Melvin Williams, one of Gospel music’s notable living legends kicks off his world tour “Where I Started From” at the GRAMMY Museum L.A. Live on Oct 5 @7:30p presented by American Express.
Reserve Tickets: (http://www.grammymuseum.org/events/detail/melvin-williams)
Williams signed a physical and digital distribution deal for his new label Melvin Williams Entertainment with New Day for the Christian market and Sony RED for the general market. The album Where I Started From released July 28 and debuted on Billboard Top 10 and remains in the Top 20.
Melvin Williams’ first solo album “Back to the Cross” garnered his first GRAMMY nomination for Best Male Vocalist in the Gospel category. Over the course of his five decade career, he received an additional 6 GRAMMY nominations as a lead singer, songwriter and producer for a variety of legendary Williams Brothers albums. His most requested chart topping song “Cooling Water” has over 11 million YouTube views and even included on Snoop Dogg’s Instagram
The “Where I Started From” tour is part of Williams’ Preserve Traditional Gospel Music (PTGM) campaign. Williams’ states, “Gospel music is the roots, the rock, the foundation of our heritage, America’s heritage and we must educate this now generation whose shoulders they stand. I like all kinds of music, contemporary, Praise & Worship, but good ol’ traditional church music is just true to our DNA.” As the genre evolves, he continues his appreciation of the good ol’ gospel church music touring annually playing concerts, festivals, churches, conferences, and hosting Master Classes on the art form and History of Gospel Music. Master Classes with inner city Los Angeles public middle and high school students on Thurs, Oct 5 begin at 2:00p in the Clive Davis Theater. Plan to join us at the Mississippi GRAMMY Museum for this program February 13, 2018.
From his southern Mississippi roots to his touring Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Georgia as US Music Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State and Jazz at Lincoln Center, Melvin Williams’ mission is taking hold with his raspy, soulful vocals and left-handed vassapoo style acoustic guitar playing his rendition of Mahalia Jackson’s “How I Got Over” and Americana folk gospel favorite “Sweet Home.” This vassapoo style of guitar playing, that is, playing a standard right-handed guitar just turned over with all the strings upside down, with the lowest notes at the bottom instead of the top is one that’s unique and rare in Gospel music yet a part of well known, left-handed guitarist like Elizabeth Cotton, Albert King, Coco Montoya, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Kurt Cobain, BillyRay Cyrus, Justin Bieber, to name a few.
Mississippi Public Broadcast / PBS to air Melvin Williams’ acoustic concert television special “Down Home Gospel” this Fall.
For more information on Melvin Williams’ Master Class on “The History of Gospel Music”, visit www.preservegospelmusic.com and get social @_melvinwilliams on Twitter and Instagram, @officialmelvinwilliams on Facebook, www.melvinwilliams.net
