PRAYZEHYMN Online | where gospel music lives [2006: Year In Review]

By J. MATTHEW COBB
Founder, Editor-In-Chief of PRAYZEHYMN Entertainment
Posted: January 7, 2006

2006 delivered one of the most interesting seasons in gospel music history. It was a year that had its share of highlights and major events and also delivered an unexpected bundle of drama and controversy. As we journey into a new year of great expectations and hopes for a brighter future, let us look back at 2006 and remember from whence we've come. Of course, there was a lot ommited from this retrospective, but these are just some of the events that caught most of our attention: both good and bad. Now let us take a trip on that good ol' gospel ship...back into 2006.

JANUARY	Stellar Vision At the Stellar Awards, Jonathan Nelson wins Song Of The Year for "I'm Healed", while Donald Lawrence sweeps with "I Speak Life" winning Artist Of The Year, Group/Duo Of The Year, CD Of The Year, Contemporary Group/Duo Of The Year and Contemporary CD Of The Year. Dianne Williams, longtime lead vocalist for Dr. Charles G. Hayes & the Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer, wins Female Vocalist of the Year for a remake of "Jesus Can Work It Out"; a song she recorded merely twenty years ago. Tonex' Announces "Retirement" A painful, unexpected breakup and divorce with his wife Yvette leads Tonex' (Anthony Williams, II) to announce his retirement from recording gospel music. The specifics were disclosed regarding the reasons of his departure, but direct quotes and statements were posted on his MySpace to his fans - days before he closed his account. Lou Rawls Passes Lou Rawls, best known for his kind heart and his anchoring support towards the United Negro College Fund, inserted his brand of cool into R&B and soul music and even experienced a great comeback in the 1970s on the Philadelphia International Records' (PIR) label with "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine". His style was best summed up to be a combination of Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke. He also got his start singing gospel music and recalled singing with Sam Cooke in a 50's gospel group called the Teenage Kings Of Harmony. Rawls, before his passing, recorded two gospel projects on the Malaco music label. Rawls passed away on January 6. Wilson 'Wicked' Pickett Passes Wilson, an Alabama native, known for his powerful growls and raw soulful singing, transformed the R&B/southern soul music of the 1960s and that imprint was left on popular hits including "Mustang Sally", "Funky Broadway" and "In The Midnight Hour". He also got his start singing gospel music. Pickett passed away on January 19. Pilgrim Baptist Church Set Ablaze The historic oasis of the birth of gospel music caught on fire on January 6. In the church, Thomas A. Dorsey's original sheet music and historic records. Dorsey was known for introduces gospel music here while serving as the church's chief musician. Andrae' Crouch Celebrates 40; Releases New Album 2006 marked the 40th anniversary for the legendary innovator of contemporary gospel music. Crouch's national recording career began in 1966 with the forming of the Disciples. He celebrated this occasion with the release of "Mighty Wind"; the latest of more than thirty albums in his discography.
FEBRUARY	What The Heze Rumors and unclaimed press releases, mostly surrounding the website musicnewsweekly.com, leaked into the media regarding rumors of homosexuality and sexual misconduct. The reports claimed that Pastor Hezekiah Walker acknowledged these reports and would be stepping down as pastor of his church. The report was stated to be slander. Walker would later release a press statement ending the rumors and false allegations. KJLH Interview With Tonex' Hits The Press Los Angeles radio station KJLH 102.3 interviewed Tonex' and became a highlight in the month of February. He discuses his feelings about the music industry, his failed marriage and his failure to appear on the BET's Celebration of Gospel. The interview began to circulate across the Internet. Juanita Bynum Gets In The Pastor Seat Bynum announces her new duties as the pastor of the newly-erected Global Destiny International Center in Atlanta. Coretta Scott King Funeralized At New Birth in Atlanta Widow of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Coretta Scott King passed away on January 30 and is funeralized at New Birth Cathedral in Atlanta on February 7. The funeral made history as four U.S. presidents were in attendance (Bush, Clinton, Bush, Carter). Elder Bernice King provided the eulogy while moving and captivating speeches were made by Rev. Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan and Rev. Joseph Lowery. Byron Cage, Jeff Majors, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin provided music. Grammy Recap Donnie, CeCe, Yolanda and Gladys Knight win in gospel categories; Mariah Carey delivers live performance of "Fly Like A Bird" featuring Hezekiah Walker & the Love Fellowship Choir.
MARCH	Martha Munizzi Hits #1 on Gospel Charts A first for a non-African American, Munizzi takes her cross-cultural brand of worship to the gospel community and skyrockets "No Limits" to #1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Album Charts. Ricky Dillard Gets Roughed Up In front of a Gladys Knight/Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles restaurant in Atlanta, gospel performer Ricky Dillard is met with opposition from a security guard. No known facts are given as to what the reasons were, but the press reported the incident and mentioned Dillard's hospitalization. We suspect foul play.
APRIL	Jerry Mannery Resigns From Malaco, D.A. Johnson Receives Promotion Longtime executive director Jerry Mannery steps down from his position at Malaco Music Group to take up duties at OwensMorris Communications based in Chicago. D.A. Johnson currently sits in the executive Director chair over the Gospel division. Dr. Charles Fold Passes Renowned for recording with Rev. James Cleveland and for popular songs including "Jesus Is The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me", "Lord, Let Me Be An Instrument" and "This Too Shall Pass", Charles Fold passes away after a period of failing health. He also served as the President of the GMWA Chapter Representatives up to his death. Mandisa Performs "Shackles" And Gets The Boot On Idol After making it to the Top 10 on FOX's American Idol, contestant Mandisa Hundley performs "Shackles (Praise You)" on March 28 on the show - a definite first for gospel music being sung on the show's final episodes. She would be later eliminated a week later on April 5 and was a big shocker to the public since they believed she would have made it to the finals. The Finale' Is Realized Donald Lawrence announces the retiring of the Tri-City Singers; the popular musical aggregation from the Carolinas Lawrence led for over fifteen years. The album was releases as two entities ("Act One", "Act Two") and featured a companion DVD with each separate disc. Both albums nestled on the Billboard Gospel Charts at #4 and #5 respectively.
MAY	Ryan Baker Gets Into Trouble Background dancer and hip-hop choreographer for Dorinda Clark-Cole, Ryan Baker made the news in Detroit in a very bad way. WXYZ News reported alarming information to the public about him being a convicted sexual pedophile and usually made his rounds in local churches. They also mentioned his violations for breaking probation orders. He was also caught for a second time violating his probation after he confessed to molesting a woman's 14-year old son. Oprah Honors Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle and Shirley Caesar at the Legends' Ball The exclusive Legends' Ball, a tribute to a select number of legendary African-American women, was televised on ABC. The special was a definite winner in ratings and honored the late Coretta Scott-King, Gladys Knight, Maya Angelou, Patti LaBelle and Shirley Caesar. She also invited a number of "young'ins" to the celebration as they paid tribute to their influences. The closing Sunday Brunch was spiced with gospel music from DeNetria Champ, BeBe Winans, Donnie McClurkin and the Hawkins Family. Walter Hawkins' "Changed" was the closing selection and allowed Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle and Mariah Carey to sing God's praises. Bishop Morton Records New Project With Kurt Carr Slated to be the official return and victory recording for Paul S. Morton, the recording was announced at first to take place in Tennessee but was moved to Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Church in New Orleans, Louisiana. Special musical guests included Tramaine Hawkins, Gwen Morton and Chrystal Rucker. Verity Announces Lawsuit Against Tonex' The numbers are high as Zomba/Verity announces that their lawsuit against Tonex' for $1 million dollars is official. The lawsuit surrounds his failure to comply with contract agreements, breach of contract and slander. Tonex' planned, in a press release, to countersue. Crystal Rose Signs Earnest Pugh, Re-Release Independent Project Detroit-based Crystal Rose Records announces the signing of Earnest Pugh; whom had released his independent gospel project "A Worshipper's Perspective" prior to the signing. The album would be later re-released on the Crystal Rose label - receiving national distribution and an increase of sales.
JUNE	Ruben Studdard Beats Former Manager In Court $2 million was awarded to American Idol champ and R&B/gospel singer Ruben Studdard in litigation against his former manager for misappropiating the singer's funds. Billy Preston Passes On June 6, the "Fifth Beatle" passed away. He got his start playing for Mahalia Jackson and began making huge strides in the entertainment industry performing with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Sly Stone, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones and Sammy Davis, Jr. Known for writing "You Are So Beautiful" and recording "Nothing From Nothing", "Will It Go 'Round In Circles", the Grammy-winner "Outta-Space" and "With You I'm Born Again" during the 1970s and 80s, the renowned organist/singer impacted R&B and pop music - particularly with musicians. His sister is Rodena Preston-Williams; longtime music chairperson of the Gospel Music Workshop of America. Roy "Mr. Malaco" Wooten Passes Roy Wooten, a longtime mogul at Malaco Records and booking agent for a number of gospel artists including the Canton Spirituals and Slim & the Supreme Angels, passed away of colon cancer. He also served on the executive board for the Mississippi Mass Choir. Out Of Eden Ends Career Contemporary Christian artists Out Of Eden announced their disbanning after the release of their 2006 greatest hits album. They began their career with "Lovin' The Day" in 1994 on Gotee Records.
JULY	Clark Sisters Record Together For The Last Time At the Church Of God In Christ AIM Convention, the Clark Sisters recorded together for what is said to be the last recording session for the renowned gospel group. The album, "One Last Time", is slated to be released in March 2007 and produced by Donald Lawrence on the EMI Gospel label. Queen Of Soul Hosts Revival Aretha Franklin brings preaching and great singing to Greater Emmanuel Institutional COGIC on July 27-29 in Detroit for city-wide revival. Special guests include Karen Clark-Sheard, Richard Smallwood & Vision, Dr. Bobby Jones, Micah Stampley, Beverly Crawford, Daryl Coley, Twinkie Clark and Bishop James Morton. PRAYZEHYMN Life Debuts PRAYZEHYMN gets a big extension with the monthly culture-based PRAYZEHYMN Life. The feature includes updated favorite picks in music, television, fashion, special events and books. BET Music Awards '06 Yolanda Adams stretches boundaries by performing "Sweet Thing" and "I'm Every Woman" with Stevie Wonder, Prince and India.Arie in a tribute to Chaka Khan. Fantasia also puzzles the world with her tongue-kissing act on Oscar winner Jamie Foxx during a performance. On a lighter note, Mary Mary sings "Yesterday" in a tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and moves the audience to tears. 21:03 Gets Reshaped The urban contemporary group founded by J. Moss gets a number of unexpected changes in just one month. Sean Grant leaves the group after their debut project is released and states his retirement from gospel music. 2000 winner on the Showtime at the Apollo Kids Talent Search J'orel Quinn is the replacement.
AUGUST	GMWA Takes Over Dallas The annual convention draws 15,000+ to Dallas, Texas. Highlights include Bishop Kenneth Moales' address during the Consecration service, the Tribute to the King service and performances from Lucinda Moore, Coko, Yolanda Adams, Dave Hollister, Vanessa Bell-Armstrong, the huge Dallas Chapter choir and the big surprise of them all: Keith Pringle's appearance with the Southern California Chapter on "Perfect Peace". Caravans Release New Album After Three Decades The reunion-album, "Paved The Way", is released on Malaco Records. Shirley Caesar is not on the project - but Evelyn Turrentine -Agee appears on "No Coward Soldier". Wilmington Chester Mass Choir Leaves AIR and Goes To Emtro Formerly on the Atlanta International Records' label (which is now owned by Malaco), the Wilmington Chester Mass Choir finds a new home with Emtro Gospel. The highly-respected choir was founded by the late Rev. Ernest Davis and released a number of hits including "He's Preparing Me", "God's Mercy" and "Stand Still (Until His Will Is Clear)". Contemporary Christian Sensation Carman Signed To Tyscot Carman, known for recording a number of best-selling Contemporary Christian albums in the 1980s and 90s, is signed to the Indianapolis-based music label.
SEPTEMBER	Donnie And CeCe Together The joint tour uniting Donnie McClurkin and CeCe Winans kicks off in Buffalo, New York on September 7.
OCTOBER	Eddie Long Gets Ludicrous Bishop Eddie L. Long, pastor of New Birth Cathedral in Atlanta and familiar gospel supporter, appears on Ludacris' 2006 project "Release Therapy". The album bears an Parental Guidance Advisory sticker and becomes a controversial subject for the famed preacher. Patti Goes On Church Tour R&B legend Patti LaBelle kicks off her "The Gospel According To Patti LaBelle Tour"on October 7 at the Potter's House Church in Dallas, Texas. The fourteen-date tour is hosted at some of America's mega-churches and would feature special guests Mary Mary, Tye Tribbett & G.A., J. Moss, Wynonna Judd, CeCe Winans and Yolanda Adams. 22nd Stellar Award Nominations Are Announced Donald Lawrence gets eight nods, while Kirk (7), Myron (7), CeCe (6) and Tye (6) trail closely. Moore and 'More Good News R&B stars and married couple Kenny Lattimore and Chante' Moore release "Uncovered/Covered" on LaFace and Verity Records. A double-CD of gospel and R&B songs, it peaks at #95 (pop), #10 (R&B), #2 (gospel). Fred Hammond handled most of the gospel production. Kelly Price Sings The Gospel On October 24, GospoCentric Records release Kelly Price's debut gospel project, "This Is Who I Am" and peaked at #56 (pop) and #9 (R&B). Chris Jones Passes Tyscot recording artist and Detroit native passes away on October 8. He recorded his brand of urban contemporary gospel with Word of Praise on the albums "Like A Rock" and "Dance" (his last album). R.J. Helton Comes Out Of The Closet American Idol finalist and former GospoCentric artist, R.J. Helton announces he is gay on the Larry Flick's "OutQ In The Morning" show on the SIRIUS' Satellite network. He mentions that he ceased to perform inspirational gospel songs for brief period because he felt it conflicted with the traditions of the "mainstream church".
NOVEMBER	Rev. Ted Haggard Makes The News: "I Am A Deceiver And A Liar" Big news everywhere. Rev. Ted Haggard, former pastor of mega-church Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is first accused of taking drugs and for having sexual relations with men - even though he is a married man. The allegations thrusted its way into the forefront of news coverage and eventually Haggard would admit to some of the claims. These events took place during the height of election campaigns as Democrats seeked to gain control of the Senate and House of Representatives. Haggard eventually stepped down from his position as pastor. PRAYZEHYMN Celebrates Five Year Anniversary Five year anniversary begins at PRAYZEHYMN. Major events included the MP3 Player Giveaway, major updates and the HI-5: PRAYZEHYMN Anniversary Celebration in Birmingham (featuring Trini Massie, Jamel Strong and others). Kirk Franklin Wins American Music Award On November 21, Kirk Franklin received an American Music Award for Favorite Artist in the Contemporary Inspirational category. Kevin Vasser Receives Successful Kidney Transplant After being diagnosed with kidney failure, EMI Gospel's Kevin Vasser received kidney transplant surgery and was successful. JDI Adds Beverly Crawford To Roster The renowned traditional gospel singer who recorded on the EMI/Dexterity record label and sung for years with Bobby Jones & New Life was signed to JDI Records. Richard Smallwood Inducted Into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame On November 14, Richard Smallwood received the distinct honor for being inducted into the GMA Foundation's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. Tyscot Co-Founder Craig Tyson Passes Co-founder of Tyscot Records and gospel producer and songwriter, Craig Tyson passed away on November 30. He along with Dr. Leonard Scott started the label in 1976.
DECEMBER	Massive Concert In Africa Attracts 85,000 Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin, Israel & New Breed and others perform for concert making record-breaking attendance history in gospel music. Shirley Murdock Makes Tyscot Her Home After recording an album on EMI Gospel/Dexterity, Shirley Murdock makes a transition to Tyscot Records. Max Siegel Makes Departure From Verity; Makes A Run For NASCAR On December 14, former Senior Vice President of Zomba Max Siegel announced his move to Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; a NASCAR-supported company named after the race legend. Siegal also was the president of Zomba Gospel - which operated Verity and GospoCentric labels. Jazzy Jordan, a longtime industry veteran, was selected to succeed him. Sony Urban Announces Unexpected Closing Columbia and Sony BMG decided to close the doors on Sony Urban Music after seeing a slump in sales and now attempts to redevelop the organization. The labels leaders, which included Tara Griggs-Magee and Joseph Burney (former employees at Verity) is reported to no longer work for Sony. Patti LaBelle Hits Gospel's #1 The R&B legend hits it big with the release of "The Gospel According To Patti LaBelle" after her album soars to #1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Album charts. Local News: Hallelujah FM Hits The Can; Replaced With A Rock Controversy looms over the instant change of music format from gospel to modern rock on the HALLELUJAH FM 105.5 FM radio station in Birmingham. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications and had a history for being the first black radio station on FM in Birmingham and was founded by Dr. A.G. Gaston. Mattie Bowman, Vickie Winans' Mother, Passes Mother of gospel singer Vickie Winans, Mattie Bowman passed away after recovering from a stroke that took place on Labor Day. James Brown Passes On Christmas Eve The Godfather of Soul, responsible for birthing funk, soul and disco music, passed away on Christmas Day. While incorporating elements of gospel music into his own musical style, Brown created such pop and R&B hits including "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", "Out Of Sight", "Say It Loud", "I Feel Good (I Got You)" and hundreds of other hits.

OTHER VALUABLE RESOURCES TO LOOK INTO:
We perish because of the lack of knowledge. Get schooled.

Esssentially 2006 - PRAYZEHYMN's top twelve albums of the year. A definite must-read.
Simply The Best 2006 - Revealed winners of the best of 2006 in multiple categories.
Generation Next: 2006 Edition - Eleven emerging artists are taking gospel music by storm. Read more about it.
A Gospel Recap of 2006 - Gospelflava.com's article on 2006 and its highlights.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly [Part II] - Best albums and news from 2006 - a Nuthinbutgospel.com feature.