More details are surfacing about the upcoming Stellar Awards Mother’s Day Gospel Music Festival I mentioned last year, hosted by Central City Productions.

The 3-day celebration will take place in Orlando, FL from Friday, May 7th through Sunday, May 9th.  Hosts for the weekend will be Vickie Winans and comedian Akintunde.

Featured performers include Byron Cage, Deitrick Haddon, James Fortune, Kierra Sheard and Jonathan Nelson on Friday; Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, Vickie Winans and Crystal Aikin on Saturday; Karen Clark Sheard, Kevin LeVar and Endurance on Sunday.

In addition to your travel and hotel, you’ll have to buy tix for the big gathering.  A 3-day pass to all events can be purchased for about $162.50 from Ticketmaster.  Click here for more info on the event.

I saw an ad for a new gospel songbook yesterday– you know, the sheet music for some of our favorite gospel songs… and I thought to myself “are people even buying these?”

Back when I was a young lad pursuing my undergraduate degree, I took classical piano lessons as one of my electives.  The instructor– whose name now escapes me and I dare not try to remember, lest I be called a racist– told me to buy music that I wanted to learn.

So, I said “well, shoot… lemme learn some Kirk Franklin, some Yolanda Adams, some Fred Hammond…”  And I bought songbooks of their music.

Sidebar:  It occurs to me that you guys don’t know that I’ve played piano since I was 2 or 3 years old, so you’re probably like “WHAT?!”  For the sake of brevity in this post–  I know how to play the piano, but I don’t do it much at all anymore.  Moving on…

The problem I encountered was that my playing became so technical that it stripped the feeling out of what I was doing.  Ultimately, I ended up scrapping what was written and just playing by ear, which was precisely what I was trying to avoid doing by taking lessons in the first place.  I just didn’t prefer the sheet music.

It is an incredibly unfortunate reality that many church musicians I’ve encountered cannot read music (and you can forget about music theory), so the songbooks are kinda lost on them, too.  And of the folks who can read music, I’m betting that their experiences would be similar to mine– you get so caught up reading that you forget to spend any time feeling.

So, I’m just curious– who buys gospel songbooks?  Do any of you own some?  Which ones?  Talk to me!

Over the past week, as BET has broadcast episodes of The Mo’Nique Show featuring various gospel artists, discussions have been swirling around the web about Mo’Nique’s incessant use of profanity and the reactions (or lack thereof) from gospel artists.

Apparently, in recent interviews with both Marvin Sapp and Kirk Franklin, Mo’Nique didn’t hold back from using casual profanity and, sometimes, crude humor.  I’m grateful that neither of them went to slingin’ oil and rebuking her, despite the fact that (to me) they appeared be a bit uncomfortable with it.  Anyway, some of you thought they should’ve been more outspoken against it.

Personally, I thought “who the heck cares,” because I won’t declare myself the arbiter of how artists should act when they get a national platform.  It ain’t easy to do and I don’t know how I’d handle a personality as strong as Mo’Nique’s in that moment, with the cameras rollin’, before a live studio audience… I just can’t say.  Plus, I tend to enjoy her show– she’s hilarious and she features great interviews with great people in the African-American community.  In any case, I definitely wasn’t gonna enter the discussion.

BUT last night, when Mo’Nique featured gospel duo BeBe & CeCe Winans, she didn’t curse.  Not once.  I was prepared to just say “oh, well whatever” until SHE said, from her own mouth, that her words were twisted because, as it relates to “God’s angels,” God told her “Mo’Nique, don’t you FOOL with BeBe & CeCe, now.”

Now, whether God spoke to her or not, there is clearly something about BeBe & CeCe that Mo’Nique respected differently as compared to Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp (I won’t even say “respected more”).  She perceived that she had to treat them differently.

And so I wondered– what do BeBe & CeCe have, exhibit, carry and/or represent to Mo’Nique that Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp might not?

I know a BUNCH of y’all are gonna talk about the anointing, but to be clear– I think Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp are super duper anointed for what God has called them to do.  I love them and adore their ministries.  What else might it be?

I thought maybe it’s gender… maybe it wasn’t as much about BeBe as it was an issue about CeCe.  Maybe it’s a respect for women, because I don’t recall Mo’Nique using profanity with Yolanda Adams a few months ago either.

Maybe it’s… I dunno.  I just know that it happened.  And maybe it’s not even worth discussing.  But maybe it is…

Check your local PBS listings to catch In Performance At The White House: A Celebration Of Music From The Civil Rights Movement TONIGHT (in most cities, at 8pm ET/7pm CST).

Yolanda Adams was among those fortunate enough to sing before President Obama in the Civil Rights concert celebration.  She performed Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” to an audience in the White House’s East Room.  PBS has already posted some of the performances on YouTube.

Personally, I’m not thrilled with the song choice– I generally think of this song as one intended for a gravely male voice, not a pure, clean and soaring voice like Yolanda’s.  But after just a short time, she definitely captivated the audience with her sound and her message.  Something about the tune even made Mr. President snuggle up with the Mrs. about 1 minute in (I just LOVE them!).

Other performances came from Jennifer Hudson & Smokey Robinson (”People Get Ready” - click here to watch it), the Blind Boys Of Alabama, Bob Dylan, Seal, Natalie Cole and more.

It looks like the same house band that played last year when Mary Mary performed at The White House in tribute to Stevie Wonder (which would also be the house band of American Idol).  Musical direction is coming from Rickey Minor and I think I spotted Teddy Campbell (husband of Tina Campbell, from Mary Mary) on the drums.  So, you see… all things come back to Mary Mary. LOL

Okay, tune in tonight to catch the full performance.  I’m just thrilled that President Obama hosts so many great concerts and parties… wonder why he didn’t invite me… must’ve gotten lost in the mail.  It’s cool.

Remember a while back, when Yolanda Adams was supposed to be on The Mo’Nique Show, but the episode didn’t air?  Well, it must’ve aired at SOME point cuz portions of it are online.  And they’re good.

In this clip, Mo’Nique shares how impactful Yolanda was on the set of The Parkers (remember that show?).  She then requests that Yolanda sing “Already Alright,” which she does VERY well.  It was always one of my favorite cuts on the Mountain High… Valley Low project.

After her song, Yolanda launches into a quick testimonial moment.  In it, she talks about how it felt to have a man walk in the door of the house that she pays the bills for, and tell her that he doesn’t love her anymore… she addresses those that judged her decision to get a divorce– she says her LIFE was in danger. She has a lot more to say about the goodness of God in her situation and I mean she PREACHED. I’m actually kinda proud of the producers for not editing out her sermonette.

Listen to what she’s got to say:

What do you think???

I’m merely curious and felt like getting a chat goin’…

What’s your favorite Yolanda Adams album?

PERSONALLY, my fave is her Through The Storm album.  In my opinion, it featured some of the greatest vocal performances she’s ever done, including the title track, ”The Only Way,” “Just A Prayer Away,” “Let Thy Will Be Done”… all of it!

I guess a close second would be her Mountain High… Valley Low album… and don’t even get me started on the work she did with the Southeast Inspirational Choir– who remembers her lead vocal on “My Liberty” from waaaaaay back???

Just for your convenience, I’ve placed a nifty little widget here, linking to Amazon.com in case you wanna listen to any of her songs.  It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a bunch of Yolanda’s projects.  And, if you don’t have any of ‘em, you may wanna consider buying them now– some are as low as $7!

Okay, talk to me!  Tell me your favorites!

The five winners of the Points Of Power Giveaway have been chosen.  Each will receive a copy of Points Of Power, the new book from Yolanda Adams!

And the winners are…

Glendolyn Sigler of Beaufort, SC
Kimberly Verner of Memphis, TN
Ashley Walton of Harper Woods, MI
Constance Reid of Upper Marlboro, MD
Aik Chien of Addison, NY

Congrats to each of you!  Enjoy the book and make sure you lemme know how it is.  I haven’t read mine yet, but I will… maybe we can form a lil’ virtual book club. LOL

And thanks to all who participated!

Don’t forget that this is the last day to enter the DECADE OF WOW Giveaway (click here).

For more chances to win great gospel stuff, keep visiting GospelPundit.com.

Word has it that Yolanda Adams will be joining Donnie McClurkin and Mary Mary as a judge for the upcoming season of BET’s Sunday Best.

The season premiere takes place on Easter Sunday, April 4th at 9pm ET.  I’ll remind you again, as it comes closer.  Promise.

I like the idea of Yolanda Adams joining the judges’ table.  It makes sense that some of the best-selling gospel artists EVER would be involved in this nationwide talent search.  Alright, BET… I see you making good decisions! LOL

Aside from the actual taping of the Stellar Awards, folks eagerly anticipate the BMI Trailblazers Awards each year.   In fact, people often say that the BMI event features greater and more memorable performances than the Stellar Awards taping, though, this year… that MIGHT not be the case… I’m gonna call it a TIE!

In any case, BMI annually honors folks in gospel who’ve made significant contributions to the genre.  This year, Donnie McClurkin and Andraé Crouch were honored.  The celebration consists of a great lunch and some incredible tribute performances.  It went a lil’ something like this…

Before the honoring went down, Dorinda Clark-Cole came to the stage to perform her hit single “Take It Back,” which received a BMI Song Of The Year award (songwriter, Derrick Starks).  You already know that Dorinda brings it like none other and I was on my feet before I could even finish my salad.

Following that, we got a surprise performance from Jessica Reedy, who sang “God Has Smiled On Me” like a seasoned professional.  She really holds her own in this game and it’s great to see how welcoming the industry is of her.

The vocal production for the afternoon came from the incomparable Donald Lawrence and DeWayne Woods.  In the background– Tobi Darks, Dawn Jordan, San Franklin, Latrice Pace, Blanche McAllister and Anita Wilson.  YES!  The band– Joe Wilson on keys, Stanley Brown on organ, Kevin Stancil on bass, Jonathan DuBose on guitar, Marvin McQuitty on drums and Lloyd Barry on horns.  GOOD LORD!

The formal program began with the tribute performances to Donnie McClurkin, hosted by Byron Cage.  The background vocalists did a snippet of “That’s What I Believe” before Latice Crawford came to deliver her rendition of “I Call You Faithful.”  After that, Micah Stampley sang his heart out on “Speak To My Heart.”  McClurkin’s best friend and pastor, Marvin Winans, set the room ablaze with his performance of “Stand” (for which he also brought up BeBe Winans) before Yolanda Adams came to the stage to perform “We Fall Down.”

The McClurkin tribute performances were great, but I wish they had done some more songs for him– they could’ve dug a little deeper into the New York Restoration Choir days, pulled some more tracks from the Live In London album, or even focused a little more on songs that he’s written for other artists (like, “This Is The Gospel Of Jesus Christ” for Hezekiah Walker or “It Is To You” by Byron Cage).  Still, awesome job and I’m glad he was honored for his great contributions to the game.

After McClurkin accepted his award, it was on to the Andraé Crouch tribute, which was hosted by Yolanda Adams.  First, Donald Lawrence led the singers in a mindblowing medley of classic Crouch tunes including “Right Now” (led by Blanche McAllister), “Quiet Time,” “Soon And Very Soon”… it was just incredible.

Up next was the one and only Táta Vega, a longtime friend of, and singer with, Andraé Crouch.  She did an intro of “Speak Lord,” (which she recorded for The Color Purple decades ago) before transitioning into a soul-stirring performance of “Oh It Is Jesus.”  It was at THAT moment that the atmosphere of the entire room shifted from tribute to worship, and the event wasn’t the same again.

After that, Yolanda Adams couldn’t even regain her composure to introduce the next performance– BeBe & CeCe Winans singing “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power.”  They just came on stage and took us to new heights, followed by Mary Mary’s staggering performance of “We Are Not Ashamed.”

Finally, Marvin Winans returned to the stage and shared some great stories about how instrumental Crouch was to the career of The Winans, even down to changing their stage name from “The Testimonial Singers” to simply, “The Winans” (thank God!).  He wrapped his segment with a performance of “Jesus Is Lord,” for which he simply had to call the legendary Karen Clark Sheard to the stage!

Andraé Crouch accepted his award and shared how he had been recently diagnosed with diabetes.  His doctors wanted to amputate his toe after discovering a large hole in it, but he shared that he had been miraculously healed!  He asks for continued prayer from the industry… great speech.

Finally, Marvin Winans led an impromptu segment of EVERYONE singing some classic Crouch songs that weren’t even on the program.  He called up Shirley Caesar, J Moss, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin… there are no words!

That’s that, essentially.  Dunno how much of it will make the edited televised program, but look for it on February 21st on Gospel Music Channel.  I’ll remind you as the time comes closer!

Soooo… whatd’ya think?!

Word has it that Yolanda Adams and Byron Cage will be co-hosting BMI’s annual Trailblazers Awards this weekend in Nashville, during Stellar Awards weekend.

According to my buddy, Torrence Glenn at BET.com, the performers slated to honor Donnie McClurkin and Andraé Crouch at the event have also been announced.  They include Yolanda Adams, CeCe Winans, Micah Stampley, Latice Crawford, Marvin Winans, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Mary Mary, Tata Vega… WOWWWWZERS.

Can you tell that this luncheon is gonna be BANANAS?!  Tryna figure out if I’m gonna tweet from the event… I think I may be too distracted. LOL

Fortunately for all of you can’t attend, I think they’re taping it for TV again, so you can probably catch it later on Gospel Music Channel or something.

What do you think of the list of performers?