Congratulations goes out to Marvin Sapp who spent his second week in a row at #1, once again holding off Christian rapper Trip Lee.  But this week is all about new-comer Tim Bowman Jr., who debuted his new album titled Beautiful at the #8 spot. 

Also making strong debuts is Elder Goldwire McClendon who spends his first week on the charts at #22.  Stephen The Levite debuts his new project “The Last Missionary” at #20.

Check out the rest of the top 10:

1 | Marvin Sapp – I Win
2 | Trip Lee – The Good Life
3 | WOW Gospel 2012
4 | JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise – After This
5 | Fred Hammond – God, Love & Romance
6 | William McDowell – Arise
7 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
8 | Tim Bowman Jr. – Beautiful
9 | Smokie Norful – Once In A Lifetime
10 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me

Star Song Music presents Mighty To Save – Today’s Biggest Praise Songs, a compilation of 10 of the Church’s best-loved praise and worship songs, May 8.

Featuring top-selling artists and worship leaders with combined total sales of more than 21 million units, Mighty To Save includes Jeremy Camp’s “Everlasting God,” written by Brenton Brown and Ken Riley; Kutless’ arrangement of Marc Byrd and Steve Hindalong’s “God Of Wonders”; the Billy James Foote-penned “You Are My King (Amazing Love)” by Phillips, Craig & Dean; and the Tim Hughes classic, “Here I Am To Worship,” among other favorite selections.

In addition, the project showcases Hillsong Live’s recording of the title cut. Penned by Reuben Morgan and Ben Fielding, “Mighty To Save” received the 2009 GMA Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year and is currently the second most-sung worship song in U.S. churches, according to Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI).

Mighty To Save – Today’s Biggest Praise Songs also includes the modern hymn “In Christ Alone,” performed by Newsboys. Written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, “In Christ Alone” has been recorded by numerous artists and is one of the most popular songs in churches around the globe today.

Retailing for $7.99, Mighty To Save – Today’s Biggest Praise Songs is distributed by EMI CMG Distribution.

Mighty To Save Song Listing:
01. Mighty To Save – Hillsong Live
02. Everlasting God – Jeremy Camp
03. Holy Is The Lord – Chris Tomlin
04. God Of Wonders – Kutless
05. In Christ Alone – Newsboys 
06. Jesus Messiah – Erin O’Donnell 
07. You Never Let Go – Matt Redman
08. You Are My King (Amazing Love) – Phillips, Craig & Dean
09. Here I Am To Worship – Tim Hughes 
10. Glory To God Forever – Luke Brown

About EMI Christian Music Group:
Established in 1994, EMI CMG is the world’s largest Christian music organization and includes EMI CMG Distribution and EMI CMG Publishing in addition to EMI CMG Label Group and EMI Gospel. It is part of EMI Music North America which is a part of EMI Group. For further information, please visit www.emicmg.com.

Fantasia Barrino, American Idol season 3 winner, and her manager Brian Dickens, were recently exonerated from accusations that they took $15,000 fromHarvest Family Church and failed to honor a scheduled appearance at the place of worship.

In March, Barrino and Dickens made headlines after Matthew Herman, Music Ministry Team Organizer for Harvest Family Church, made accusations about the singer’s absence from a scheduled appearance.

“Fantasia’s Manager agreed on the $15,000 contract and then magically became unavailable. Just like he’s done with other people in the past,” Herman tweeted in March. “I only dealt with Fantasia’s manager because she won’t do business without him. Very unfortunate. Such a sad career for her with him.”

Dickens, president of BD Management, publicly responded to the accusations after they were made by Herman.

“These accusations are without merit and are false. BD Management and Brian Dickens have been completely ethical and professional in every interaction with The Harvest Family Church,” Dickens’ representatives told The Urban Daily in March. “Additionally, Mr. Dickens has never met or communicated directly with Mr. Herman. Mr. Dickens is devastated by these false and unfounded accusations from Mr. Herman.”

Months after Dickens said he would seek legal action against Herman, the employee of Harvest Family Church in Fayetteville, NC., offered an apology to Fantasia and her manager on Twitter.

“On March 14,2012 I posted false and harmful statements about Fantasia’s manager Brian Dickens, BD Management and Fantasia to my @Matthewwrites twitter account. Neither Fantasia’s manager Brian Dickens or BD Management ever confirmed an appearance date for Fantasia to appear at the Harvest Family Church,” Dickens tweeted on Friday.

He continued: “Neither Fantasia’s Manager Brian Dickens or BD Management were ever paid by or took any money at any time from Harvest Family Church. I regret that certain blogs picked up on my statements and added to them to create additional misstatements about Mr. Dicks and BD Management.”

On the heels of her recent GRAMMY® and multiple Dove Award wins, acclaimed worship leader Laura Story‘s first book, What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops?, has entered its third printing in less than two months. Released in March by Freeman-Smith, a division of Worthy Publishing, the popular 30-day devotional is based on Story’s #1 song, “Blessings.”

The 2012 GRAMMY® Award winner for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song, “Blessings” received trophies for Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year at the recent GMA Dove Awards. Story, who took home a total of four Dove Awards, was also named Songwriter of the Year. In addition, she was recently nominated for three Billboard Music Awards, which will be presented later this month.

Comprised of 30 daily devotions designed to draw readers into a deeper understanding of God’s sometimes mysterious gifts,What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? features Story’s personal reflections garnered from her own journey. In addition, the book includes prayers, quotes from influential Christian leaders, and journaling pages for readers to recount how blessings have impacted their own lives.

“We are thrilled to see Laura’s book enter its third printing in such a short time,” says Ron Smith, vice president and deputy publisher, Freeman-Smith, a division of Worthy Publishing. “What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? has already proven to be a powerful resource for those seeking to grasp God’s blessings in the midst of pain, as readers from around the world resonate with Laura’s honest reflections about her own struggles. We believe this will be an important book for many years to come.”

Written and recorded by Story, “Blessings” was a #1 hit at Christian AC and Inspo radio last year, in addition to topping the iTunes Christian/Gospel Top Songs chart for 28 consecutive weeks. The song is featured on her critically acclaimed Fair Trade Services release, Blessings.

Story is involved in music and women’s ministry at Atlanta’s Perimeter Church and is currently featured on the Girls Night Live Tour with Mandisa. For further information on the tour, visit www.girlsnightlive.com. Story and her husband, Martin, are expecting their first child-a daughter-later this year.

Worthy Publishing, a division of Worthy Media, Inc., is a privately held company whose mission is helping people experience the heart of God. Worthy is an independent voice in Christian publishing, managing editorial, marketing, publicity, sales and distribution from its home offices in Brentwood, Tennessee. Worthy focuses on a boutique list of new books each year, crossing a broad spectrum of genres, including fiction, Bible study, current events, devotionals, biography, leadership, specialized Bibles, as well as spiritual and personal growth.

What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops? ($11.99) is distributed to retail outlets nationwide by EMI CMG. For further information, visit www.worthypublishing.com

One of gospel music’s most promising new stars, Tim Bowman Jr., is having a beautiful week. His debut album, “Beautiful”, has debuted at #8 on next week’s Billboard Top Gospel Albums sales chart. At the same time, Bowman’s new high-energy radio single, “Free”, is also picking up new adds each week as it makes its way towards the Top 40.

America first noticed Tim Bowman Jr. when he scatted on the vamp of his aunt Vickie Winans’ 2009 Top 10 radio smash, “How I Got Over”. However, the gifted 24-year old is no longer singing in the background. The son of #1 smooth jazz guitarist Tim Bowman, Bowman is gearing up for a long career. “I’m totally committed to my music career,” says Bowman. “Spreading the God’s message to those in need is what keeps me going.”

Bowman is going to be big. With musical influences ranging from a variety of gospel artists to Coldplay, Michael Jackson and Ella Fitzgerald, Bowman’s cultivated a sound that makes him appealing to fans of all ages, ethnicities and economic strata.

His unique blend of rhythms can easily fit in on a Top 40 radio music playlist as they would on a Sunday morning church program. The gamut includes pulsating electronica tracks such as “Throw It Away” and “I’m Here” and raw gospel like the riveting, “Abide With Me Medley” that was produced by Marvin Winans of the Grammy Award winning Winans vocal group. In between, there’s the Caribbean flavor of “Looking For Love,” the rousing rock-edged anthem “Healer” and the acoustic guitar-laced ballad, “Beautiful” show an artist adroitly stretching the boundaries of gospel music. Family friend, Dorinda Clark Cole of the legendary Clark Sisters, joins Bowman on the funky “Sunday Morning” while Vickie Winans jazzes up the mid-tempo, “He Will,” a track that peaked at #18 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and the music video has over 100,000 YouTube hits.

“It’s gonna be a busy year for Tim Bowman Jr.,” says Pat Butler, afternoon drive and music director for WEXL 1340-AM, a gospel radio station in Detroit. “Born to

make great gospel music, he continues to bring a fresh sound to Urban Gospel.” Bowman says in reflecting on the purpose in his music that, “Each song should stand alone. Sometimes, you only have one chance for a person to hear and connect with your message. I want every person who listens to this album to not only get that message but also to feel the FUN I had making it.”

Four of the most successful performers in gospel music history, Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Donnie McClurkin and Israel Houghton, announce today that they will share the same stage for the very first time when they embark on The King’s Men concert tour this fall. The historic U.S. tour will hit major venues in 15 U.S. cities beginning on Sunday, September 16th at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, AZ, and culminating in Brooklyn, NY at Barclays Center on Sunday, October 14th.

Produced by Live Nation Entertainment, tickets for The King’s Men concert tour will go on sale beginning on Friday, May 11th at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning on Tuesday, May 8th at 10:00 AM ET through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.

“In the Gospel world, this is like Springsteen, McCartney, Prince and Elton hitting the road together,” said Kevin Morrow, Senior Vice President of Touring at Live Nation. “It’s going to be a once in a lifetime event for music fans.”

Between these four gospel music giants, The King’s Men have taken home over a hundred GRAMMY®, Dove, Stellar, BET, Soul Train, NAACP and American Music Awards. They have appeared on countless mainstream television shows and moved millions of fans at their sold-out live concerts nationally and internationally. Now, for the first time ever, The King’s Men bring all of their incredible and inspirational talents together under the same roof for gospel, R&B and pop music fans across the country.

Kirk Franklin commented: “The opportunity to partner with Live Nation is a GREAT honor and responsibility. The genre of gospel music having this kind of massive marketing support is monumental, and the talent on this tour makes it a must-see event! I’m very proud of this relationship and I expect it to be a new groundbreaking platform for inspirational entertainment.”

Exclusive artist meet & greet and VIP ticket packages are available. Please visit http://vipnation.com for details.

THE KING’S MEN TOUR: DATE/CITY/VENUE/ON SALE DATE

Sun, Sep 16 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theatre Fri, May 11

Wed, Sep 19 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Amphitheatre Fri, May 11

Sat, Sep 22 Concord, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre Fri, May 11

Tue, Sep 25 Dallas, TX Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie Sat, May 12

Wed, Sep 26 Houston, TX Reliant Arena Sat, May 12

Fri, Sep 28 Atlanta, GA Chastain Amphitheatre Fri, May 11

Sun, Sep 30 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena Fri, May 11

Tue, Oct 02 Tampa, FL USF Sun Dome Fri, June 1

Thu, Oct 04 Norfolk, VA Constant Convocation Center Fri, June 8

Sat, Oct 06 Washington DC Verizon Center Fri, May 11

Sun, Oct 07 Philadelphia, PA Liacouras Center Fri, May 18

Tue, Oct 09 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center Fri, May 11

Wed, Oct 10 Chicago, IL United Center Mon, June 18

Fri, Oct 12 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre Sat, May 19

Sun, Oct 14 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center Sat, May 12

Chonda Pierce is rolling this week–fully mobilized with tour bus, stocked with stacks of funny new material from her just released I’m Kind of A Big Deal DVD and ready to disarm national audiences with her May “Live. Love. Laugh. Tour.”

Outfitted with an abundance of unpretentious Southern charm and laser sharp wit, Chonda has long proven to have perfected the art of winning applause with hand-to-hand comedy.

In the midst of the recent whirlwind release of a new comedy DVD and hosting of the Dove Awards, and with a tour that will bring her exclusively to churches over the next three weeks, the endearing turbo-charged blonde is quick to admit she’s not about to leave her first love of entertaining Christian audiences.

Part of her affinity for getting to “preach to the choir” is Chonda’s deft talent for imparting thought provoking gems of wisdom amid the laughter. “Within comedy you can get by with saying things you could never say if you were preaching a sermon,” she noted in a recent interview. “People are having fun and being entertained and all of a sudden I’ll see those telling looks on faces in the audience…it’s ‘ha ha….pause…oh my…what she just said is SO true!’ I love those moments!”

Her fresh approach to wholesome comedy has birthed a unique franchise. Her DVDs are consistently strong sellers, both on tour and at retail. Four titles have already been certified platinum with seven gold certifications for sales of over 100,000 to her credit. With an increasingly busy booking event schedule at major churches across the U.S., Chonda has found time to author half dozen best selling books-including her latest-Laughing In The Dark (Simon & Schuster). She is recipient of the 2009 ‘Comedian of the Year’ Visionary Award. With her own CMT-TV comedy special This Ain’t Prettyville and regular guestings on XM and Sirius satellite radio, her visibility has ushering in a growing base of dedicated Christians–women in particular–who love to laugh at the every day circumstances of life Chonda can suddenly transform into the hilarious!

April marked the birth of Chonda’s latest comedy brain-child–the new comedy DVD christened I’m Kind of A Big Deal–and filled with the zany musings and reflections of new laughs close to her heart. As the nationally acclaimed darling of laughter to a legion of fans, there’s little that Chonda Pierce can’t spin to the funny side. But explaining the title of her latest DVD, she struck a serious moment. “To me the whole project says that as Christians we are a ‘big deal’–we can run with the big dogs because of who our Daddy is. Looking back, it’s been an amazing story for a girl who grew up on the second row as a preacher’s kid back in South Carolina.”

Special musical guest and host Warren Barfield joins Chonda on tour. Tickets may be purchased in advance and day of concert at the church locations as well as online at www.chonda.org

May markets include:
1 –Topeka, KS –Light of the World Christian Center
3 –Wichita Falls, TX–First Baptist Church
4 –Wichita, KS–Central Community Church
5 –Colorado Springs, CO–Springs First Nazarene
6 –Phoenix. AR–North Hills Church of God
8 –Las Vegas, NV–Valley Bible Fellowship
10–Fresno, CA–Cornerstone Church–Wilson Theater
11–Seattle, WA –University Christian Church
12–Portland, OR–New Hope Community
13–Twin Falls, ID–Twin Falls Reformed Church
15–Boise, ID–Eagle Christian Church
17–Billings, MT–Freedom Church
19–Eden Prairie, MN–Grace Church

For more information, resource online: www.chonda.org

Multiple award winning, Grammy nominated recording artist, James Fortune & wife Cheryl talk about relationships in the cover story of the new issue of Gospel Today magazine. The May/June Issue features the Fortunes in the summer ‘Love’ issue along with five other prominent ‘it’ couples.

In the cover story, James & Cheryl share their powerful love story of survival and strength. As portraits of courage James & Cheryl recall the most difficult time in their marriage -the season of being homeless. The couple relives how they stuck by each other and leaned on their unwavering faith to survive despite an over 7 month stretch of being jobless, living in their car and subsequently moving from motel to motel.

“It was a difficult time because it affected our entire family” said James. “To realize that I was having a hard time providing for my kids, in the midst of this family struggle proved a difficult, dark time in my life.”

The Fortunes didn’t allow their lives to be defined by that narrative and have thrived since that trying time. The Fortune’s have enjoyed a burgeoning career along with successfully launching their own record imprint F.I.Y.A World Music in conjunction with Light Records, under which Cheryl’s solo album will be released next year.

James’ current CD IDENTITY quickly debuted at number #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel chart when it was released earlier this year and continues to remain in the Top 5. Further, the first single, “Still Able,” continues to be one of the most played gospel songs at radio as Fortune by way of his dynamic performance and delivery has become a beloved pillar and treasure within the genre.

2005 saw the explosive release of James Fortune and F.I.Y.A’s debut album YOU SURVIVED. The title song, “You Survived” peaked at #2 on the R&B Gospel singles chart. He amassed worldwide recognition in 2009, with the award winning song, “I Trust You,” off his sophomore release THE TRANSFORMATION. “I Trust You,” held the number one slot on the Gospel National Airplay chart for over 30 weeks, making history by becoming the longest running #1 single of any genre. James’ meteoric rise continued with the subsequent success in 2010 of “I Believe,” which earned him his second ASCAP Writer’s Award in 2011. “I Believe” also received a 2011 Soul Train nomination for “Best Gospel Performance” along with three Stellar Award nominations for “Contemporary CD of the Year,” “Contemporary Male Vocalist of the Year” and “Group/Duo of the Year.”