Gospel Jazz is a burgeoning genre. Artists such as Ben Tankard, Angella Christie and Kirk Whalum are known for their contributions to the field. Now another gifted artist, Tony Craddock, Jr., has stepped into the Gospel Jazz spotlight. Hailing from Northern Virginia near the Washington, D.C. area, Craddock, a talented saxophonist, has just released his debut project called Christmas In The Air. The CD contains some of the holiday’s most beloved tunes. The musician tackles favorites like a festive version of the lead single, “Deck The Halls”, the holiday perennial “Silent Night” and the memorable “Christmas Time Is Here”. Other songs include the winter lover’s theme, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”, the beckoning “O Come All Ye Faithful” and the reverent “The First Noel”.

The instrumentalist is already getting rave reviews on the new release. Ronald Jackson of TheSmoothJazzRide.com says, “It is always refreshing to listen to music that is well-conceived, even if it consists of covers (which can be the most difficult to reproduce in a stand-out way without an abundance of creativity and imagination). Craddock puts such a nice touch of each of these and really makes you feel as though this is a production of all-original material. Christmas In The Air is a truly marvelous holiday find for your music collection but, more importantly, Craddock firmly establishes his credentials as a producer, arranger, and artist in an undisputable manner. Kudos to the young man.”

A graduate of Cornell University with a B.S. in Atmospheric Science, Craddock was inspired musically by listening to the Jazz music played during The Weather Channel’s “Local on the 8s”. That motivation was the impetus for forming an Inspirational Jazz trio which played at nursing homes throughout the Nation’s Capital. In addition to pursuing his musical ambitions as a teenager, he excelled in academics. In June 2006, he was featured in EBONY Magazine as one of the Top 35 Black High School Students in America. At Cornell, he was part of the “Chosen Generation Gospel Choir” and formed “After Six,” an instrumental ensemble. Tony Craddock, Jr. is a member of First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries, VA and has opened for GRAMMY Award Nominee and Stellar Award Winner Ben Tankard.

Fans of the artist can catch him live twice during the holiday season. He will be performing at Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge, VA on Sunday, December 11th from 4-6PM and on Saturday, December 17th from 2-4PM. For more information about Tony Craddock, Jr., log on to www.facebook.com/tonycraddockjr.

After a ten year run of airing and showcasing up and coming talent along with national Gospel headliners and becoming one of the top viewed shows on The Word Television Network, Dr. Bobby Jones now has a new deal and a new network.

Effective, Monday, December 12, 2011, “Bobby Jones Presents” will be moving to The Impact Network.

Dr. Jones signed an agreement with The Impact Network, only days ago and says he is looking forward in spreading his wings once again.

The Impact Network is also a perfect fit for Jones as well, as it focuses on positive, inspiring, encouraging and informative content for the vast television audience that it will impact.

Jones says, he is thrilled to further his delivery of great messages to viewers all over the continent and abroad and will continue to focus on Artists that need to be exposed and don’t have an outlet for their messages.

He first applied this concept when he presented Kirk Franklin, Beverly Crawford and many more people that were unaware of their many gifts until they were presented on his “Bobby Jones Gospel” show.

But now he has another opportunity to continue with a new network that can also see into his vision and help with spreading God’s love as well as the talents of the many gifted singers that will soon be gracing the airwaves of The Impact Network.

Catch ‘Bobby Jones Presents” starting December 12, 2011 on the following media outlets.

Monday – Friday 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM EST and Sunday 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST.

The following outlets are also available:

*Dish TV #9397 all US and Caribbean Islands
*Comcast 397 Detroit City CH 40 WLPC
*ONLINE @ www.time4impact.com, you can watch this network 24/7, which is great!
*ON THE GO @ www.time4impact.com ……A live broadcast is viewable on Android, Blackberry, IPhone or IPad
Check www.bobbyjonesgospel.com for scheduling information.

Gospel star James Fortune celebrated his birthday yesterday by releasing the cover art for his upcoming CD called “Identity.” 

The artwork features a slimmed down James Fortune sitting down, surrounded by vibrant colors and lens flares.  

James told me about a month ago that he had been working out, and it really shows in his new CD album cover.  Way to go James!

James Fortune & FIYA will release their new CD January 17th on the Light Records label.

You can click here to pre-order the new CD.
 

Gospel music legend Joanne Cash, sister of country music icon Johnny Cash, has released her latest album, The Christmas Collection (ACME Music Group), available now at iTunes and other digital retailers. For fans that still desire a physical CD, they can be obtained for a limited time at www.joannecash.com. 

“I am very proud of my new Christmas album,” says Cash of the all-new collection of Christmas favorites and holiday originals. “My husband Harry and I put together this collection and I am proud to say that he wrote seven of the songs, including a Christmas poem that he re-wrote called ‘The Night Before Christmas.’ I think you will be pleased and blessed as you listen to this collection.” 

The Christmas Collection Track Listing: 
• They Named Him Jesus
• Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
• All I Want for Christmas Is Jesus
• Who Do You Think
• He’s Not A Baby Anymore
• Joy To The World
• Back To The Manger
• They Looked Into The Light
• What If Jesus Comes Again This Christmas
• The Night Before Christmas (featuring Dr. Harry Yates) 

Joanne Cash continues to tour worldwide, with weekly appearances at the Nashville Cowboy Church, which she co-founded with her husband. In recent years, Cash has made numerous national television appearances including Style Network’s top-rated series Split Ends, Babbie’s House, 100 Huntley Street, The Jim Bakker Show, deeperLiving, The Dino Show, Club 36 and many more. She’s also been heard on nationally syndicated radio programs such as Bulldog & the Rude Awakening, Midnight Jamboree, Mancow’s Morning Madhouse and Elvis Radio (Sirius/XM). Cash has been featured in dozens of magazines and newspapers, including features in Country Weekly, CCM Magazine, Today’s Christian, Tennessean, Daily Journal and many others. 
 

Following up on a report last week, we got to what appears to be the truth in the matter concerning Bishop Noel Jones and Actress Lisa Raye McCoy.

Lisa Raye says the two are not dating or engaged.   She set the record straight on twitter.  Read Below:

Praise Hymn Soundtracks, a division of Provident Label Group, continues to pioneer the delivery of digital soundtracks with a new mobile phone application for Android and iOS devices, the first of its kind. Furthermore, PraiseHymn.com, the online store of Praise Hymn Soundtracks, was recently named among Worship Leader Magazine’s 2011 “Best of the Best.”

The Praise Hymn Soundtracks App is a first for this premier provider of Christian music accompaniment tracks. The product offers singers and performers unprecedented convenience browsing, streaming and purchasing accompaniment tracks right from their mobile device. Available for free in the Apple and Android stores, new titles are being added daily. Visit www.praisehymn.com for more information.

In other news, PraiseHymn.com, the most innovative and extensive website for searching, streaming and purchasing digital as well as physical CD accompaniment tracks, was included in Worship Leader Magazine’s “Best of the Best” issue (October 2011), out now.

This annual issue includes the editor’s picks for those most notable resources that have affected worship leaders and their teams in the past year. PraiseHymn.com was touted in the category of top “Planning Resources.” For a complete list of 2011 editor’s picks view the digital edition online at www.worshipleadermedia.com.

“Praise Hymn is honored to be included among Worship Leader’s top resources,” says Associate Director of Church Music Marketing for Sony Music Entertainment/Provident Label Group, David Jordan. “We established PraiseHymn.com to give soloists, groups and worship leaders a huge variety and ultimate convenience. We also take pride in the fact that if a physical title is out of print, singers can more than likely find it on our site. It is nice to receive such recognition for our brand.”

About Praise Hymn Soundtracks Praise Hymn Soundtracks is a division of Provident Label Group. In 2009 Praise Hymn Soundtracks launched PraiseHymn.com, allowing users to search Praise Hymn’s vast catalog online and download individual titles in high, medium and low keys as needed. The only web site of its kind, PraiseHymn.com also includes the MasterTrax original artist tracks, exclusively for Provident and EMI CMG artists, and Sound Performance track lines. PraiseHymn.com adds titles regularly and boasts more than 3000 songs. Follow Praise Hymn Soundtracks on Twitter (@praisehymn) or like them on Facebook (Praise Hymn Tracks). For more information on Praise Hymn Soundtracks and its products, visit www.praisehymn.com.

Tyler Perry writes an open letter to one of the sexually abused boys that filed against Penn State coach Jerry Sadusky.  The letter was touching, and aims to encourage abuse victims to speak out and become survivors.  Read it below.

Tyler Perry:

I don’t know your name, but I know your face. I don’t know your journey, but I know where you are. I am your brother!

I must tell you, what you have done is so courageous. The strength that it must have taken for your 11-year-old voice to speak out about such a horrible act is something that I didn’t have the strength or courage to do at that age.

I was a very poor young black boy in New Orleans, just a face without a name, swimming in a sea of poverty trying to survive. Forget about living, I was just trying to exist. I was enduring a lot of the same things that you’ve come forward and said happened to you, and it was awful. I felt so powerless. I knew what was happening to me, but unlike you, I couldn’t speak about it because no one saw me. I was invisible and my voice was inaudible.

So to think that you, when you were only 11 years old, spoke up—you are my hero! I’m so proud of you. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I want you to know you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not your fault. Please know that you were chosen by a monster. You didn’t choose him. You didn’t ask for it and, most of all, you didn’t deserve it. What a huge lesson that was for me to learn. Your 11-year-old self was no match for wicked, evil tactics of this kind. You were hunted like prey. A pedophile looks for the young boys he thinks he can manipulate. The ones who have daddy or mommy issues, the ones who are broken, and the ones who are in need. But this wasn’t you.

Do you know that at the young age of 11 you had more courage than all the adults who let you down? All of the ones who didn’t go to the proper authorities, all of the ones who were worried about their careers, reputations, or livelihoods. All of the ones who didn’t want to get involved. Or even the ones who tried to convince your mother not to fight. You are stronger than them all! I wonder what they would have done if it were their own child.

I had a few of those adults in my life, too. They knew and did nothing. One of them even said to me that it was my fault, because I allowed myself to spend time with the molesters. And yes, this was someone who was in power and could have called the police, but instead this person allowed this criminal to go on molesting other young boys for many years. When I did tell a family member, I wasn’t believed. I suffered in silence. But not you, my young strong hero, you have done what many of us wish we could have done. You used your voice!

You know, now that you’re older you need to be aware that the aftermath of abuse may affect you for a very long time. But that’s OK; just know that the strength it took for you to talk about it then will help you get through it now. I often tell myself that if I made it through that experience as a child, then surely as a man I should be able to get past it. It still may take you a while, but that’s OK too. I have known people who have gone through the same things that we have, but unfortunately they were never able to admit it, and it destroyed them. They never went for help, and they let the abuse defeat them. Some of them went to prison for crimes, some are addicted to drugs, and some have even committed suicide. I know that none of these things will happen to you. You are too strong for that!

No matter what happens next, just know that the hardest part is over. I wish the coward and very sick individual who hurt you would have the courage to admit his wrong and not put you through a trial. But he will most likely profess his innocence until the bitter end. And probably, all the while, yelling at the top of his lungs about all he has done to help troubled young boys.

You may have to go through with that trial, and you may feel all alone when you’re on that witness stand, but just know that there are millions of young boys and grown men who are standing with you—including me. If every man who has ever been molested would speak up, you would see that we’re all around you. You may not know all of our faces and names, but my prayer is that you feel our strength holding you up. You will get through this; you’ve already endured the worst part at age 11. Now fight on, my young friend, fight on! We are all with you.

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Maurette Brown Clark, often called “The Princess of Praise & Worship” makes an historic splash on the Billboard charts with her latest album, The Sound of Victory, garnering the highest album debut in her storied career thus far. Debuting at #7 on Billboard’s Gospel Chart, and rising to #6 in its second week, the two-time Stellar Award-winning gospel star released her fourth solo album November 8, 2011 on Atlanta International Records/Malaco Music Group. Recording The Sound of Victory live before an enthralled audience in Norfolk, VA, the twelve tracks pack a powerful punch with Brown Clark’s signature lyrical gifts that have made her one of gospel’s most beloved artists.

Encompassing the best of Brown Clark’s artistic and performance talents, the longtime Baltimore resident delivers an uplifting praise-filled album that envelops fans with a mix of buoyant melodies, reflective lyrics on faith, hope, strength and more. Featuring the hit first single “I Hear The Sound (Of Victory),” Brown Clark also gives fans some timeless favorites on The Sound of Victory with special performances of her hits “Breaking of Day” and “Even in the Rain,” as well as dynamic songs such as “Don’t Be Discouraged (God Will See You Through),” “Awesome God,” among other soul-stirring, standout tracks.

A native of Long Island, NY, Brown Clark began singing at a very young age with her family group, The Brown Singers, and she counts legendary artists including Pastor Donnie McClurkin, CeCe Winans and her mentor, Richard Smallwood as major influences. After graduating from college, she released her first solo album, How I Feel, in 1998 and earned a Stellar Award for Best New Artist in 2000. She went on to release two more acclaimed CDs, By His Grace in 2002 and The Dream in 2007. She continues to be an influence for multiple generations and expand the boundaries in gospel, bringing the gospel and joy of God’s gifts, love and guidance to reach others struggling through life challenges.

With an impressive 20 years in gospel music, Brown Clark has amassed hits including “Breaking Of Day,” “Just Wanna Praise You,” “Even In The Rain,” “One God” and “It Ain’t Over (Until God Says It’s Over)” and “Calvary” and “Angels” with Richard Smallwood and Vision. Recently appearing on TBN and Bobby Jones Gospel, Brown Clark continues to tour regularly, in-demand to share her musical ministry and is currently nominated in the category of Best Female Gospel Artist of 2011 for the First Annual Digital Gospel Music Awards, with voting taking place at: http://elev8.com/gospel-music/darnelladunham/gospel-women-gospel-female-artist-best-female-gospel-artist-2011-poll/.

The Sound of Victory Track Listing: 1. Breaking of Day 2. I Live to Praise Him 3. I Hear the Sound (of Victory) 4. Awesome God 5. He’s Alive 6. Don’t Be Discouraged 7. Worship You Lord 8. Jesus I Love You 9. Earth Has No Sorrow 10. My Faith Looks Up to Thee 11. Even in the Rain 12. He Is Able

To learn more about Maurette Brown Clark, please visit:

Official Website: http://www.maurettebrownclark.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/maurette-brown-clark

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/maurettebclark

GMC, America’s favorite channel for uplifting music and family entertainment, announced today that it will partner with Verizon Wireless on a pair of upcoming gospel choir competition specials: “The How Sweet the Sound Road to the Finale” reality special premiered over the weekend on GMC and Verizon’s “How Sweet the Sound Finale” from the Staples Center in Los Angeles premiering on Saturday, Dec. 3. Both GMC specials will be hosted by Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child.

The weekend airing of “The How Sweet the Sound Road to the Finale” reality special will chronicle the excitement, drama, triumph and struggles of choirs competing in Verizon’s “How Sweet the Sound” choir competition, which was held this fall in Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Oakland, Calif., Charlotte, N.C. and Washington, DC. The competition is the country’s most prestigious gospel music experience, paying tribute to gospel music while providing choirs a platform to showcase their talent. Competing choirs had the chance to rejoice in song and praise, sing in front of gospel greats and fans, and win up to $50,000.

“Verizon’s ‘How Sweet the Sound’ inspires communities across the country through the power of gospel music and celebrates the impact these choirs have on the community,” said Marquett Smith, vice president, corporate communications, Verizon Wireless. “With this documentary, we wanted to capture the choirs’ talent and passion and share the uplifting grand finale with viewers across the country.”

“Gospel-centric programming has been and continues to be a strong ratings driver for the network,” said Mary Jeanne Cavanagh, GMC’s executive vice president, ad sales. “Verizon will surely benefit from the increased brand affinity with our audience and heightened levels of engagement these two specials will undoubtedly deliver.”

GMC camera crews traveled from city to city to capture highlights of the choirs’ public performances as well as compelling behind-the-scenes human interest stories and emotions.

The Dec. 3 airing of the finale from the Staples Center will feature a star-studded lineup of performances and presentations, including a duet from Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton from their upcoming movie, “Joyful Noise”. Other celebrity talent appearing in the show includes, Donald Lawrence, CeCe Winans, Marvin Sapp, Israel Houghton, Shirley Caesar and some of the nation’s best choirs.

In last year’s competition, the choir Voices of Destiny won the “How Sweet the Sound” grand prize, plus an opportunity to perform at the 2011 Stellar Awards and Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. The choir is using its prize money to build a youth center.

For more information about Verizon’s How Sweet the Sound, please visit www.HowSweetTheSound.com.