my Male Chorus rehearsal is tonight and those brothers, they don’t even consider me an artist.  They just consider me “Byron” and we have a blast.  So, I think that having pastors and a church where I can stay grounded, work, and be connected while serving God’s people, it all helps me to be appreciative when I can go out and do concerts and meet people.

That’s what keeps me humble.  And to know… first of all, I didn’t record “The Presence of the Lord Is Here” until I was 41.

EJ:  What?!

BC:  Yeah, man.  So to know that the Lord can bring you to a place, after holding you back in a certain area… when it was His time to really bring me forth, it took no time at all.

EJ:  That’s the truth.

BC:  And you sit there and it becomes surreal.  You just say “God, thank you so much because I don’t know that I could have handled it in my twenties.”

EJ:  That’s incredible.  I had no idea that you were 41 when that song took off.  That means you’ve been doing this for a while now.

BC:  Absolutely.  People don’t understand that I was a background singer first.  I was in Michael Matthews’ first play back in 1984, I was in Tyler Perry’s very first play, “I Know I’ve Been Changed.”

EJ:  No way!

BC:  Yeah, man.  It was starring me, Shun Pace and Ann Nesby.

EJ:  You know, it’s funny that you mention stuff from back in the day cuz I VIVIDLY remember a certain episode of The Cosby Show…

BC: *laughing*  Yep!

EJ:  And I’ve got proof of it on my DVD box set, where you were singing in a choir behind good ol’ Claire Huxtable!

BC:  You know what’s so funny about that, man?  It took us all day to film that scene and they originally had me in the last row to the right.  They dismissed everyone but the choir because they wanted to do the song over again, I was the only person they moved and they moved me right behind Phylicia Rashad!  I just think that was the favor of the Lord because even back then, and that was back in 1986 *screams*, but I think “God, Almighty!”

The journey that I have had to go has not always been easy.  But I am so thankful to God that I stayed and I didn’t lose heart when everybody else counted me out and said “he’s not this, he’s not that,” and… just know that if you’re faithful to the Lord, He will make you the ruler over many so that no one else can take credit for what God does.

EJ:  That’s great stuff, man.  I’m trying to be mindful of your time… do we have time for some quick getting-to-know-you questions?

BC:  Yeah, sure!

EJ:  Okay, fill in the blanks.  Many folks would be surprised to learn that Byron Cage loves __________________.

BC:  to ride my motorcycle.

EJ:  Seriously?

BC:  Yeah, I’ve got a Harley Davidson Soft Tail Classic.

EJ: Ok, that’s dangerous…

BC:  *laughing*

EJ:  What’s with the Detroit people and motorcycles?  You, Fred Hammond…

BC:  Yeah, but he’s got more than I have.  I’ve just got that one big hog.  He’s got like four or five.

EJ:  Okay, next one.  Byron Cage is at the airport, on his way to his dream vacation.  He’s on a direct flight to __________________.

BC:  Whoooooo!  TAHITI!

EJ:  *laughs*  Yeah?

BC:  Mmm-hmmm!  Never been.

EJ:  Ok.  When the dessert menu comes around, Byron Cage hopes it’ll have __________________ on it.

BC: *quickly* ICE WATER cuz I don’t need the carbs, or the sugar, or the fat grams!

EJ:  What?!  No.  That’s not dessert!

BC:  *laughing*  I am just not a “sweets” person anymore.  Sweets don’t agree with me– they cut off the blood circulation to my belly button when I put my belt on, so I had to let it go.  If it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, I might do some red velvet cake or peach cobbler.  But for the most part, I’m not a “sweet” person.

EJ:  I hear you.  I wish more gospel artists would preach THAT!

BC:  Right, exactly.

EJ:  Ok, last one.  Let Byron Cage loose in a shopping mall and the first place he’ll be is __________________.

BC:  Oooh.  The first place I’ll be in a shopping mall will be Neiman Marcus.

EJ:  They’re kinda expensive aren’t they?  Their catalog has, like… cars for $50,000 in it.

BC:  I know, they’re crazy but you can catch them on some good days, too.  Catch the “20 or 30 percent off” sales.  I paid full price for a couple of Paul Smith jackets that were kind of expensive, but for the most part… yeah, man… I’m a sales king.  I don’t like payin’ full price!

EJ:  I ain’t mad at that.  One last question, on a more serious note, what is your message as an artist?  At the end of the concert, or when the last track on the iPod is over, what do you hope people will know about you as it relates to your ministry?

BC:  I pray that, when it’s over, people will know that I am a man of God who loves to worship the Lord, and my heart’s desire is that whatever has been given to me, I want to be a blessing to God’s people.  Whether that’s through salvation, healing, encouragement, I want people to leave with the authentic feeling that God has spoken to them right where they need it.  And they’re encouraged to go on in the journey.

EJ:  Sounds good to me.  Man, I’m excited for this album.  I think it’s going to be good and I hope the recording goes well.

BC:  I appreciate it, EJ.  And I appreciate you for doing this for me.

EJ:  It was my pleasure and, hopefully, we’ll talk soon.

BC:  Okay.

EJ:  Take care.

BC:  Alright, bye-bye.

*     *     *

Click here for more information about Byron’s upcoming recording.

Sooooooo?  You liiiiiike????

Lemme know your thoughts!

The stage is just about set for the taping of BET’s 9th Annual Celebration of Gospel, to be held on Wednesday, December 10th at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles.  The show will once again be hosted by comedian Steve Harvey, and the musical director will once again be Ray Chew (if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it?).

Among those slated to perform are Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, Vickie Winans, Hezekiah Walker & LFC, Shirley Caesar, Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Smokie Norful, Dr. Bobby Jones, 21:03, LL Cool J, Lou Gossett Jr. and Heather Headley.

The show will air on Sunday, January 25th at 8pm ET… and frequently after that, I’m sure. Make sure you catch it… it’ll prolly be pretty good.