RIP: Margaret Allison of the Angelic Gospel Singers

TBGB learned from Linwood Heath, Eric Scott Reed and Charlie Horner that the great Margaret Allison, organizer of the famed Angelic Gospel Singers, went home to be with the Lord this morning, July 30 at 4:45 a.m. in Philadelphia, PA.

Ms. Allison's eldest granddaughter, Monica Allison, confirmed the sad news.


Monica asks that all cards and condolences should be sent to:

4937 Catharine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19143

"Gospel Memories" will pay tribute to Ms. Allison during its September 7 show by rebroadcasting the interview we conducted with her some years ago. She was a lovely person and a gifted singer. I, for one, will miss her.

Check out a well-written biography and great photos of the Angelic Gospel Singers on Charlie and Pam Horner's www.classicurbanharmony.net.

UPDATE: this is the remembrance created by Monica Allison:

Margaret “Babe” Allison passed away on Wednesday July 30, 2008 in Philadelphia PA. She was born September 25, 1921 in McCormick, SC. Babe, as she was known, formed The Angelic Gospel Singers with sister Josephine McDowell, Ella Mae Morris and Lucille Shird based on a dream she had in 1944. The group gained notoriety in 1947 with the classic, “Touch Me Lord Jesus” In 1950, the group recorded with the Dixie Hummingbirds. In addition they sang with Mahalia Jackson, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Slim and the Supreme Angels, Pastor Shirley Caesar, and many others.

Her legacy includes songs such as: the original composition of “Glory to the Newborn King” which is a Christmas Classic, “This Old Building Keeps on Leaning”, “I Hope It Won’t Be This Way” which was written by her daughter in law, Barbara Allison, “If You Can’t Help Me,”, and most recently, “Thank You For My Storms”, which was released on her latest and last CD, Touch Me Again.

Babe spent 74 out of her 86 years in gospel music. She was the eldest living female gospel artist still traveling and performing. Her legacy will be her music. Her life’s story was in the title of her songs. Babe was instrumental in endowing others with strength and courage through her music. She was the elegant lady who will always be known for her beautiful smile and demeanor. Her faith in God and His promises to her were unwavering.

Margaret Allison leaves to mourn her son, Melvin Floyd; his wife, Scarlette Floyd; daughter in law, Barbara Allison; brother, Robert Wells; 3 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, 4 great-great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and a host of other relatives and friends.

There will be no funeral, but a Memorial Service will be held Saturday Aug 9, 2008 at The North American Motor Inn, 444 City Line Ave, Philadelphia PA, 11am to 3pm.

Babe, you will be surely missed by millions of loyal fans both here and abroad. May you now rest in God’s loving and caring arms, your race has been won.

Gospel Memories Broadcast Honors NCGCC, Rev. Timothy Wright, and Gospel Pioneers Gone Home in July

Tune to 88.7 WLUW Chicago Sunday morning, August 3, from 3:00 to 7:30 a.m. Central Time for this month’s live broadcast of “Gospel Memories” – the soundtrack to That Old Time Religion.

A special welcome to the delegates arriving in Chicago for the 75th Anniversary of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, August 2 - 8!

Not in Chicago? No problem. Go to http://www.wluw.org/, click the Listen Live button, and enjoy “Gospel Memories” from wherever you are!

Highlights of the August 3 Broadcast:

We celebrate the 75th anniversary of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, founded in Chicago in 1933 by Thomas A. Dorsey, Theodore Frye, and Magnolia N. Lewis-Butts. It has returned to Chicago for its anniversary year. Throughout the broadcast, we will feature musical highlights from convention recordings of the past thirty years.

In Loving Memory: Rev. Lawrence Roberts (rebroadcast of our "Words and Music" interview with Rev. Roberts, which aired originally in August 2006);

Michael Cook of the Mighty Clouds of Joy;

Bishop Charles Ashley Craig III of Detroit, a board member of the Gospel Music Workshop of America.

In Tribute:
On the evening of July 4, Rev. Timothy Wright (right) was badly injured and his wife and grandson killed in a horrific auto accident. We will feature some of his music with the Chicago Interdenominational Mass Choir in prayer for his physical and emotional recovery.

Benediction:
“The Lord’s Prayer”- Little David and the Mighty Gospel Supremes

Preacher Feature: “God’s Promise” (snippet) - Rev. James Cleveland (introduced by Rev. Lawrence Roberts and recorded at his First Baptist Church of Nutley, NJ on March 24, 1968).

Recordings by classic artists such as:
Gospel Keynotes
Bells of Joy
Myrna Summers
Sons of the Birds
Swan Silvertones
Violinaires
Louise Overall Weaver
Clara Ward
Bill Moss & the Celestials
The Instrumentals (a long-forgotten Chicago group)
Jessy Dixon & Chicago Community Choir
…and much more!

So tune in and turn on to “Gospel Memories”…for music that moves you and makes you move.

Request line: 773-508-WLUW

Darius Brooks Organizes Summer Camp for Teen Singers

From Chicago's ABC 7 News:

The continuing street violence in Chicago has prompted Gospel recording star Darius Brooks to organize a special summer program for teens who love to sing.

Grammy, Stellar and Dove Award Winner, Brooks is hosting the SDM Jam Session Music Camp. Brooks' non-profit organization, SDM, is sponsoring the week-long music and empowerment camp from August 11-15 at Rainbow Push for teens 14-17 years old.

The camp will offer vocal training, personal development, college resources and career development. Brooks will conduct daily ensemble singing sessions with students.

"Growing up on the west side of Chicago with fourteen sisters and brothers, my anti-violence initiative was my love for music. I spent most of my time singing and playing the piano," says Brooks. "My urgency to develop this program was sparked by the growing number of young people killed by violent crimes in Chicago this year alone. Our youth need motivation, support, and an opportunity to believe in themselves." says Brooks.

The five day music camp will be in session from 9:00 am - 4:00 p.m. daily and include master sessions and lectures by noted music industry professionals throughout the week. Jam Session will culminate in a concert on Friday, August 15, featuring Darius Brooks & Jam Session's talented youth. During the finale concert, one Jam Session student will be awarded a scholarship to attend UCLA's Summer Institute (2009).

"An opportunity to pursue their passion for music and gain the skills and resources necessary to develop a clear educational and career plan for future success - that's what Jam Session is about", says Brooks.

SDM is a not-for-profit foundation aimed at nurturing, mentoring and training individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in music. SDM identifies and develops young talented vocalists and musicians from the Chicagoland area. The foundation's ultimate goal is to provide educational enhancement programs through annual scholarships, career fairs, college fairs, and informational support to all students interested in the performing arts.

To learn more about SDM's Jam Session, visit www.myspace.com/sdmjamsession or call 708.488-8500

Check out Canton Jones' current single, "My Day"

From ThinkTank Marketing:

Check out Canton 's current single, "My Day"!

The lights dim over the standing room only crowd. The room is thick with an air of anticipation. A voice sprinkled with strong vibrato and a touch of old school R&B rings out. The crowd goes wild! The voice rings out again, this time with twice the intensity. The crowd screams as the young, but clearly seasoned artist known as Canton Jones points the microphone toward the audience and another unforgettable musical experience begins…

Part singer, songwriter, producer, and vocal arranger, Canton Jones, a Deerfield Beach, Florida native has entertained over 500,000 people this year alone, sold nearly 75,000 units independently; and has several songs including the steppers groove “Love Song”, the cleverly penned “Stay Saved” and the uncompromising street anthem “The Password” in regular rotation internationally. On any given day he can be found sharing the stage with Hip Hop heavyweights like T.I., David Banner, and Ludacris just to name a few. His unlimited repertoire, massive crowd appeal, and fast-growing fan base has set him on a course destined to shake the very chore of the R&B and Hip Hop world.

As quickly as fans have embraced Canton ’s lyrical edginess and warmed up to his heart felt ballads, Canton gets down to business with his most creative album to date, Kingdom Business. Already impacting radio with the smash hit “My Day”, Kingdom Business is an eclectic mix of undeniable street anthems and melodic story lines that will take listeners from the streets in their jeeps to the board room and the office equipped to handle the business of life. The new album, released by Arrow Records, will hit stores everywhere on February 5, 2008 and boasts Jones’ best work to date. With “My Day” currently climbing the charts, Canton recently dropped the gritty, urban riders anthem “Living Clean (Riding Mean)” which is currently spinning in heavy rotation on popular mix tape shows and is creating a major buzz on the Myspace and You Tube circuits.

With three albums (20 Years, 3 Months, 12 Days; Love Jones; and The Password: Access Granted) two Grammy nods, a Stellar Award nomination, and three Gospel Choice Awards to his credit, Canton still maintains the unshakable confidence of someone who knows the tide is turning his way. More than an artist, Canton represents a philosophy, a movement, and a generation that is relentless in their pursuit to bring a fresh, new sound to Hip Hop and the streets. He understands that it is not just about the music, but it’s about developing a lifestyle that offers peace and prosperity for anyone bold enough to pursue their purpose. Jones has embarked on an ambitious business plan to bring the next phase of Hip Hop and R&B to the forefront. He’s all about his business and he’s become the example, so you can handle yours!

http://www.myspace.com/therealcantonjones

Traditional Black Gospel Music Goes to School: Mary D. Williams

From American Public Media:

Mary D. Williams is afraid that traditional black gospel music is disappearing.

She grew up loving her father's singing and the performances he gave with his gospel group "The Dependable Quintet." But Mary didn't know she had the same gift until she was 13. She's now teaching students how to feel the power of traditional gospel music through the hymns she knew as a child.

Listen to the story below:

American Public Media: Mary D. Williams

Promises - VaShawn Mitchell & Friends (tbgb review)

Promises
VaShawn Mitchell & Friends
Tyscot 2007
www.tyscot.com

Chicago’s VaShawn “Triple Threat” Mitchell is a talented young man with an expressive voice and the ability to maneuver deftly through the various sub-genres of gospel music, which he demonstrates on his latest recording, Promises.

Much of Promises contains full-bodied Praise & Worship music, which befits VaShawn’s responsibility as minister of music for Bishop Larry D. Trotter’s Sweet Holy Spirit Church on Chicago’s southeast side. Songs such as the intense title track and the melodic “I Worship You" fit squarely within that category and will please P&W enthusiasts.

But the urban inspirational and the “old school church” sides of VaShawn best demonstrate his gifts of musical expression. “My Testimony,” for example, has a deliciously ‘90’s O’Landa Draper swagger as the group impishly plucks the syllables of each line (“My-test be-comes my test-i-mo-ny”). “Favor (Ain’t Fair)” is a bracing urban inspirational song with an honest commentary on God’s distribution of talents. “For My Good” is the best track, with a serpentine synth ostinato grabbing listeners right from the beginning and keeping them moving with a polyrhythmic foundation beneath the melody.

Compulsory for any VaShawn Mitchell recording is an interstitial of the famed “Chicago Bump,” that fiery, intense, holy-dancing moment right out of the Pentecostal church that signals the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is gospel’s most exciting contribution to American music.

For as good as VaShawn’s vocals are, the hard-singing female vocalists steal the show on Promises, stepping up to the mic at various points in the project and rifling off lines of music with a preacher’s conviction. I wish I could say who was who, but the liner notes only identify one, Markeyta Sconiers, in association with a specific track. The rest of the singers are under the broad heading of “Friends.”

VaShawn Mitchell’s Believe in Your Dreams (Tyscot, 2005) is a superior project to Promises, but because of the variety of styles on Promises, listeners will find something they will enjoy.

Three of Four Stars

TBGB Pick of the Week: July 21, 2008

"Hallelu Anyhow"
New Shiloh Women of Witness & Worship
From the CD Always
JDI Records 2008
www.newshilohbaptist.org

You can't help but smile after hearing a single that exclaims, "No matter what comes my way/I'll lift my voice and say/Hallelujah Anyhow!" People have filled books with ways to avoid negativity and achieve self-confidence and success, and yet this kernel of wisdom pretty much says it all.

But it's the hand-clapping and backbeat that really sells the chorus of this song, presented by the 100+ voice women's choir (called the Women of Witness and Worship) of New Shiloh Baptist Church of Baltimore, MD, led by father/son pastors Dr. Harold A. Carter, Sr. and Dr. Harold A. Carter, Jr. This would be a good recording to release as an extended performance in addition to the radio single for the backbeat chorus alone.

Michael Cook of the Mighty Clouds of Joy...

...who sent up his timber, is now dwelling in the House of the Lord.

Gene Strawhun of Rapture Records and Mary Lewis of Inspiration 1400 (Tampa Bay) shared with TBGB the sad news that Michael Cook of the famous Mighty Clouds of Joy passed away.

Inspiration 1400 is doing a tribute to the Clouds and the late Mr. Cook as we speak: www.inspiration1400.com.

Our deepest condolences to Mr. Cook's family and friends, and of course to his mates in the Clouds.

TBGB friend Wendal Sis sends this information:

Michael Cook Tribute

Thursday, July 24th - 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Living Waters Worship Center
8262 Lokus Road
Odenton, MD 21113
(410) 672-4260

Friday, July 25th – 9:00 AM 11:00 AM viewing, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM service
Reid Temple AME Church
11400 Glenn Dale Boulevard
Glenn Dale, MD 20769
(301) 352-1758

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Michael Cook Trust Fund at any Bank of America Branch. This will go to the welfare of his children.

Please send all cards to Valerie Cook, PO Box 273, Jessup, MD 20794

Pastor Debra B. Morton - My Better Half

Bishop Paul S. Morton presents Pastor Debra B. Morton
My Better Half
Tehillah Music Group/Light Records 2008
www.lightrecords.com

“Come on church -- let’s rock this house tonight!”

So exhorts soloist Pastor Nancy Wilson during the opening track of Pastor Debra B. Morton's new CD, My Better Half, after what is essentially a Praise & Worship CD has raced off into seven minutes of pulse-pounding, hand-clapping, traditional down home gospel singing on Pastor Jerry Q. Parries’ composition, “Victory in Praise.” Vocal powerhouse Beverly Crawford follows on the bluesy, mellifluous “Breakthrough,” and the Daughters of the Promise Mass Choir back both singers like the Chicago Mass Choir in overdrive. These two tracks set a high bar for the remainder of the project.

A live recording made at Morton’s women’s conference, My Better Half was released in June and is advertised as a “church service to go.” It lives up to its promise, as a coterie of female clergy, including Pastor Morton, Pastor Nancy Wilson and Dr. Aretha Wilson and Evangelist Sandra Riley deliver inspirational messages in between the music performances. The producer’s keen ear for capturing the audience’s reaction to the program gives the project a real-time feel.

“Where There’s a Will There’s a Way” is a lovely inspirational song and arrangement, and “Too Far to Turn Around” has definite gospel radio possibilities because of its catchy melody, relevant message and bright vocal delivery and vamp. “Trust in the Lord” is a return to the old school sound that opened the project, prefaced by Morton as her tribute to the old time Nawlins church music with which she grew up.

My Better Half is an excellent example of how today's gospel projects include a buffet of sacred music styles to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. On Pastor Morton's album, one can find traditional, contemporary, inspirational, and Praise & Worship songs and arrangements, though again the project strikes me as more firmly rooted in P&W, likely in keeping with the tenor of the conference from which it came. It has a comfortable sound, one that needs to be experienced in its entirety to appreciate fully the producer's vision.

Pastor Debra S. Morton has had her hands full for some time as minister, mother, musician, wife (of Bishop Paul S.), grandmother, philanthropist and civic leader. Now she has a new recording to market and the vestiges of the New Orleans church fire and the concomitant insurance and replacement hassles with which to deal. She needs a “Breakthrough,” a “Victory,” a “Way,” and – I’m certain – a very long vacation.

Three of Four Stars

Archie Dale and the Tones of Joy - Don't Worry About Me

Don’t Worry About Me
Archie Dale and the Tones of Joy
Meltone/NuSound Entertainment Group 2008

While they have not received anywhere near the attention they did during the Golden Age, gospel quartets are still out there and ever faithful to the gospel highway. They do what they have always done: put on their uniforms and travel from town to town, mostly during weekends, to sing in churches and auditoriums large and small for a gathering of true believers who bless them as generously as they possibly can. Few singers were able to quit their day jobs to sing quartet professionally even back in the day, and fewer still have that luxury today.

As for recordings, if it weren’t for labels such as Malaco & AIR, 4 Life Miracle and Meltone, more quartets would be left to their own devices in capturing their sound on record. Like Malaco and AIR, Meltone has kept the faith ever since vinyl was fashionable, and its latest release is by a group well known among the quartet fold, Archie Dale and the Tones of Joy.

Archie Dale and the Tones of Joy is a quartet that has been around for 40 years. Those who appreciate the quartet sound of the 70s and 80s – known by the familiar if not industry-sanctioned descriptors “gospel soul” and “gospel funk” – are especially fond of the group. The Tones’ original personnel is nearly intact, with all but one current member an original. Today, Willie Glover, Chris Mathews, Daniel Grant and Anthony Hudson sing along with Dale, who does most of the lead work.

The Tones of Joy’s new project, Don’t Worry About Me, carries on their deep groove tradition. The second half of the CD is superior to the first half because the latter cuts feature gutsier singing by Dale and more robust quartet harmonizing. The sound balance is better on the second half, too, with the quartet not as buried behind the instrumentation as they are on the opening tracks.

“Christian Journey,” “The Lord Will Make a Way” and “Around the Pearly Gates” are the album’s finest cuts, and the group’s rendering of Kenneth Morris’ “God is Real” is most deserving of radio spins.

Plenty of quartet enthusiasts will be pleased that a new Archie Dale and the Tones of Joy recording is available. Melvin Couch’s Meltone made it so.

Two and a Half of Four Stars

Rev. Lawrence Roberts - Rest In Peace

TBGB is saddened to report that Rev. Lawrence Roberts passed away July 14. David Jones first informed us and Rev. Roberts' daughter confirmed the news.

Rev. Roberts was a longtime producer for Savoy Records. It was his church choir -- the Angelic Choir of the First Baptist Church of Nutley, NJ -- that teamed with Rev. James Cleveland on the historic "Peace Be Still" recording session in September 1963. That album took Cleveland and the Angelic Choir to new levels of popularity in the gospel music industry and helped make Savoy the "go to" label for gospel choirs for the next three decades.

Rev. Roberts also recorded with his wife and with the Gospel Chordettes, which changed its name when the Archie Bleyer Chordettes ("Mr. Sandman") took issue. Rev. Roberts said he changed the group's name to the Lawrence Roberts Singers "because I know nobody had THAT name!"

The homegoing details are still being worked out, but Rev. Roberts' daughter said that the service is likely to be Saturday, July 19 at 11:00 a.m. at Victory Baptist Church, 1170 N. Hairston Road, Stone Mountain, GA.

Rev. Stefanie Minatee, Rev. Roberts' niece, adds the following information:

Levett Gregory B & Sons Funeral Home: Scottdale Chapel
www.levettfuneralhome.com

351 N Clarendon Ave
Scottdale, GA 30079
(404) 294-5500

Home Going Service for Rev. Lawrence C. Roberts

Saturday, July 19, 2008 11:00am

Victory Church
www.victoryfortheworld.org

1170 N Hairston Rd
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
(678) 476-6000

Rev. Minatee also reports that a memorial service for Gospel Music Historian and Icon, Rev. Lawrence C. Roberts, will be held on Saturday, September 13th at 4 p.m. in Newark, NJ. Location TBD. Please save the date.

She added that an announcement with all pertinent information will appear in the Star Ledger as the date approaches.

On a personal note, I had the great fortune of interviewing Rev. Roberts on my radio program, "Gospel Memories," some years ago and stayed in email touch with him since then. He was a friendly man and one of the most generous individuals with his time and knowledge. His loss weighs heavy on my heart.

Just two weeks ago, Rev. Roberts sent me an email remembering the late Ira Tucker. His comment was, "The old band keeps getting thinner and thinner." And now he's gone, too. They don't make 'em like Rev. Roberts anymore, and we will all miss him greatly.

Here's an obituary on Rev. Roberts, posted today on www.nj.com:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/gospel_icon_newark_native_dead.html

Photo above: Matt Rainey/The Star-Ledger

TBGB Pick of the Week: July 14, 2008

"Anointed Me"
Jai Reed
From the CD Anointed For Purpose
Fontana/TLR Entertainment 2008

Hailing from Pensacola, Florida, former Endurance member Jabial "Jai" Reed released his first solo album, Anointed For Purpose, from whence the single "Anointed Me" comes. The song, which focuses on the realization that your God-given talents are there for a reason, is autobiographical, or at least seems to be. Listen past the hypnotic beats and you'll hear a singing young man who has a pleasant, versatile, conversational voice ideal for gospel music.

Another album track, "Have I Told You," written with former Endurance mates Byron Pierce, Edward West, and William Maxwell, also has the capacity to become a gospel radio hit. It's well written and an even better showcase for Jai's singing range. All this is to say that Jai Reed is one to watch.

From Nassau, Bahamas: Wave of Glory (tbgb review)

Wave of Glory
Bishop Neil C. Ellis and
The Mount Tabor Praise and Worship Ministry
Tehillah Music Group/Light Records 2008
www.lightrecords.com

Gospel music and the Praise & Worship format, the latter an African American sacred music tradition that has roots in gospel and in other musical forms, are truly international phenomena. The indefatigable Bishop Neil C. Ellis and the members of the Praise & Worship Ministry of the Mount Tabor Full Gospel Baptist Church in Nassau, Bahamas, are living proof.

Wave of Glory is noted as Bishop Ellis’ and the Ministry’s debut music CD, though the minister has recorded several sermons that are available on the church’s website. The new album is jam-packed with straightforward P&W that has at its disposal a robust instrumental accompaniment and an even bigger-sounding choir. Although the lyrics stay true to the P&W standard in their poetic, stream of consciousness rubric, the music ranges from atmospheric and gently hypnotic to aurally massive, or what I refer to as "stadium gospel."

The apex of the live performance comes when Full Gospel Baptist Bishop Paul Morton makes a guest appearance, singing “Don’t Do It Without Me” in his achingly pleading tenor. Musically and lyrically, Morton's contribution leans heavily toward traditional gospel and thus offers a nice counterpoint to the otherwise P&W program.

“Command My Soul,” the project’s first song, is catchy and has potential to be a solid radio single, as does the title track, because of its pulse-quickening urgency. “Time to Possess (Celebration Medley)” is given a Caribbean-flavored rhythm section – steel drums and all – that should have played a bigger role in this project. Giving P&W a distinctive island makeover would have been very interesting and genre-bending, which is, after all, how music gradually evolves.

Tehillah Music Group, the mothership of Full Gospel Baptist projects, is behind this effort.

Wave of Glory is a big project with a big sound. Then again, Mount Tabor is a big church with a big ministry and a big vision.

Three of Four Stars

First Katrina, Now a Fire: Greater St. Stephen in New Orleans (UPDATE!)

Add to the growing prayer list Bishop Paul S. Morton and Senior Pastor Debra Morton, whose Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church in New Orleans was soaked by Hurricane Katrina and now ravaged by fire.

Despite the physical damage, the story from www.nola.com reports that the members remain strong and ready to rebuild:

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/central_city_church_ravaged_by.html

Photo: DRE Photography

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

From Kia Jarmon of Light Records:

Greater St. Stephen Ministries Temporarily Relocates to Congregation Temple Sinai for Worship Services after 3 Alarm Fire Destroys the Church

Who: Pastor Debra B. Morton and the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church Family

What: Temporarily Relocates to Congregation Temple Sinai for Worship Services

When: Sunday, July 13, 2008

Time: 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM Worship Service Times

Where: Congregation Temple Sinai
6227 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118

New Orleans, LA., Wednesday, July 9, 2008—Senior Pastor Debra B. Morton and the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church Family will hold worship services at Congregation Temple Sinai this Sunday, July13th at 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM. The relocation to Temple Sinai is a result of a three-alarm fire that caused extensive interior damage to the main sanctuary of Greater St. Stephen’s uptown location early Monday morning.

Pastor Debra B. Morton said, “On behalf of the GSS church family, I’d like to thank everyone for their words, deeds and most importantly their prayers as we cope with this tragic situation. We are eternally grateful to Rabbi Edward Cohn, the leaders and members of Temple Sinai for opening their doors to receive our church family in love. They are true examples of God’s love here on earth!”

Rabbi Edward Cohn said, “In the wake of last Monday’s devastating fire which destroyed the sanctuary of one of New Orleans’ religious landmarks, an opportunity for interfaith love and cooperation was presented to our historic congregation. Bruce Nolan, religion reporter from the Times Picayune put us in touch with Greater St. Stephen leadership and we offered a setting for their Sunday services for at least a month. Temple Sinai is a house of prayer for all people and all who enter our doors in the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood are always welcome and that includes the members of Greater St. Stephen Ministries.”

Congregation Temple Sinai, was founded in 1870. It was the first Jewish Temple in New Orleans and is currently the largest synagogue in the state of Louisiana . Temple Sinai prides itself on having a diverse membership inclusive of old line Jewish families and interfaith-married families. The synagogue was the site of the first integrated public meeting in the history of New Orleans . In 1949, Temple Sinai made history when they opened its doors to Dr. Ralph Bunch an African-American, Noble Peace Prize winner.

Bishop Paul S. Morton said, “Katrina proved that we the citizens of New Orleans are a resilient people and I have no doubt in my mind that because we are people of faith, God will see us through. The new Greater St. Stephen sanctuary will be even greater.”

The exact cause of fire is yet to be determined. But fire officials are 99% sure that the fire may have been caused by an electrical malfunction that may have started in the ceiling. According to Greg Davis, a fire department spokesperson, arson is not suspected. No official cause of fire has been released by NOFD.

Sunday’s worship services will be open to the media. All media related questions and interview request should be directed to Angela Young, (504) 416-2747, cell and/or ayoung1908@aol.com.

TBGB Pick of the Week: July 7, 2008

"Praise Him Now"
Kierra KiKi Sheard
www.emigospel.com

Having received a copy of Kierra KiKi Sheard's new single, "Praise Him Now," I expected to hear a high-energy gospel track resplendent with hip hop-inspired polyrhythms, especially since the energetic PAJAM produced.

Was I ever wrong...and pleasantly surprised! Opening with a swirl of strings that sets a prayerful mood, "Praise Him Now" showcases a Kierra whose singing is maturing and growing in versatility and expressiveness. It's a single that has staying power because of its beauty and distinctiveness.

I wasn't wrong, however, in expecting nothing less than a stellar production from PAJAM, which Paul Allen and KiKi's cousin J Moss deliver.

Recording "Praise Him Now" was a good decision for the young Sheard at this time in her career, as it signifies she has the vocal dexterity to make her a tough-to-beat gospel singer in the future.

Rev. Timothy Wright - from The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press

This is the latest information I can find, posted by Detroit print/web media resources:

Gospel legend critically injured in car crash after leaving Detroit conference

Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News

Gospel music great the Rev. Timothy Wright, his wife and their grandson were involved in a crash on a central Pennsylvania interstate Friday night.

The accident killed Wright's wife, 58-year-old Betty, and left Wright and his 14-year-old grandson, D.J. Wright, with serious injuries. They had just left a religious conference in Detroit, several followers said.

Read more at:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080705/METRO/807050396

And from the Detroit Free Press:

LOGANTON, Pa. — The grandson of a New York gospel singer has become the third person killed in a crash in Pennsylvania involving a wrong-way driver.

D.J. Wright, 14, the grandson of the Rev. Timothy Wright, died Saturday evening, a nursing supervisor at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville said today.

Read more at:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/NEWS07/80706025

Bishop Charles Ashley Craig III Passed Away

From the Gospel Music Workshop of America:
Office of the Executive Vice Chairman
Al Hobbs
I have just learned of the passing of our beloved board member, Bishop Charles Craig of Detroit, MI, who served the GMWA faithfully as the Vice Chair of the Security, Nurses, and Ushers.

In conversation with Convention Manager Mark Smith, he confirmed that Bishop Craig passed of a massive heart attack this morning at a Detroit Hospital near his home.

On Behalf of Chairman Jamison, the GMWA Board of Directors and staff, I ask that every member and those across the Gospel community who view this information, lift in prayer Bishop’s wife, Wanda Craig, His beloved brother, James Linsey Craig, his family and the members of Craig Memorial Tabernacle where he was Pastor.

From Tammy Taylor:
Home Going Services for Bishop Charles Craig

Friday, July 11, 2008 @ 7pm
Tribute Musical
Craig Memorial Tabernacle
14201 Puritan
Detroit, MI

Saturday, July 12, 2008 @ 10am
Home going Service
Second Ebenezer Church
4601 Dequindre Road
Detroit, Michigan 48212-1503 , (I-75 at East McNichols)
Bishop Elect Edgar L.Vann, Senior Pastor

ATTN: ALL choir members that sang with Detroit
Remembers, GMWA Detroit or Craig Memorial
please come out to rehearsal on:
Thursday, July 10, 2008 @ 7pm SHARP @ Craig
Memorial

Attire for Friday: Dress for Ministry
Attire for Saturday: White (ladies no pants please).

For Additional or subsequent information, please check www.gmwadetroit.org

Reverend Timothy Wright and Family in Tragic Car Accident

This message came in from Tammy Taylor. The gospel world is shocked by this news. Keep the Wright Family in your most fervent prayers.

******

Driving back from AIM Convention in Detroit MI, Pastor Timothy Wright was in a horrible accident late last night. First Lady Betty Wright was killed instantly and Pastor Timothy Wright is on a ventilator fighting for his life. Their grandson was in the car with them and is fighting for his life as well. Please keep the Wright Family in your prayers!

Ms. Taylor noted later that Pastor Wright is in critical but stable condition.

Sheilah Belle of The Belle Report adds this information:

Lamar Barrack, PA – Around 11p.m. Friday night (July 4, 2008), Rev. Timothy Wright, his wife (First Lady Betty Wright) and their grandson were traveling through Lamar Barrack, PA, on their way back from the AIM Convention in Detroit, Michigan. While en route, police say, an individual was traveling westbound but on the eastbound side (traveling in the wrong direction), and as a result ran into Rev. Timothy Wright’s car head on. Police also say another vehicle traveling in the same direction as Rev. Wright’s car could not see the smoke from the accident and ran into the rear of Rev. Wright’s car.

In the end, the driver traveling in the wrong direction died and the passenger (First Lady Betty Wright) died, as she was sitting in the front right passenger seat.

All were med-flown to Geisinger Hospital in Danville, PA.

Update from Sheilah Belle of the Belle Report:

"Currently, Rev. Timothy Wright is heavily sedated, has several broken bones BUT IS doing better and is currently in critical care. The grandson, 14 year old Daniel, is NOT brain dead, but was on life support and is also doing better."

From Tammy Taylor:

"Pastor Timothy Wright is in stable condition. He is aware of the people in his room. He’s still on life support. His leg is broken in three places; they’re preparing to take him into surgery on his leg."

TBGB will continue to post more information as it becomes available.

Gospel Memories - Sunday, July 6 Broadcast on WLUW

Tune to 88.7 WLUW Chicago Sunday morning, July 6, from 3:00 to 7:30 a.m. Central Time for this month’s live broadcast of “Gospel Memories” – the soundtrack to That Old Time Religion.

Not in Chicago? No problem. Go to http://www.wluw.org/, click the Listen Live button, and enjoy “Gospel Memories” from wherever you are!

Highlights of the July 6 Broadcast:

In Loving Memory:
Ira Tucker, Sr. of the Dixie Hummingbirds.

Legendary quartet vocalist Mr. Tucker passed away last month at the age of 83. We’ll celebrate his life and music by featuring classic tracks by the Dixie Hummingbirds and snippets of a 2006 interview by Marc Lindy of Vancouver’s “Gospel Train” radio show (special thanks to Marc Lindy for use of his interview).

Forty-one years young!

Let’s celebrate the musical legacy of Rev. Dr. Issac Whittmon and the Greater Metropolitan Church of Christ Choir, Chicago, on the church’s 41st anniversary. No less an icon than the late Rev. James Cleveland called Rev. Whittmon a transitional gospel singer: “the last of the old school and the first of the new school.” Hear for yourself on Sunday, and listen to snippets of my interview with Rev. Whittmon on his coming up in the Chicago church and gospel communities during the 1950s and 1960s.



Hallelujah! At last… Sweden’s Gospel Friend label has satisfied a long overdue need for a commercially available reissue CD of vintage Wings over Jordan tracks. We’ll listen to a few Sunday morning, and relive the days when Sunday morning meant Wings over Jordan on the radio.

Benediction:
“The Lord’s Prayer”- The Travelingaires (courtesy, John Glassburner)

Preacher Feature: The late Dr. Wilbur A. Daniels, pastor – Antioch Baptist Church, Chicago, who at the 1968 National Baptist Convention in Texas announced his nomination: “Jesus…For President.”

From the Vault:

Alabama and Georgia Singers (undated tape recording, poss. 1940s)

Cousins & DeMoss...from 1898! Though Cousins & DeMoss is singing a spiritual, the duo had the gospel beat down pat in the 19th Century! Photo of Sam Cousins (below, 1899), from the Archeophone Records 2-CD companion to Tim Brooks' superb book, Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry 1891-1922.

Recordings by classic artists such as:

Ever Ready Gospel Singers
Min. Keith Pringle
Charles Watkins and the Chicago Pentecostal Choir
The COGICs (early Andrae Crouch)
Twenty-First Century Singers…Live!

The Daniels Singers
Evangelist Eddie Williams and His Crusaders
Pilgrim Travelers
Gospel Hi-Lites (1974)
Harold Bailey Singers
Violinaires
Jeanette Robinson Jones
Soul Stirrers
Sallie Martin Singers (1949)

…and much more!

Requests? Call the studio line at (773) 508-WLUW.

So tune in and turn on to “Gospel Memories”…for music that moves you and makes you move! Happy Fourth of July, USA!

The Gales - Sensational Nightingales (tbgb review)

The Gales
The Sensational Nightingales
Malaco Records 2008
www.malaco.com

Talk about staying power, the Sensational Nightingales have been singing quartet since 1942. The list of prominent Gales alumni includes Barney Parks, Howard Carroll, Paul Owens, Bob Beatty, June Cheeks, and Jo Jo Wallace, the latter who remains a stalwart singing and guitar-playing member of the group.

The quartet’s latest outing, The Gales, titled after their nickname and featuring a drawing of said bird silhouetted in moonlight on the cover, is a collection of a dozen tracks led mostly by Darrell Luster, who also penned many of the album’s musical offerings. Luster’s compositions have a melodic and lyric simplicity that make them memorable. The quartet’s rendition of these songs, however, is not the hard-edged, shout-laden, electric sound of the Cheeks era but rather the laid back and relaxed era ushered in by Charles Johnson and sustained by newer members, such as Luster, whose gently crooning lead adds another layer of patina to the performances.

There are exceptions, of course, one being the drive-tempo “Can I Get a Witness,” a loping mid-tempo “He’s Still Working Miracles,” and “I Just Couldn’t Tell it All.” It seems as if the album picks up momentum in its second half, leading up to the final track, the current radio single, “Just Traveling Through,” a Wallace composition.

To me, the album is most memorable because it features the quartet veteran Jo Jo Wallace leading some songs and providing electric guitar backdrop for the entire affair. No disrespect to a group that sings “Out with the Old, In with the New,” and gospel music is about moving forward, but I personally prefer the ‘Gales 1950s oeuvre. There’s nothing like their 1955 “Somewhere to Lay My Head” to set your pulse to racing, and the pathos of Christ's Passion as articulated on "See How They Done My Lord" is unforgettable.

Two and a Half of Four Stars

Melinda Watts Ready to Live the "Gospel Dream"

From The Christian Post:

By Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Jul. 01 2008 01:52 PM EDT

Melinda Watts, a high school teacher who helps at-risk teen girls, now has a new platform to reach people with her godly message after winning the Gospel music version of the "American Idol" talent competition.

"I want people to listen to my music and want to draw closer to God," says Watts, dubbed winner of "Gospel Dream" on Sunday . "I also want them to want to grow in the grace of God and to be bold in their faith, like a revival through music."

The talented singer impressed judges on the Gospel Music Channel show with the traditional hymn "Tis So Sweet," beating out two other finalists for the title.

Judges and producers of the show had compared Watts to Gospel icon CeCe Winans. Alvin Williams, senior director of Music Development for the GMC, describes Watts as "an anointed superstar artist who graces us with the word of God in song."

The Rev. Louis Neely of Warehouse Christian Ministries in Sacramento, where Watts often sings, praised her singing.

"Melinda has this purity and serenity about her that comes from the heart, and the audience just loves her," Neely told The Sacramento Bee. "People respond to her, her humbleness."

Watts, a English teacher at a high school in Sacramento, Calif., began singing at the age of six at her preschool graduation. She says she can't imagine doing anything else but Gospel music.

“I’ve always had a love of music and I have been singing in church my whole life,” she says. “God’s grace brought me here...a lot of faith in God and remembering that it’s okay to dream even when you feel you can’t.”

Watts is the founder of two foundations aimed toward helping at-risk teen girls. Project Sunday mentors young women in her community while Heaven's House for Girls provides research-based solutions for troubled teen girls and their families. Her hope is for both foundations to help young women develop self-reliance and ambition.

She auditioned for Gospel Dream 2008 in Los Angeles while on maternity leave. Christian music artist/songwriter Matthew West hosted the show, which returned to airwaves after a hiatus last year.

Her accomplishment has now landed her a record and music video deal. Her finale song, "Tis So Sweet," is her first single and can soon be heard on radio stations nationwide.

"I love this song. It means the world to me because at this point in my life I'm just trusting God for everything," says Watts. She says she hopes to write songs for her debut album which releases early 2009.