Last night Broadcast Music, Inc. ® (BMI)®, a global leader in music rights management, held a ceremony honoring the top songs (ranging from black gospel to southern gospel and Christian rock) played at Christian radio during the past year at the annual BMI Christian Music Awards that was held at BMI’s Nashville headquarters.
Among the 25 honorees were Steven Curtis Chapman, Brandon Heath and Building 429.
Gospel music’s Leading Man Earnest Pugh was also on hand to accept an award for his #1 hit “I Need Your Glory” that was cited as one of the most played gospel songs of the year. His certificate was presented to him by BMI Vice President of Writer/ Publisher Relations, Jody Williams, and Associate Director, Writer/ Publisher Relations, Leslie Roberts. The other black gospel songs noted during the festivities were Troy Sneed’s “My Heart Says Yes,” Yolanda Adam’s “Be Still,” Donald Lawrence’s “Spiritual” and Fred Hammond’s “I Feel Good.”
Pugh’s “I Need Your Glory” was initially released in 2011 when it rose to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and stayed there for thirteen weeks. The song continues to be a popular recurrent on urban AC and gospel radio stations around the globe. “It’s such an honor and blessing to have a song that has touched so many people,” Pugh says. ”I’m hoping that people will be equally moved and inspired by my new radio single `More of You.’” It hails from Pugh’s forthcoming “The W.I.N. (Worship In Nassau) Experience” CD that releases August 27, 2013 on P-Man Records.
[BMI Presents Earnest Pugh with Award]
The power ballad was written by Pugh and produced by Grammy Award winner Cedric Thompson. “I wrote the song after spending some time in prayer,” Pugh says. “While in prayer I could hear – in the near background – my phone ringing and buzzing with reminders for meetings, etc. but despite the urgency of those calls and text messages, I felt compelled to stay in God’s presence just a little longer. Before I knew it an entire hour had passed and so had several important meetings. My time with God empowered me beyond words. From that day on, it was evident that nothing mattered more to me than quenching the hunger and thirst for more of God.”
Visit www.earnestpugh.com or www.epmmusicgroup.com for more information.
