Beverly Crawford is best known for singing with the New Life Singers on Bobby Jones Gospel on the Black Entertainment Television (BET) and for having well-known songs such as Jesus, Run to the Water, He’s Done Enough, and most recently It’s About Time For A Miracle. Continue reading
Category Archives: Gospel Sunday
10/19/14 O&A Gospel Sunday: John P. Kee
John P. Kee was born the 15th of 16 children in Durham, North Carolina. At an early age he began to develop his musical talent both instrumentally and vocally. He attended the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and at 14, he and his brothers Wayne and Al moved to California where he began attending the Yuba College Conservatory School of Music in Marysville, California.
During this time, he began playing with various groups such as Cameo and Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds. After having a hard time adjusting in California, he left and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina only to find himself living in a part of the city known for its violence and drug activities. After watching one of his friends being murdered in a drug deal gone bad, he rededicated his life back to God during a visit to a revival meeting. Continue reading
O&A 10/11/14 Gospel Sunday: LeCrae
Lecrae Moore, known as Lecrae, is a Christian hip hop artist, record producer, and actor. He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the independent record label Reach Records, and the co-founder and president of the non-profit organization ReachLife Ministries. To date, he has released seven studio albums and two mixtapes as a solo artist, and has released three studio albums, a remix album, and one EP as the leader of the rap group 116 Clique.
10/5/14 O&A Gospel Sunday: Fred Hammond
Fred Hammond is a gospel singer,bass guitar player, and record producer. Hammond first gained recognition while playing bass guitar for the gospel group The Winans. By 1985 he was one of the six original members of the group Commissioned, participating in 10 of the group’s 12 albums. After his time with Commissioned ended, he regained fame in the gospel community after selling millions of albums with his musical group Radical For Christ. He is a multiple Grammy, Dove, and Stellar award winner as a performer, producer and writer. Continue reading
9/28/14 O&A Gospel Sunday: Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston was born on August 9, 1963 in what was then a middle-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. At the age of 11, Houston started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano. Her first solo performance in the church was Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah. When Houston was a teenager, she attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls’ high school in Caldwell, New Jersey.
For Gospel Sunday Out and About NYC Magazine presents four Houston gospel classics Yes, Jesus Loves Me, This Day, I Love The Lord, and a special encore performance.
9/21/14 O&A Gospel Sunday: Amazing Grace- Aretha Franklin from the Women of Soul White House Performance
Women of Soul: In Performance at the White House is a PBS music special taped in the East Room of the White House, celebrating the great “foremothers” of American music, with songs expressing the struggles and achievements of women. President and Mrs. Obama hosted the event on Thursday, March 6, 2014. The all-star concert will include performances by Tessanne Chin, Melissa Etheridge, Aretha Franklin, Ariana Grande, Patti LaBelle, Janelle Monáe and Jill Scott, with Greg Phillinganes as music director. The program finale was Aretha Franklin performing Amazing Grace. One of the song Franklin has performed throughout her “amazing” career. Continue reading
9/14/14 O&A Gospel Sunday: Smokie Norful- I Need You Now
Reverend W.R. “Smokie” Norful, Jr. is an internationally renowned musician, music composer, and recording artist. His debut compact discs entitled I Need You Now and Smokie Norful Limited Edition have garnered favorable accolades and awards across the world, including the 2005 Grammy Award for Contemporary Soul Gospel Album of the Year for his release entitled, Nothing Without You; three Stellar awards; four Dove awards; three Gospel Music Excellence Awards; an NAACP image Award nomination; a Soul Train award nomination; two nominations for the BET award for gospel music; two RIAA certified Gold selling compact discs; and countless others. Continue reading
9/7/14 O&A Gospel Sunday: Reverend James Cleveland
The Reverend Dr. James Edward Cleveland was a gospel singer, musician, and composer. Known as the King of Gospel music, Cleveland was a driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound by incorporating traditional black gospel, modern, soul, pop and jazz in arrangements for mass choirs. Throughout his career, Cleveland appeared on hundreds of recordings, won 4 Grammy Awards, and received a star along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Continue reading
8/31/14 O&A Gospel Sunday: Tamela Mann- I Can Only Imagine and Take Me To The King/ I Surrender All
Tamela Mann’s musical career began when she joined up with the multi-grammy award winning and double platinum gospel phenomenon Kirk Franklin and the Family. Mann has also enjoyed collaborating and performing with numerous artists such as Yolanda Adams, Mary J. Blige, Al Green, Celine Dion, Bono, R. Kelly and Fred Hammond. In 2005, Tamela and her husband of 26 years David Mann created their own label entitled Tillymann Music Group, which has released several successful projects. Continue reading
8/24/14- O&A Gospel Sunday: Mahalia Jackson- The Queen Of Gospel
Mahalia Jackson, The Queen of Gospel, became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world. She became an internationally acclaimed singer and civil rights activist. Entertainer Harry Belafonte described Jackson as “the single most powerful black woman in the United States”. She recorded about 30 albums. Continue reading