PRAYZEHYMN Online | where gospel music lives [Year In Review 2008]

By J. MATTHEW COBB
Founder, Editor-In-Chief of PRAYZEHYMN Entertainment
Posted: January 12, 2009

LOOKING BACK at the calendar of events of 2008 isn't all depressing. Yes, the cold blows of the economic recession and the gloom of unending and an unpopular war may have made the headlines, but 2008 still had its share of good news. For the gospel community and the church, 2008 was blessed to bring in new innovations and advancements for a genre still in search for worldwide acceptance. That hero was found in the unapologetic gospel anthem, "Never Would Have Made It," by Marvin Sapp. The song exploded off of the gospel charts and making serious strides on R&B and pop charts. It even made the Associated Press's AP Best Songs list of 2008. And for a song that doesn't sound like hip-hop, "Never Would Have Made It" proved to be a rewarding olive branch to the ever-fading traditional gospel style. It's the comeback moment we all have been waiting for.

But there's lots to go through: from Senator Obama's historic run to the White House to Kwame Kilpatrick's embarrasing run to the Big House, from Mary Mary's big album release to Hillsong's big drama release. You have to admit it's been one heck of a year. We reveal the good, the bad and the ugly of 2008's most popular events.

Sen. Barack Obama wins Democratic nomination and becomes the 44th U.S. president
With very intense campaigning and later facing off with Democratic rival Sen. Hillary D. Clinton during a swinging primary, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) won the Democratic nomination; setting numerous fundraising records and becoming the first African-American to clinch the Democratic party’s nomination. He would later choose Sen. Joe Biden as his vice-presidential running mate. Facing off against Sen. John McCain, Obama won the presidency with over 53% of the popular vote and even winning in a number of battleground states. Obama will become the first African American to be elected as the commander-in-chief of the Unites States.

IRS looks into Yolanda Adams
This went under most people’s radar, but gospel historians will remember it as a tough headline for the gospel diva Yolanda Adams. According to the Houston Chronicle, Adams failed to keep an appointment ordered by the IRS to further explain her financial affairs and to determine her tax liability. The probe from the feds contain records dating back to 2000.

Gospel Today Magazine temporarily banned from Lifeway Christian Stores
Gospel Today Magazine, headed by industry veteran Teresa Hairston, made headlines in September when the magazine was pulled from the Southern Baptist-operated Lifeway Christian Stores for its front cover featuring women pastors in liturgical wear. In order to purchase the issue, one had to request it from the store clerk. Southern Baptists do no accept the idea of women serving as a church pastor.

MOMENTS IN TIME
Looks harmless, doesn't it. Well Lifeway Christian Stores were deeply hurt that they removed the Christian lifestyle magazine from their shelves because the September issue featured women pastors on the cover. Featured above: Rev. Claudette Copeland, Rev. Millicent Hunter, Pastor Sheryl Brady, Pastor Tamara Bennett and Pastor Cynthia Hale; front cover of Gospel Today magazine

J Moss owes in child support
No one saw this coming but renowned producer and gospel singer ended up in court with Lakisha Hughes, of Douglasville, Georgia, as she wanted closure regarding a paternity test on her son Christion. A court order from the Oakland Circuit Court ordered for James L. Moss to pay child support after the DNA test proved he was the child’s father with a 99.9 percent accuracy. Hughes also confessed that Moss, a married man, offered to pay abortion expenses but never provided any medical care. J Moss is slated to pay $1,028 a month and had no comment for the Detroit Press or other media resources. Instead of singing “we must pray,” maybe the embattled singer needs to record “we must pay.”

Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac passes
Within hours, R&B/soul sensation and TV star Isaac Hayes, 65, and renowned comedian/actor Bernie Mac, 50, passed away on the first weekend of August. Isaac Hayes, mostly known for his penning the Oscar and Grammy-winning “Theme from Shaft,” was found unconscious in his home next to a still-running treadmill. He remains a celebrated figure in the world of soul music for his genre-bending records on the Stax label and for writing groundbreaking hits including “Hold On, I’m Coming,” “Soul Man” and Carla Thomas’s “B-A-B-Y.” Mac, the Peabody winner of his successful sitcom The Bernie Mac Show, passed away from compilations due to pneumonia and his battle with sarcoidosis. The two, before their passing, worked together on the movie Soul Men, which also features Samuel L. Jackson, which was released later on in the fall. Both of the legends’ funerals were of mammoth size - bringing in a large number of dignitaries, celebrities and musicians.

CoCo Brother and Joann Rosairo announces wedding plans
Cory “CoCo” Condrey, the voice at Hot 107.9 and the mastermind of local radio show The Spirit, made the announcement on a morning show that he was set to marry the beautiful Joann Rosario; gospel singer and former background singer for Fred Hammond. Okay, boys and girls, the two are officially off the market now. Moving on.

Clark Sisters, Donald Lawrence and DeWayne Woods win big at Stellar Awards
Dominating the big chunk of Stellars in 2008 was the Clark Sisters (Artist of the Year, Group/Duo of the Year/CD of the Year, Traditional Group/Duo of the Year) while newcomer DeWayne Woods came up second; winning New Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. Donald Lawrence, who racked up a number of Stellars in 2007 for Tri-City Singers’ Finale’, produced both musical affairs..

Israel & New Breed and the Clark Sisters perform with Aretha Franklin on the 50th GRAMMY Awards
Not uncommon in GRAMMY history, the night inserted a rousing revival of gospel music featuring the Clark Sisters, Israel & New Breed and Trin-i-tee 5:7 (all who were nominated in that year’s category of gospel entries). They were all joined with the reigning Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin on the closing finale’ of “Old Landmark.” Franklin, the 2008 recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year award, also sung alongside BeBe Winans on the GRAMMY-winning “Never Gonna Break My Faith.”

GMA calls for diversity
In an aim to bring new blood and attention to the Dove Awards, the Gospel Music Association announced their decision to open up the slots, from the traditional four to seven, in all categories. GMA’s CEO John W. Styll cited the difficulty in the past for the artist categories to fairly represent and celebrate the depth of gospel music’s diversity. While the Clark Sisters and DeWayne Woods were nominated in the bigger categories, tobyMac, Chris Tomlin, and Casting Crowns ended up winning the large share of awards. Guess we need to diversify the board of voters as well.

MOMENTS IN TIME
The Clark Sisters walk out of the 50th Grammy Awards with all three gospel awards they were nominated for. What a sweep. This will be their first set of Grammys of their entire 30+ year career. Featured above: Karen, Dorinda and Jacky posing with awards. Photo courtesy of Associated Press.

Clark Sisters goes home with their first set of GRAMMYs
Entering into the race with three nominations, the Clark Sisters took home all three awards in the Best Traditional Gospel Album, Best Gospel Performance and Best Gospel Song categories for their 2007 project Live: One Last Time.

Kwame Kilpatrick finally resigns as mayor of Detroit
Black politics hits an all-time low after Kwame Kilpatrick, the youngest-elected mayor in Detroit’s history, announced his resignation as mayor in September. He was part of a plea bargain when he also pled guilty to two felonies for obstruction of justice. Kilpatrick dragged Detroit through two years of decrypting negativity and even escalated to the point where the embattled mayor began to attack the media and city council for not defending him. The scandal esclated - even including sexual text messages to Chief of Staff Christine Beatty and a federal investigation concerning payoff schemes and kickbacks. After the city council approved a resolution to request Michigan’s governor, Jennifer Granholm, to remove Kilpatrick from office, he announced his resignation as mayor. Earlier in January, Kilpatrick faced the media pleading for forgiveness and a pardon from the citizens of Detroit at his home church of Greater Emmanuel Institutional COGIC; the church where gospel singer Karen Clark-Sheard and her husband serve as church pastors.

Hillsong controversy looms over Mike Gugliemucci’s fabricated testimony
Major disappointment rose over the false testimony delivered by Michael Guliemucci on a moving hit song “Healer” on a Hillsong Australia album. Captured during the live recording of the best-selling church choir’s project, Guliemucci claimed he was suffering from cancer and talked about getting a “cancer diagnosis” on the CD/DVD. He later confessed to the lies and admitted that he really had an addiction to pornography. The label, whom had no comment for the press, has gone about trying to edit out the testimony on the companion DVD from future releases.

Holy hip-hop rapper Lecrae makes history on Gospel charts
Rap makes a big noise on the gospel charts in 2008 when Lecrae released his third project Rebel; selling 9,800 units in its first week. The album climbed to the number one spot on Billboard’s Top Gospel Album charts and stayed there for a second week. Rebel becomes the first Christian rap album to accomplish this feat.

Mt. Calvary makes headlines after upset church member sends out disturbing emails
Mt. Calvary Holy Church, a popular house of worship in Washington. D.C. for African-Americans, made headlines in 2008 when an upset parishioner of the church launched a series of inflammatory emails; exposing more than 100 members of the church as being gay. It detailed activities and loads of allegations with explicit content of various members of the church - many of them were choir members, ushers, deacons and even clergy officiants. The distressing emails leaked out to the media and revealed a great deal of homophobia within the black church.

Sen. Obama faces political concerns due to Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s viewpoints
Rev. Jeremiah Wright, retired pastor of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ and former pastor of presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, becomes the center of attention when ABC News aired controversial excerpts from sermons at the church. The snippets focused on racailly-inflammatory and anti-American comments - contradicting the loving and evolving America Obama was trying to present while on his campaign. Obama later announces his departure as a member from the church.

Rev. Timothy Wright involved in car crash; kills wife and grandson
The Godfather of Gospel survived a fatal car accident involving a drunk driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 80. Wright, along with his wife Betty and his grandson, were on their way home from a church conference in Detroit. Rev. Wright was the only survivor and is still undergoing rehabilitation

Renowned guitarist Spanky Alford passes
Backing the Mighty Clouds of Joy and enjoying great success as a session guitarist for D’Angelo, Joss Stone, Mary J. Blige, Al Green, the Bee Gees and Raphael Saadiq, Chalmers “Spanky” Alford passed away in March from complications of diabetes. He also played for other gospel groups including the Canton Sprituals and the Gospel Keynotes.

MOMENTS IN TIME
After surviving a deadly car accident claiming the lives of his wife and grandson, Rev. Timothy Wright fights for his life through extensive rehabilitation and vows for a comeback. Featured above: Rev. Wright at Kesler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey.

Hope Nation Tour takes off
One of the only successful gospel tours of 2008, the Hope Nation Tour featured Myron Butler & Levi, multiple Stellar Award winner DeWayne Woods, Coko, Jonathan Nelson, Ted Wynn and hip-hop gospel star Canton Jones and was sponsored by the Gospel Music Channel and World Vision.

Dottie Rambo dies in fatal bus crash
A devastating shocker to us all, Dottie Rambo, author of well-beloved modern gospel hymns like He Looked Beyond My Faults, We Shall Behold Him and I Go To the Rock, died as a result of injuries in a bus accident outside of Mount Vernon, Missouri. She was en route to a Mother’s Day show in Texas when her bus ran off the road, striking a guard rail and hitting an embankment. Bad weather was also a big player in the fatal accident.

Judith Christie-McAllister records album in New York
Respected worship leader and gospel singer Judith Christie-McAllister took to New York City for her next live recording session. The soon-to-be-released project was recorded at the Greater Allen AME Cathedral in Jamaica, NY.

Ira Tucker, legendary Dixie Hummingbird singer, passes
The long surviving member of the Dixie Hummingbirds, Ira Tucker passed away in South Carolina due to hear failure. He was one of the leading members of one of the Golden Era’s greatest groups and was even featured on Paul Simon’s pop gospel hit “Loves Me Like a Rock” in 1972.

Gospel music honored at the White House; Kurt Carr, Spensha Baker and Walter Hawkins performs
With September being designated as Gospel Music Month by the U.S. Senate and June being honored annually for Black Music Month, President George Bush celebrates the wealth and legacy of gospel music at the White House with a live concert. Attendees included Dr. Bobby Jones, GMA’s CEO John Styll, Dr. Dorothy Height and Teresa Hairston. Kurt Carr, Walter Hawkins and Spensha Baker performed for the relatively small, but invite-only group

Marvin Sapp’s Thirsty goes gold
With “Never Would Have Made It” reigning atop the gospel, R&B and pop charts, Marvin Sapp’s project, Thirsty, was certified by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 units.

Stellar Awards inks multi-year agreement with Gospel Music Channel
The Gospel Music Channel will become the exclusive first-run cable home for the Stellar Awards. Begininng in 2008, the Gospel Music Channel will premiere the Stellar Awards on Sunday, Arch 1 after its first broadcast syndication window run.

Greater St. Stephens destroyed by fire
Still bouncing back from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, the church community of Greater St. Stephens Full Gospel Baptist Church of New Orleans were hit with a major blow when a three-alarm fire destroyed the 2,00o seat sanctuary. According to Bishop Paul S. Morton, he stated that investigators suspected the fire starting in the choir loft behind the church’s pulpit area.

Gospel Dream airs, crowns Melinda Watts the winner
Another American Idol knock-off, Gospel Dream aired on the Gospel Music Channel and crowned Melinda Watts, 29, the winner of the competition. Big Jim Wright, Martha Munizzi and J Moss served as the competitions’ judges.

Gerald Henry departs from BET’s Lift Every Voice
Slowly and tenderly, Gerald Henry was moved from his anchoring post at BET’s Lift Every Voice. He served the network for nine years. The network’s executives decided to shift the program in a different direction without him.

MOMENTS IN TIME
The White House opens their doors to celebrate the legacy of gospel music with a special concert celebration dueing Black Music Month. Featured above: President George W. Bush with Kurt Carr, Spensha Baker and Walter Hawkins.

TMZ blasts Bishop Thomas Weeks on his attempt to find his next wife
The popular tabloid program, TMZ, put out a blitz on Bishop Thomas Weeks, former wife of popular preacher and best-selling gospel artist Juanita Bynum, when he announced a series of webisodes on his church website documenting his search for a new spouse. TMZ commented” “A bunch of women - presumably those with a high threshold for pain - have responded.”

Rev. Lawrence C. Roberts, Savoy producer and pastor, passes
One of the earliest black producers, Rev. Lawrence C. Roberts gave birth to some of the most soulful and historic sides to come out of New Jersey’s Savoy Records. At the age of 77, that voice was silenced in July 2008. Roberts produced the historic Peace Be Still album for James Cleveland in 1960 and featured his Angelic Choir as background support. Other gospel greats he produced and worked with included the Angelic Gospel Singers, Roberta Martin, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark and the Caravans.

Gospel Music Month recognized in September; Gospel Music Channel airs features
The month of September was designated by the U.S. Senate as Gospel Music Heritage Month -a definite first for gospel music to be recognized by Congress. The Gospel Music Channel celebrated the month with special festivities including concerts, documentaries and online programming.

Shekinah Glory Ministry goes gold with Live album
Another popular release, Live, an independent project from Chicago’s Shekinah Glory Ministry, was certified gold. This becomes the group’s second straight RIAA gold record released.

Dee Dee Warwick passes
Newark native Dee Dee Warwick, the young sister of Dionne Warwick and niece of gospel singer Cissy Houston, passed away in October due to failing health. She originally sung with the Drinkard Singers performing gospel music before stepping out with the Sweet Inpsirations whom recorded with greats including Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack and Wilson Pickett. She recorded hits including “Foolish Fool” and the origjnal version of “You’re No Good.”

“I Trust You” becomes the second longest running #1 single on gospel radio
A new number one hit is crowned in America when James Fortune & FIYA claimed the hot spot originally occupied by Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It.” “I Trust You” continued to reign at number one as 2009 approached.

Jennifer Hudson loses mother and relatives in domestic home shooting
Oscar winner and former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson woke up to some terrible news on October 24 when she learned of the murders of her mother and brother. After an AMBER alert went out for her missing nephew, Julian, they discovered he was found dead in a vehicle on October 27. The police and authorities targeted William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister Julia, as being the killer. This tragic event comes on the wake of her debut project’s success. Jennifer Hudson has since been certified gold.

MOMENTS IN TIME
Using the tradition of the horse-drawn carriage, the bodies of Darnell Donerson and Julian King, the mother and grandson to Oscar winner and American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson, were later laid to rest. It was reported that Fantasia Barrino sung at the private funeral service. Featured above: Pallbearers carry a casket out of the Apostolic Church of God after the funeral. Photo courtesy of Tasos Katopodis @ Getty Images

Marvin Sapp’s Thirsty makes music history
Another historic moment in 2008 included Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It” making Billboard music history; becoming the longest running number one single at radio across all genres in the history of Billboard.

Malaco Records celebrates 20th anniversary of the Mississippi Mass Choir
The world-renowned Mississippi Mass Choir celebrated 20 years in the music biz. The Jackson, Miss.-based choir was honored by Malaco Music Group with a commemorative CD/DVD honoring their legacy and an important milestone for their recording career.

Gabriel Hardeman readies for single lung transplant
Songwriter and pastor Gabriel Hardeman announces in December that he is need of a single lunge transplant due to his bout with interstitial fibrosis. He is best known for penning R&B hits form Stephanie Mills (“I Feel Good”) and Mikki Howard (“Love Under New Management”). He also penned a host of gospel hits for the GMWA Mass Choir (“Feels Like Fire”) and the Wilmington Chester Mass Choir.

Patterson’s wife sues pastor
In August, the widow of the COGIC Bishop G.E. Patterson sues the current pastor and her nephew Pastor Milton R. Hawkins, for access to the financial records of Bountiful Blessings, Inc. And Temple of Deliverance COGIC.

Pop Winans has multiple strokes; expected to recover
Patriarch of the Winans gospel dynasty, Pop Winans suffered from two strokes, a heart attack and multiple seizures. Doctors didn’t expect him to survive and call his recovery nothing short of being a miracle. According to Erma Byrd, the Winans’ publicist, Pop Winans is recovering and doing much better.

Olivia McClurkin, sister of Donnie McClurkin, passes from cancer
Member of the McClurkin Project and sister of gospel great Donnie McClurin, Olivia McClurkin succumbed after a nine year battle with cancer.

Mary Mary hits multiple genres on Billboard charts with The Sound
With an early-released single “Get Up,” Mary Mary celebrated the big release of The Sound in the U.S. on October 21 and debuted at number 7 on Billboard 200, number 2 R&B/hip-hop and number 1 on gospel charts. The single, “Get Up,” even reached the number one spot on the Dance charts.

LaShun Pace hospitalized; returns to music career
Stellar-award winning LaShun Pace underwent a medical procedure at an Atlanta medical center, where a small device was placed under her skin that uses electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at an normal rate. She looks forward to returning to normal activities and accepting engagements for 2009.

Dr. Bobby Jones commentates on BET and the Word Network for the 2008 Olympic games
Ambassador Bobby Jones embarks on a mission to China for the Olympic Games to interview various athletes for his TV programs that air on BET, the Word Network and the Gospel Music Channel. He is also featured in the August issue of JET magazine.

MOMENTS IN TIME
BET announces in its new line-up the inclusion of Generation Gospel; the spin-off of 106 & Park. The show will officially debut in January 2009. Featured above: Angel Taylor and Jo'rel Quinn, hosts of Generation Gospel. Photo courtesy of BET.com.

Margaret Allison, of the Angelic Gospel Singers, passes
Another important trailblazer, Margaret Allison passed away. She founded the Angelic Gospel Singers in 1944 and went on to record the gold-certified hit song ‘Touch Me Lord Jesus.” With over sixty years of recording and performing on labels including Gotham, Nashboro and Malaco, Margaret Allison and the Angelic Gospel Singers remains the longest selling female gospel group in history.

Dove Awards airs live on Gospel Music Channel
With a multi-year contract with the Gospel Music Channel, the Dove Awards was broadcasted live on April 23 - ending a six year period of only being shown in syndication. After its initial live appearance, the show was shown in national syndication.

Candi Staton signed to Emtro Gospel; Ann Nesby signed to Tyscot
After jumping back into her soul roots on the acclaimed His Hands project in 2006, Staton was announced to join the Emtro Gospel label and was slated to record her first ever worship project. Ann Nesby, the former lead vocalist for the Grammy award-winning Sounds of Blackness, was also announced to be joining the Tyscot Records’ label and will be releasing a new album in March 2009.

Michael Cook of the Mighty Clouds of Joy passes
Member of the legendary Mighty Clouds of Joy for over 20 years, Michael Cook died as a result of a massive coronary. He was 46.

Soul Stirrers unite for Malaco Records’ recording
Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Soul Stirrers recorded A Soul Stirring Reunion on Malaco Records; covering a bulk of the hits which were originally recorded with former group leaders Sam Cooke and Johnnie Taylor.

Bishop Charles Craig, III, longtime GMWA champion, succumbs to heart attack
Former chapter representative of the Detroit Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America and a member of the Craig Brothers, Bishop Charles Craig, III passed away of a massive heart attack at a Detroit hospital near his home.

BET launches new gospel show; Jor’el Quinn and Angel Taylor announced as hosts
Black Entertainment Television readies the launch of 106 & Park spin-off Generation Gospel. The announcement was made in late 2008 and is expected to feature Angel Taylor (of Trin-i-tee 5:7) and Jorel Quinn (of 21:03) as the show’s hosts.

Marvin Sapp wins BET Award for Best Gospel Artist
Marvin Sapp picked up the BET Award for Best Gospel Artist at the 20008 BET Awards. His performance of the hit song also proved to be a highlight in the show. This will be the first BET Award he has received in his career.

Chris Simpson involved in car crash; succumbs
Former member of Kirk Franklin’s Family and John P. Kee’s New Life Community Choir, Chris Simpson passes away after being hit but a careening car in Dallas. Simpson is best known for his vocal appearance on Franklin’s “Jesus Is The Reason for the Season.”

Edgar O’Neal, last member of the O’Neal Twins, passes
The last living of the O’Neal Twins, Edgar O’Neal, 70, passed away at a hospital after a short illness. O’Neal along with his late brother, Edward, were known for their list of hits including the 1980 groove “Jesus Dropped the Charges.” A performance of them was even featured in the motion picture Say Amen, Somebody.

MOMENTS IN TIME
Verizon Wireless sponsors one of the biggest gospel sensations of the century with the How Sweet the Sound choir competition. Featured above: Judge Pastor Hannah, Smokie Norful and Donald Lawrence performs at Chicago event of national competition. Courtesy of Tasos Katopodis @ Getty Images.

Donald Lawrence records live album in Chicago
Now without the Tri-City Singers, Donald Lawrence prepares for his live recording at Living Word Christian Center in Chicago, IL. The soon-to-be-released album, The Law of Confession, will feature performances from Vanessa Bell Armstrong and a Marvin Winans’ remake of “Redeemed.”

CCM artist Ray Boltz and AI finalist Clay Aiken comes out of the closet
The CCM community express disappointment over Ray Boltz’ decision to come out of the closet as an openly gay man. Boltz remained throughout the 1980s and ‘90s a fixation on TBN and for recording gold-certified albums including 1994's Moments for the Heart. He is known for recording the Dove Award-winning “Thank You” and “I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb.” The same result was felt over former American Idol finalist and best-selling pop artist Clay Aiken. A confessed Christian, Aiken appeared in the September issue of People magazine; ending years of public speculation on his sexuality.

BeBe & CeCe Winans debuts charity song on Oprah
During the zenith of the 2008 presidential election, BeBe & CeCe Winans, along with Vince Gill and Wynonna Judd, performed a moving ballad “Right Now (We Need One Another).” The song, written and produced by BeBe along with Tyler Haynes and Ross Koper, was made for public availability on iTunes.

Take 6 visits their jazz traditions with The Standard
Best-selling GRAMMY winning group Take 6 finds the group crafting an album that is totally devoted to their jazz roots. While they have always played with pop and crossover fame, Take 6 cuts their takes on “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” and Ella’s “A Tisket A Tasket.” The album features guest appearances from Al Jarreau, Brian McKnight and George Benson.

Time-Life releases Bobby Jones Presents the Ultimate Gospel Set collection
Dr. Bobby Jones teams up with Time-Life to present a new “As Seen On TV” product featuring the best of gospel music with Ultimate Gospel Collection. Jones, along with guest artists Tramaine Hawkins and Smokie Norful, has since aired commercials and half-hour TV specials on BET and BET J for the 7-CD set.

Verizon hosts How Sweet the Sound gospel choir competition and tour; Donald Lawrence, Marvin Sapp and Hezekiah Walker booked for events
Verizon Wireless made big noise this year when they featured the stellar working of the choir competition How Sweet the Sound: A Verizon Wireless Experience. The tour event, featuring cities such as Atlanta, Philly, Chicago, Houston and L.A, places the best choirs on one stage in order to find out the ultimate church choir in the U.S. The winners go home with cash prizes up to $50,000 and will have their performances featured on V CAST. Special guest appearances on the tour included Donald Lawrence, Smokie Norful, Hezekiah Walker and Marvin Sapp. Due to popular demand, Verizon has announced that the tour and competition will be re-emerging once again in 2009.

CCM community outraged over Katy Perry’s pop hit “I Kissed a Girl”
One of the big sensations in pop music of 2008 was the best-seller “I Kissed a Girl” from Katy Perry. But the CCM community remained outraged with her jump towards her bold lyrics and shift away from Christian music. As bold as her song titles are including her other big hit “Ur So Gay,” her lyrics are cited as being homophobic as well as misandric, according to newspaper columnist Glenn Sacks. Perry is the daughter of two pastors

Jonathan Nelson and Regina Belle launches competitions and contests to stimulate album sales
Both Jonathan Nelson and Regina Belle use crafty ways to bring increased sales to their albums using competitions. Nelson uses the power of YouTube to get church choirs to request for a free concert at their church. The church with the most entries submitted wins a free concert from Nelson. Belle’s strategy involves churches to perform “God Is Good” at their worship service and to have the video uploaded to GospelTube.com. The record label then chooses the winner. How crafty.

EMI announces Heather Headley will prepare for her gospel debut
The announcement was made in late 2008 that Tony Award winner Heather Headley will release Audience of One; her debut gospel project on EMI Gospel.

Lilly Mack Publishing enters into exclusive agreement with EMI CMG Publishing
In one of the first deals of its kind, EMI CMG Publishing and Lilly Mack Publishing have agreed to a groundbreaking partnership that will open new territories for gospel songwriters and their music. The agreement will allow both publishers to extend their reach beyond the gospel genre and its core market.

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

The Top 50 Gospel Songs of 2008 - Check out the official list of 2008's biggest hit songs in gospel music.
Essentially 2008 - PRAYZEHYMN Online's official analysis of the best gospel albums of 2008.
Summer Sizzlers 2008 [PRAYZE Report] - Relive those dog days of summer with the top ten summer jams in gospel of 2008.
Top Ten Gospel Records of 2008 [TBGB] - Popular blogger and gospel historian Bob Marovich cites his picks of 2008.
Year In Review 2007 - A PRAYZEHYMNOnline.com exclusive on 2007's biggest headlines in the gospel industry.
Essentially 2007 - PRAYZEHYMN's official list of the best gospel albums of 2007.
Summer Sizzlers - The top ten summer jams of 2007.