Ever been to a gospel happy hour?

Have your chance this weekend when First Sundays hosts an afternoon of gospel music and comedy by artists from D.C. and Baltimore. This is the first Baltimore event sponsored by the event's founders Christianhangsuites.com, a D.C.-based organization that started the "party with a purpose" themed events in 2005.

"This is the place for the water cooler of sorts on Sunday,'' says Adrienne Alexander, spokeswoman for First Sundays. "There was a need for a happy hour for persons to go to when they leave church. There want to be around people of similar interests. We have Christian comedians and local and nationally recognized (music) acts,'' she said.

Pastor Jamal Bryant of Empowerment Temple of Baltimore and gospel artists Jonathan Nelson (Minister of Music at Empowerment), Byron Cage and Dave Hollister have performed at the D.C. events.

Sunday's Baltimore event at the Pur Lounge, 2322 Boston St., from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., includes such D.C. and Baltimore artists as New Harvest, Gerald Scott & Company, iNDIGO, The Matthew Sisters, Sterling, Dyron Booker & Divine Destiny, LeAne Palmore, Wilbur Nichols, Davon Steele @ Broken 4 Worship. DJ Bam will spin the best in Christian Club, House, Urban Gospel & Holy Hip Hop.

Alexander says the organization hopes to start other affiliate programs in Atlanta, Chicago and Detroit, similar to First Fridays, social networking parties held throughout the U.S.

For more on First Sundays, go here To hear music by Gerald Scott & Company, click here. To hear music by New Harvest, click here. To hear music by iNDIGO, click here. Visit D.J. Bam's Web site by clicking here.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                       

T.D. Jakes has lots of titles behind his name. Pastor and founder of the Potter’s House Church, a megachurch in Dallas, founder of MegaFest, author of several books, musician, and actor.
By next year, call him talk show host.

According to the Huffington Post blog and other sources, Dr. Phil McGraw, also of Dallas, is planning to launch a talk show next year featuring the Texas preacher. Jakes is a frequent guest on Dr. Phil’s show on CBS. The project would center on such topics as relationships and family issues.

If the show takes hold, Jakes will have another opportunity to broadcast his morsels of spiritual advice, which are also broadcast as “Empowering Moments” on many gospel radio stations.

For more information on Jakes, go here, and for more on the Jakes-McGraw collaboration, go here.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 10:55 AM | Permalink
                       

Maurette Brown-Clark, Dove/Stellar nominee Bryan Wilson, the Choir Boyz, Stephen Hurd, Maryland Mass Choir, Andre Nance and Greater Purpose, Divine Unity, the Reunion Choir of Baltimore and surprise guests will be in concert June 13 at Empowerment Temple, 4217 Primrose Ave.

The 7 p.m. concert is a benefit for Gavin Montgomery, a WWIN SPIRIT 1400 AM Baltimore DJ who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

The money raised will go to help Montgomery with mounting medical costs. In the ‘90s, Montgomery was one of the East Coast’s best gospel DJs. Nicknamed “Baby Bishop,” he is classically trained vocalist and a theology student at Washington Bible College. He worked for WMAR Channel 2.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 5:46 PM | Permalink
                       

Every week I'm going to tell you what I'm listening to in hopes that you will share what you are listening to with me and other readers. This weekend, I enjoyed the Philly sound. If you are looking for 24-hour gospel, check out Praise 103.1 FM. You don't have to wait until you're in Philly to listen to the station because it offers a streaming radiocast here.

What stations have you been listening to, web-wise or otherwise?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 3:49 PM | Permalink
                       

Stellar Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and director Donald Lawrence will headline the UniSun Gospel Celebration later this year.

 Lawrence, winner of a 2088 Stellar Award for producing the Clark Sister -- LIVE! One Last Time CD, will perform with Jason Nelson, pastor of the Greater Bethlehem Temple Church in Randallstown.

Lawrence, who has mentored and worked with both Nelson and his brother Jonathan, earlier this month performed with Darrin Atwater and the Soulful Symphony.

For 13 years, until 2006, he worked with (the group he formed) the Tri-City Singers, recorded "I'm Healed (written by Jonathan Nelson, "Encourage Yourself," "Never Seen The Righteous," and "The Blessing of Abraham.''

He and the choir won various Stellar Awards in 2007 for their last CD and video, "Finale: Act One.'' Jason Nelson of Baltimore recorded his first CD in 2005 "I Shall Live.''

He is also a bassist and has worked with as Kim Burrell, Yolanda Adams, Marvin Sapp and Karen Clark Sheard. To hear "I Shall Live" click here.

The Unisun Gospel Celebration, which is in its third year, will be held Sept. 27 at the Lyric Opera House. Five local church choirs will showcase their talent, including last year's contest winner, Bethel AME Outreach of Love Choir.

The celebration is not a contest this year and is now an open showcase for Baltimore's top gospel talent. Tickets for the event will go on sale in July at ticketmaster.com.
It's not too late to be a part of the night of inspiration; go here to register your choir.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 7:00 AM | Permalink
                       

Aretha Franklin, who two months ago performed at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, is planning a summer tour. Show dates have not been confirmed. So keep your ear out and your eyes open.

Franklin will kick off the tour in a gospel celebration and church rival at Detroit's Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ, June 12-14 at 7 p.m. nightly. Performers for the nightly revival include The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Dorothy Norwood, Vickie Winans, Twinkie Clark, and Bill Moss, Jr.

The "Queen of Soul'' got her start singing gospel music at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit where her father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, was the pastor. As a teenager she was mentored by such gospel legends as Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson. Her career in gospel and R&B has ebbed and flowed with chart toppers.

Last year, she released a CD of duets Jewels In The Crown:All-Star Duets With The Queen, which features her singing with such notables as Whitney Houston, Fantasia, Mary J. Blige, George Benson, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estafan, Frank Sinatra, John Legend and Luther Vandross. Her duet with Fantasia "Put You Up On Game" was the lead single.

Franklin made headlines earlier this year at the Grammys when she was taken aback by Beyonce's introduction of Tina Turner as the "queen."

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 5:16 PM | Permalink
                       

 Belle, however, is one of many R&B artists who, when they reach a certain age of maturity, return to their gospel roots.
 In her younger days, she majored in love songs, having won a Grammy with Peabo Bryson for "A Whole New World" (the theme song of Disney's 1992 film Aladdin). She also reached the top of the music charts with other hits such as  "Make It Like It Was," "Baby Come to Me," "All I Want Is Forever" with James "J.T." Taylor and the list goes on and on.
 But Belle says gospel has always been a part of her life
 She and her husband former NBA guard now pastor John Battle lead the New Shield of Faith Ministries in Atlanta. They have five children, ages 11-29.
 This CD speaks to a higher accountability and embodies songs from her life experiences. 
 She wrote "I'll Never Leave You Alone" when she thought that God wasn't listening to her; "My Destiny," when she wasn't quite sure about her path and was frustrated with life; and "God Is Good" while written by her brother speaks to thanking God for all things, big and small.
 Belle is currently on tour, but the closest she's come to Baltimore has been an autograph signing at a music store in Prince George's.
 She says fans have been overwhelmingly positive to her CD and she's already planning a second gospel album.
 Still, there are some that have questioned her crossover to gospel.
  "I've always had a relationship with God. I've come to a place where it's not (always about) being in the church,'' she says. "The church is in me."
 
 

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 4:33 PM | Permalink
                       

I’ve been looking at the Billboard Gospel Charts for the past few weeks, and Marvin Sapp’s Thirsty CD has been at the top of the charts.

 Released last year, his most recognizeable song on the album, played by both secular and gospel radio stations, is “Never Would Have Made It.’’

 Yesterday, after 45 weeks in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts, his CD slipped to No. 2, behind the recently released CD Stand Out by Camden, N.J., native Tye Tribbett.

“Never Would Have Made it” speaks to me on so many levels.

I know that I wouldn't have made it here -- at this point in my life - without a power on high. And for those who live in the Baltimore area, he'll be here June 8 at the Church of the Redeemed of the Lord in Baltimore. For information, go here

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 8:18 AM | Permalink
                       

Every morning as I make my way to work, I flip around the radio to hear the latest in gospel music.

My first stop is often Baltimore's Heaven 600, a 24 hour gospel station. Then there's Spirit 1400. Both are AM stations. Sometimes, drive-time jock Tom Joyner and the crew on 95.9 FM will play a few gospel songs by Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams, among others.

However, when I get to work, I continue listening to stations with web steaming. Recently, I came across, Praise 104.1, a 24-hour gospel station out of the Washington area. I can only listen to it at work because its signal doesn't reach out to where I live. I really enjoy the mix of contemporary gospel genres. Here’s the link; have a listen.

Heaven 600 also streams its broadcast. Go here.

So what station or stations are you listening to? Leave a comment below to share.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 9:40 AM | Permalink
                       

Here’s a look at what you missed at last year’s UniSun Gospel Celebration event.

We had five choirs including special guest harpist Jeff Majors.

The local talent included Bethel AME’s Outreach of Love Choir, The Voices of Wayland Baptist Church choir, Kingway Bible Baptist Church choir, Bethel Apostolic Baptist Church choir, and Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church choir.

It was an electric experience that brought the capacity crowd to its feet, with shouting, hand-clapping and foot-stomping praise.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 12:25 PM | Permalink
                       

That’s why I’d like to share with you just some of what is possible for The UniSun Gospel Celebration. This year’s event is Sept. 27 at the Lyric Opera House.

A few weeks ago, as I was doing research for this blog, I came across gospel concerts in Chicago and Newark, N.J., that between the two have about 50 years of history.

The 24th Annual Chicago Gospel Music Festival, May 30-June 1 in Millennium Park, includes a weekend of local churches singing music that inspires along with some of the industry’s top talent, such as Marvin Sapp, the Clark Singers, Tramaine Hawkins and many others. If you’re going to be in Chicago next week, check it out.

On June 14, the McDonald’s Gospelfest 2008 includes headliners such as Kirk Franklin, Byron Cage, Donnie McClurkin, Vickie Winans and the Mighty Clouds of Joy. For more on this event, go here.

Wouldn’t it be great if the UniSun Gospel event was a weekend event with local and national talent? I think so. But to get there from here, it takes community support.

The UniSun Celebration, which is in its third year, started out as a contest, but now in its third year is a one-day concert where as many as five choirs will sing. Each will receive $2,000 for their church.

And we’ll have top national talent as well. I wish I could say who, but all I can tell you that we are talking with some of gospel’s top talent for this year’s event. So stay tuned. In the meantime, take a look at the event Web site.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 9:45 AM | Permalink
                       

FOX’s American Idol finale is tomorrow night, but once that’s over, stay tuned for others whose quest for stardom starts on another network.

The Gospel Music Channel will premiere its version of Idol at 9 p.m. on June 1 with Gospel Dream 2008. Gospel Dream officials say the show will have the tone but not exactly the Idol tack — with judges who will give frank and honest critiques of 12 finalists vying for a record/video contract and a cruise.

“It’s going to be pretty close (to American Idol),” says Adeidra Washington, spokeswoman for GMC. “We have our own Simon, our own Paula and our own Randy. They will be honest but not as brutal.’’ So who plays the part of Paula Abdul? Dove and Stellar award winner Martha Munizzi. She recently released her latest CD/DVD, Change the World. Simon Cowell? “Big” Jim Wright, a Grammy award-winning record producer/songwriter/keyboardist/vocalist who has worked with both secular and gospel artists, including Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary and Aretha Franklin. And Randy Jackson? J. Moss, a co-writer and producer who has worked with The Clark Sisters, Hezekiah Walker, N’SYNC, Michelle Williams, Trin-i-tee 5:7, Dru Hill, Boyz II Men and Kelly Price.

The show’s host is Matthew West, a singer/songwriter whose gospel single “More’’ (2004) was the most played song of the year. Earlier this year, he released his newest CD, Something to Say. Auditions for the show were held in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Miami.

We had hundreds of thousands of people. We have gospel music of all genres – pop, rock, hip hop, country and soul,” says Washington, who says the names of the contestants remain under lock and key. She did say, however, that none are Baltimoreans.

The shows are being taped in Nashville and throughout the series there will be guest appearances by pop and gospel music stars, the list of which is also not being revealed.

Gospel Music Channel is a cable station found on Comcast. Check your local listings.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 4:22 PM | Permalink
                       

Fantasia’s performances were all the buzz last week in Baltimore and on television.

Her performance on American Idol where she wore stiletto heels, a black studded v-neck pantsuit with no sleeves was in sharp contrast to her more spiritually touching performance days before at Bethel AME on Druid Hill Avenue.

The former Idol star danced and pranced about the Idol stage while singing “Bore Me.’’ Critics and fans still don’t know what to make of that performance. But I preferred the red-haired Fantasia’s performance at Bethel, where she sang “Jesus Be a Fence Around Me’’ and “The Lord Is Blessing Me.’’

In both performances, she screamed the lyrics as only she (and Patti LaBelle) loves to do. But those in attendance at Bethel were on their feet as Fantasia’s whipped about for 45 minutes in a return to her gospel roots.

It’s apparently something she does often because her mother and grandmother are preachers. No one was allowed to video Fantasia at Bethel as she did the “holy” dance, walked from the podium and into the capacity audience in stocking feet, and engaging the audience and the choir in a call and response style.

So I searched the Web and found a similar Fantasia performance of the “Blessing Me” song on YouTube (see above).

It’s tame in comparison to the one she gave here in Baltimore. She’s currently working on a new album. And I’m hoping she’s singing gospel.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                       

Welcome to your place for inspirational news and notes from the world of gospel.

As host blogger of Gospelrama, I’ll write about artists whose music renews, revives and restores a sense of hope, faith and direction. I’ll look at news about the personalities who create faith-based music and talk with these artists — local, regional and national – about their new CDs, concerts and other appearances.

So why a gospel blog? The answer is simple. You demanded it.

Each year, The Sun has taken note of how responsive our readers and participants are to The Macy’s presents UniSun Gospel Celebration, an event named after the newspaper’s African-American lifestyles section, UniSun, for which I’m the editor.

It’s sold out nearly every performance in the past two years. And we’ve received hundreds of thousands of hits on our postings about these celebrations. So as we plan our third celebration for this September, we wanted to stay connected to you.

And this is a cooperative interactive effort. As you read, you’re invited to share your thoughts — as well as snippets of video of your church choir or other notable performances.

Posted by Karlayne Parker at 6:00 AM | Permalink