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!

This is a GOOD LOOK!

Congratulations are in order for powerhouse gospel vocalist/actress Tamela Mann, who has just been added to the cast of Sparkle, the upcoming remake of the 1976 film.

“I’m honored and excited to work with an incredible group of people,” said Mann. “It’s a touching story, and I’m happy to be a part of this film.”

Directed by Salim Akil (Jumping the Broom), Sparkle will feature a stellar cast, including Jordin Sparks, Whitney Houston, Mike Epps and Cee-Lo Green. Original music for the film is provided by R. Kelly.

For more info on Tamela Mann, visit http://www.tillymannmusic.com.

Make sure you tune in to FOX this Friday, at 8pm ET/7pm CST, to watch the NAACP Image Awards.

Word has it that Mary Mary will be performing, so will Deitrick Haddon, as will Committed (winners of NBC’s “The Sing-Off”) and the legendary Mavis Staples.

Plus, we’ll see who wins in the “Outstanding Gospel Album” category. The nominees:

Kirk Whalum – Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter III
Marvin Sapp – Here I Am
Brian Courtney Wilson – Just Love: Deluxe Edition
Tamela Mann – The Master Plan
Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone

Tune in!

The 42nd Annual NAACP Image Awards have announced this years nominees.  Gospel artists are recognized by the “Outstanding Gospel Album” category.  The nominees are–

Kirk Whalum – Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter III
Marvin Sapp – Here I Am
Brian Courtney Wilson – Just Love: Deluxe Edition
Tamela Mann – The Master Plan
Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone

The televised special airs LIVE on March 4, 2011 at 8pm ET on FOX.

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.

Some good new projects hit stores TODAY and I wanna make sure you guys are aware, so you can grab ‘em if you wanna–

1.  Soul Seekers II, from Soul Seekers
This highly-anticipated sophomore album from today’s modern-day quartet group features some of the greatest musicians in the music biz. That, alone, could make you wanna buy it. The fact that their lead single, “It’s All God,” features Pastor Marvin L. Winans is icing on the cake.

2. Bishop Morton Celebrates 25 Years of Music: A Live Celebration, from Various Artists (Light Records)
This CD/DVD project features musical tributes to Bishop Paul Morton from some of the greatest vocalists in the gospel community, including CeCe Winans, Shirley Caesar, Mary Mary, Sheri Jones-Moffett, PJ Morton, The Williams Brothers and more. It’s a must-have for your gospel music collection.

3. The Master Plan (Special Edition), from David & Tamela Mann
This jumbo pack of Mann family goodness includes Tamela’s latest CD, The Master Plan, David’s Mr. Brown’s Good Ol’ Time Church CD, footage from a “Cooking with The Manns” television special, as well as interviews and music videos.  The couple is so gifted– great power couple, plenty of products.  Grab it!

4.  Release Me, from Micah Stampley
This 7-song EP is Micah’s first release on the recently reformed Music World Gospel label headed by Matthew Knowles.  It features a dope song, “Heaven on Earth” (originally by David & Nicole Binion) that you simply have to hear.

What are y’all gettin’???

Word has it that the 103rd Holy Convocation of the Church of God In Christ (COGIC) will be streaming live online all week, beginning TODAY at 8am PT/10am CST/11am ET.

The annual gathering, which runs through the 15th,  is being hosted in St. Louis, MO for the first time ever, but we’ll be able to catch it from the comfort of our own homes or offices (but you should be working!).

In addition to awesome preaching from TD Jakes, Noel Jones, Charles E. Blake, Darrell Hines, Dorinda Clark Cole and more, there will be musical performances from gospel artists including Donnie McClurkin, Kim Burrell, Jonathan Nelson, Y’Anna Crawley, the Nevels Sisters, Smokie Norful, Tamela Mann, Rance Allen, Ricky Dillard and a BUNCH more.

Click here to watch the events online.

How many of y’all are COGIC?

Who’s tuning in???

The nominees for the 26th annual Stellar Awards were announced on Saturday in Nashville, TN during a live telecast on gmc, hosted by Donnie McClurkin and featuring performances by Jessica Reedy, VaShawn Mitchell, Lucinda Moore, Joe Pace and more.

The show takes place on Saturday, January 15, 2011 in Nashville, TN. It will be hosted by Donnie McClurkin, alone, serving as the first time that the show has been hosted by only one person. Also, in honor of Albertina Walker, the “Female Vocalist of the Year” category will be forever named the “Albertina Walker Female Vocalist of the Year” award.

The following are the recipients of the special awards:

Donald Lawrence will receive the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award
Kirk Franklin will receive the Thomas Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award
Vanessa Bell Armstrong will receive the Dr. Bobby Jones Legend Award

And the nominees are…

Artist of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Fred Hammond
James Fortune & FIYA
Marvin Sapp

Song of the Year
“Close to You” | BeBe Winans
“They That Wait” | Fred Hammond, Calvin Rodgers, Phillip Feaster, Ericka Warren, Michael Bethany and Dynna Wells
“Encore” | James Fortune, C. Fortune and T. Vaughn
“Best In Me” | Marvin Sapp

Choir of the Year
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
James Hall & Voices of Citadel
Victory Cathedral Choir
Wilmington Chester Mass Choir

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

Producer of the Year
Aaron Lindsey for Here I Am
Donald Lawrence for The Experience
Fred Hammond for Love Unstoppable
James Fortune, Terrance Vaughn and Ayron Lewis for Encore

Female Vocalist of the Year
CeCe Winans
Karen Clark Sheard
Lucinda Moore
Tamela Mann

Male Vocalist of the Year
Byron Cage
Fred Hammond
J. Moss
Marvin Sapp

Group/Duo of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans
Forever Jones
James Fortune & FIYA
The Anointed Pace Sisters

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

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

Contemporary CD of the Year
BeBe and CeCe Winans | Still
Fred Hammond | Love Unstoppable
J.Moss | Just James
James Fortune and FIYA | Encore

Contemporary Choir of the Year
God’s Little Soldiers International
Myron Butler & Levi
Youth for Christ
Youthful Praise featuring J.J. Hairston

Traditional Choir of the Year
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
James Hall & Voices of Citadel
Victory Cathedral Choir
Wilmington Chester Mass Choir

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

Quartet of the Year
Reverend F.C. Barnes & Company
The Christian Angels
The Golden Wings Quartet
The Mighty Clouds of Joy

Rap, Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year
DJ Official | Entermission
Everyday Process | Outtadisworld
Sho Baraka | Lions and Liars
Trip Lee | Between Two Worlds

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”

Urban Inspirational Performance of the Year
BeBe & CeCe Winans | “Still”
Forever Jones | “Get Ready”
James Fortune & FIYA | “Encore”
Marvin Sapp | “Here I Am”

Recorded Music Packaging of the Year
Cameron Hilson and Mark Neubauer for Get Ready
Denise Trotman for Here I Am
Derek Blanks and Ken Barboza for Still
Jeff Gilligan for Love Unstoppable

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

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

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

What do you guys think of the nominees???

Just a little swapping of positions, but nothing earth-shaking in the top 10 of Billboard’s Gospel Albums charts.

This week, it looks a little something like this…

#1 | Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone
#2 | Israel Houghton – Love God. Love People.
#3 | Marvin Sapp – Here I Am
#4 | Shekinah Glory Ministry – Refreshed By Fire
#5 | WOW Gospel 2010
#6 | Kerry Douglas – Gospel Mix Vol. IV
#7 | Jonathan Nelson – Better Days
#8 | VaShawn Mitchell – Triumphant
#9 | Tamela Mann – The Master Plan
#10 | William McDowell – As We Worship: Live

Can I just say a super big KUDOS to William McDowell and the folks at Light Records? You all didn’t really see the behind-the-scenes of it, but these folks created and implemented a great plan for his project. The album has been on the charts for 63 weeks, but with the success of his single, “I Give Myself Away,” it continues to gain in sales. Through intentional publicity and radio efforts, he finally broke the top 10 this week– that’s God’s favor, a good plan, some hard work and great label folks. Holla!

Okay, next week, I’m predicting Lecrae’s Rehab will take the #1 spot. Aside from that, not sure how it will all shake out.

Who here grabbed that Mavis Staples project???

Either folks have REALLY been waiting for this new music, or we may see a couple of dips in sales next week.  In any case, we’ll celebrate this week!

This week, four of the top five positions on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart are album debuts. Congrats to Shekinah Glory Ministry for topping the chart with the #1-selling album in gospel this week, entitled Refreshed By Fire.  Shout-out to Mavis Staples for debuting at #2 with You Are Not Alone. Big congrats, also, to Jonathan Nelson, whose newest project, Better Days, debuted at #4! Finally, big shout-out to Beverly Crawford on her #5 debut with Live from Los Angeles, Vol. 2.

WHEW! The rest of the top 10 looks like this…

#1 | Shekinah Glory Ministry – Refreshed By Fire
#2 | Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone
#3 | Israel Houghton – Love God. Love People.
#4 | Jonathan Nelson – Better Days
#5 | Beverly Crawford – Live from Los Angeles, Vol. 2
#6 | Marvin Sapp – Here I Am
#7 | WOW Gospel 2010
#8 | Kerry Douglas – Gospel Mix Vol. IV
#9 | Tamela Mann – The Master Plan
#10 | VaShawn Mitchell – Triumphant

Who’s got what on this list?

Did anyone grab the new projects from Shekinah Glory, Mavis Staples, Jonathan Nelson or Beverly Crawford?

Talk to me!