» Gospel News

Former DEF JAM Exec. J.E. JONES Releases Debut Gospel Album

ShavarRoss.com — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:00:25 +0000

Back in the `90s, J.E. Jones was one of Russell Simmons‘ key Vice Presidents at Def Jam Records where he was A&R Executive on projects featuring R&B superstars ranging from Mary J. Blige and Montell Jordan to rapper Heavy D. Now, J.E. Jones has stepped from the wings to center stage by releasing his debut solo gospel album entitled Fire, a blend of Hip Hop and R&B flavored gospel beats through his very own label, Ultimate Entertainment Records.

“Fire” features 11 tracks inspired by J.E. Jones’s personal struggles and the project boasts songs such as “It’s Your Life,” “No More Fighting In Me” and the first radio single “The Turnaround.”

J.E. Jones began his career as an intern at Uptown Records where he was mentored by Uptown founder Andre Harrell and Uptown colleague, Sean “Puffy” Combs. He swiftly moved from the basement to the boardroom as an A&R Vice President, and also made his mark in the broader entertainment world serving as Executive Producer on the Motion Picture soundtracks for The Nutty Professor and Rush Hour.

More info

Buy Fire on iTunes | click here
Buy Fire on Amazon | click here

Watch the video below

Gospel Singer Walter Hawkins Passes Away

Verses — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:39:36 +0000

by Verses

Famed gospel singer Bishop Walter Hawkins died today after a long-time battle with cancer. For over 40 years he has had an outstanding career writing and singing some of gospel music’s most beloved songs. Early in his career he accompanied his brother, Edwin Hawkins, as a member of The Edwin Hawkins Singers. While with the group he helped produced the hit song, “Oh Happy Day” which became one of the first gospel songs to crossover onto mainstream music charts.

In the 1970s Walter Hawkins left the group to establish The Love Center Church in Oakland, California. He and his Love Center Choir had considerable success with his Love Alive series, which collectively sold over a million copies from the ’70s through the ’90s.

The song I remember the most is “Thank You” which he would always sing when he would pay an annual visit to my former church (Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church) in Cincinnati in the late 90′s.

Walter Hawkins will be missed in the gospel industry but his music will live on. What is your favorite Walter Hawkins song or memory?

New Music Artist: Charles Martin

ShavarRoss.com — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:12:31 +0000

After singing backup for other gospel recording artists like Fred Hammond and Deitrick Haddon, Charles Martin is set to release his solo album entitled “Mary’s Son.” Martin has teamed up with producer Chardyroc to produce an electrifying collection of songs that will minister to listeners of all ages. The solo project has universal appeal, reaching the believer as well as the non-believer. He says the CD is a reflection of his growth and walk in life with the Lord, testifying to his determination to never give up but to stay strong in the midst of adversity.

Check out the song Secret Place:
Charles Martin – Secret Place by ShavarRoss

BIO: Once in a while, an artist comes along who is able to minister from the very heart of God, bridging the gap between God and man with a musical style relevant to contemporary culture without compromising the integrity of his ministry. Charles Martin is such an artist.

On his journey, doors began to open for Charles. He stepped in gaining more skills as a singer, actor, and stage performer. He has appeared on the music recording of Fred Hammond and Radical for Christ debut release “The Inner Court” and four releases from Deitrick Haddon & The Voices of Unity (V.O.U) “Live the Life”, ”Chainbreaker” and “Supernatural.” On the “Supernatural” release, Charles and good friend Deitrick can be heard singing the duet “What Would You Do”, (WWYD). And more recently on the Stellar Award Winning V.O.U. All Star Edition. In addition he has appeared in several stage productions including “Black Nativity” (actor/singer) directed by Tony Award Winner George Faizon, starring Stephanie Mills; “Something Special is About to Happen” (background singer) starring Carl Payne from the hit television series “Martin”, and Ollie Woodson, formerly of the singing group “The Temptations”; a televised commercial singing the theme for the Detroit Pistons, and two performances at Walt Disney World. He has also appeared as a solo artist on the Bobby Jones Gospel show where he received great reviews.

With a firm grasp on today’s culture, Charles’ goal is to take his innovative sound to his current audience and to a new audience that is not familiar with his music.He describes his outlook: My vision is to be a mainstream artist for the glory of God, capturing the hearts and spirits of the non-believer as well as the believer.

charlesmartinmusic.com
twitter.com/iCharlesMartin

BET Awards to Feature More Gospel Artists

Shavar — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:14:10 +0000

EJ from from the popular Gospelpundit.com is reporting that this year’s BET Awards will feature a handful of gospel artists.

Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell, Fred Hammond and Karen Clark Sheard have been announced as performers on this year’s annual awards broadcast, which will air LIVE this Sunday, June 27th at 8pm ET/7pm CST on BET.

Who WASN’T tuning in before but WILL BE now?!

GP are ya wit me?

Gospel Singer Karen Clark Sheard Reveals Favorite Sundae Recipe

ShavarRoss.com — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:00:53 +0000

With the recent release and success of her anticipated album, All in One, gospel singer Karen Clark Sheard is ready to take a minute to relax. This week, she shares her favorite family ice cream recipe, Showstoppin’ Layered Summer Sundae. Karen, a mother of two, is the second of four celebrity moms to reveal their signature creation at walmart.com/icecream.

Each Sunday through June 19^th, you can discover the latest star-studded sundae recipe online and recreate it at home as a family treat. Throughout the summer, Walmart has rollbacks on ice cream and favorite toppings so families can enjoy a cool dessert at home and pocket the savings from an otherwise expensive trip out for ice cream.

Karen Clark Sheard’s Showstoppin’ Layered Summer Sundae

**Enjoy her celebrity sundae while listening to her new CD, All in One (Karew Records), which can be found at Walmart or walmart.com.**

Ingredients:

1 Scoop Breyers® All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream

1 Scoop Breyers® All Natural Strawberry Ice Cream

2 Tbsp. Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup

1/2 banana, sliced

Reddi-wip^® Original

Directions:

Layer ingredients starting with Breyers® All Natural Vanilla Ice Cream, followed by half of the banana slices. Repeat with Breyers® All Natural Strawberry Ice Cream and the remaining bananas slices. Drizzle chocolate syrup and finish with whipped cream to taste.

Variation:

For a fun and lower calorie alternative, use strawberry sorbet instead of ice cream.

Check out more recipes, deals and celebrity ice cream creations at walmart.com/ice

Nightline: Televangelist Joyce Meyer Talks About Her $100 Million Ministry

Shavar — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:28:20 +0000

At 66, Joyce Meyer is as close as it gets to being a Christian rock star. But she herself — abused as a child, divorced young, a woman who admits to stealing from her boss — says she is an unlikely success story.

People, women in particular, flock to Meyer’s conferences on Christianity, which are peppered with down-home advice on how to live, love and work with God in your life.

“I tell people, and it’s the truth, I could sit in my garage for a week and it won’t make me a car,” Meyer said. “And you can sit in church till your bottom is flat and that won’t make you a servant of Christ.”

Meyer’s ministry has attracted millions of devoted followers through a successful TV show, a Web site, a radio show and Meyer’s books. Her 80th title, “Eat the Cookie … Buy the Shoes: Giving Yourself Permission to Lighten Up,” is coming out today. She said she has sold in excess of 20 million books. Her headquarters in a sprawling complex outside St Louis was paid for with cash, she said.

It is in large part Meyer’s honesty about her struggles that makes her so appealing to so many.

More to the story

Vanessa Miller’s ‘Yesterday’s Promise’ Now Available

Shavar — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:30:58 +0000

Essence Magazine‘s National Bestselling Novelist, Vanessa Miller, tackles the issue of women preachers in her newly released novel, ‘Yesterday’s Promise.’

Christian romance novelist, Vanessa Miller, reminds us that the steps of a man, or a woman, are ordered by the Lord, no matter what plans they may make, in her upcoming release, Yesterday’s Promise.

She beautifully intertwines this underlying theme as she takes on the long-standing issue of women preachers through the interaction between Melinda Johnson and her ex-fiance, Steven Marks.

Product Description
Melinda Johnson has always felt called to ministry. So, when her father, Bishop Langston Johnson, decides to step down after thirty years of leadership at Omega Christian Center, it seems only natural for her to take his place. But Bishop Johnson feels led by a God who has other things in mind, and to succeed him, he appoints Steven Marks-a man who is opposed to female pastors, not to mention the fact that he is Melinda’s ex-fiance.

Feeling defeated, Melinda nevertheless maintains her position as the church’s Missions and Community Outreach Director. Frequent interaction with the new bishop incites bitter sparring-and rekindles long-suppressed attraction, which grows only stronger when Melinda develops a relationship with Steven’s precious daughter, Brianna, who’s still struggling with the death of her mother.

Can Steven and Melinda set aside past pains, forgive each other, and learn to love again? Or will their opposing positions regarding women preachers keep them forever at odds?

About the Author
Vanessa Miller is a best-selling author, playwright, and motivational speaker. Her stage productions include Get You Some Business, Don’t Turn Your Back on God, and Can’t You Hear Them Crying. Vanessa self-published her first three books, which can now be found in Wal-Mart and most major bookstores, including African-American bookstores and online bookstores such as Amazon.com. Vanessa holds a degree in organizational communication from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. She is a dedicated Christian and a devoted mother who also serves in her church as an ordained exhorter. Vanessa lives in Dayton, Ohio.

Get it at Amazon

Marvin Sapp’s ‘Here I Am’ is Highest Charting Gospel Album

Shavar — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:00:25 +0000

Gospel music recording artist Marvin Sapp has raised the bar and broken records with “Here I Am,” his anticipated follow up to 2007′s “Thirsty.”

Not only debuting atop the Gospel Albums chart, Sapp’s “Here I Am” debuted at no.2 on the Billboard 200 chart in the company of mainstream acts including Ludacris, Lady Antebellum and Raheem Devaughn.

With 76,000 copies moved in its first week of release, “Here I Am” is not just Sapp’s best debut but the highest charting Gospel album in the 54-year existence of the Billboard 200. Up until this week, no gospel album had reached higher than No. 3 – a rank that was met by Kirk Franklin & God’s Property with their 1997 album “The Nu Nation Project.”

Speaking of the album’s success, which was fueled by the inspirational single “The Best In Me,” Sapp told New York radio listeners “All I wanted to do on this CD was pour out what God poured into me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to minister in song and I hope this is just the beginning of where this CD is going.”

“Here I Am” is also no.1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, Top Christian Gospel and Top Christian/Gospel Digital Albums chart.

Source

Actress Tasha Smith Talks Christianity in Hope Magazine

Shavar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:02 +0000

Actress Tasha Smith talks about her Christian faith in Hope Magazine, the first Christian lifestyle magazine to celebrate the diversity of women of faith.

Gracing the cover of the mag, Tasha also discusses her blooming career, her new Tasha Smith Actors Workshop and her new career as an author.

Excerpts from the interview:

Tasha on how in the midst of personal struggles, she was led to the Lord:
“…The second I read the Word of God, it shone light in my heart as to who the Lord was. It is something you can’t explain in a natural, logical way because it is a spiritual experience.”

On being a Christian in Hollywood
“People can live anywhere if they understand who they are. My environment does not determine my faith. My experience of God determines my faith, so no matter where I am, I am still a Christian.”

On God teaching her to dream big:
“If God can do anything above what I can dream or imagine, my job is to dream as big as I can because my God can do exceedingly above that!”

YBF

Aretha Franklin’s 1972 “Amazing Grace” to Be A Sidney Pollack Film

Shavar — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:00:10 +0000

Well here’s some good news for this fine Sunday morning.

My friends over at Shadow and Act is reporting that Aretha Franklin’s best-selling 1972 album Amazing Grace has over 20 hours of film footage of the recording session and is now being turned into a documentary.

Wow, what took’em?

The recording sessions on those two nights way back in January of 1972 at L.A.’s New Temple Missionary Baptist Church were captured on film by a 4-man camera crew, headed by the late director Sydney Pollack.

Wow, hope there’s some actual behind-the-scenes photos as well–love vintage photos!

Now, some 38 years later, the footage is being edited and prepped into a concert film for possible theatrical distribution, billed as a film by Sidney Pollack.

Get the full scoop at Shadow and Act