June 14, 2007
BISHOP PAUL S. MORTON IS STILL STANDING WITH
NEW LIVE CD/DVD RELEASING JUNE 26, 2007
MEGA CHURCH PASTOR CONTINUES TO REBUILD HIS LIFE AND MINISTRY ALMOST TWO YEARS AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA
On June 26, 2007, the charismatic Bishop Paul S. Morton (Pastor of New Orleans’ famed Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church) will release a new CD/DVD “Still Standing” (List Price $24.98 CD/DVD combo) which celebrates the resilient spirit of the Crescent City. The riveting, emotion-packed concert marked Bishop Morton’s return to New Orleans a year after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his church, his church’s St. Stephen’s housing community for moderate income people, his personal home and caused his 20,000 member congregation to become scattered across the country in search of refuge.
The message on the warm Friday evening of August 26, 2006 was that New Orleans would not be defeated but would overcome their shared adversity through their faith in God. “We wanted to come back home to do this project,” Morton said that night to a packed church of people who risked venturing out at the dawn of a new hurricane season. “Because, I know God has been good to New Orleans. There are a lot of things that are not back, but I’m glad church is back!”
Produced by Grammy-nominated composer Kurt Carr, the concert featured stellar performances by gospel legend Tramaine Hawkins; Morton’s daughter, Jasmine; Morton’s elder brother, Bishop James H. Morton; Morton’s sister, Gwen Morton; and Born-Again Bourbon Street musician, Hack Bartholomew, who has played on sessions with the Neville Brothers. Backed by the Greater St. Stephen Atlanta Choir (Morton set up a church there after Katrina) and his Greater St. Stephen New Orleans Choir (their first time uniting on one stage), the rousing concert opened with the vigorous lead single, “I’m Still Standing.” It’s a personal testimony of the experiences Bishop Morton has personally overcome, including: a nervous breakdown in 1998, the sudden death of his infant grandchild, Hurricane Katrina, and his victory over colon cancer. In addition to the full concert, the DVD contains interviews with Katrina survivors and other behind-the-scenes footage.
Since Katrina’s New Orleans Diaspora, Bishop Morton has set up a new Greater St. Stephen’s Full Gospel Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA where membership has been growing at the speed of light. However, Bishop Morton continues to commute to New Orleans every Sunday to preach at the original Greater St. Stephen’s edifice that was not harmed by Katrina. He’s also planning on eventually rebuilding St. Stephen’s City, the well-kept neighborhood of homes the church made rented to moderate-income residents.
May 02, 2007
Bishop Paul Morton Hosts: Shirley Caesar, Judith McAllister, Coko, Zie’l Youthful Praise and Gary Mayes and Nu Era In Light Records’ Live Concert and DVD Recording
Light Records is pulling together the gospel concert extravaganza of the season with a special live TV taping May 9, 2007 at Bishop Paul Morton’s (left) Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church in Atlanta. The concert called “Gospel Comes Alive” will feature a variety of Light Records’ most exciting artists including the legendary Shirley Caesar, praise and worship leader Judith Christie McAllister, Louisiana quartet Zie’l, R&B star Coko, Youthful Praise and new artist, Gary Mayes and Nu Era.
The concert will be broadcast on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in June as a Black Music Month special. It will also be packaged as a retail DVD following its airing on TBN. The concert is free and open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Greater St. Stephen Full Baptist Church is located at 4185 Snapfinger Woods Drive, Decatur, GA 30035. Phone: 404-284-8865.
April 05,
2007
SWV'S COKO EARNS
FIRST DOVE AWARD
NOMINATIONS FOR
BEST-SELLING
DEBUT GOSPEL
CD "GRATEFUL"
WHILE NEWCOMER
STEPHANIE DOTSON
ALSO GETS A NOD
SWV's legendary
front woman,
Coko, who has
influenced a
generation of
soul
singers with Top
40 hits such as
"Weak" and "I'm
So Into You,"
is now enjoying
equal influence
with her first
gospel CD,
"Grateful"
(Light
Records). The
project has been
nominated for
Dove awards in
two important
categories. The
track "I Get
Joy" has been
nominated for
Best Urban
Recorded
Song of the Year
alongside tunes
by Kirk
Franklin, Tye
Tribbett & G.A.,
Kierra KiKi
Sheard and
Virtue.
In addition, the
"Grateful" CD as
a whole has been
nominated for
Best Urban
Recorded CD of
the Year up
against albums
by Kelly Price,
Liquid, Virtue
and
Kierra KiKi
Sheard.
Meanwhile, Light
Records
Labelmate,
Stephanie
Dotson, has also
earned a Dove
nomination for
her song
“Miracles Still
Happen” under
the Best
Traditional
Gospel Recorded
Song of the Year
category. Dotson
rose to fame as
the 2003
winner of the
Gospel Dream
national singing
contest that was
featured on
BET. She has
also appeared in
Tyler Perry's
motion picture,
"Madea's Family
Reunion."
The Dove Awards
will be
announced
Wednesday, April
25, 2007 (8-10
p.m. CST)
at the Grand Ole
Opry in
Nashville, TN.
The broadcast
airs in
syndication
throughout the
month of May.
Visit www.light-
street.com or
www.doveawards.com
for further
information.
April 05,
2007
LIGHT RECORDS
LAUNCHES
THE HOUSE OF
GOSPEL ANTHOLOGY
SERIES
New Line of CDS
Combs the
Legendary Light
Records Vault
for Musical
Evergreens
Nashville-based
Light Records,
which has been
recording
stellar gospel
music since the
1970s, is
digging into its
vast musical
archive to
produce its new
“The House of
Gospel
Anthology”
series.
Compiled by
Light’s A&R
Director James
Robinson and its
Vice- President
of Radio
Promotions, Gina
Miller, the
collection
features the
best of the
label’s four
decades of
gospel hits.
“For those of us
who have loved
the music of
Walter Hawkins,
Tramaine
Hawkins, Andrae
Crouch, the
Winans, and
Commissioned
since their
original Light
Records days,
will undoubtedly
think there was
no time better
than the present
to release the
House of Gospel
Series,” says
Miller. “Thirty
plus years
later, they are
still giving us,
who love gospel,
their gift of
song.
The music they
gave us then
continues to be
a mainstay in
our hearts,
celebrated on
our iPods and
sung in our
churches on
Sunday
mornings.”
The first volume
hit retail
shelves on March
13, 2007 and the
list price is
$13.98. “The
`70s Volume 1”
features Andrae
Crouch’s “Soon
and Very Soon,”
Danniebelle
Hall’s “Ordinary
People” and
Tramaine
Hawkins’
“Changed” among
fifteen other
gospel classics.
“The 80s Volume
I” features
Vickie Winans’
“We Shall Behold
Him,” “Douglas
Miller’s
“Unspeakable
Joy” and Sandra
Crouch’s
“Completely
Yes.”
There are
volumes on the
90s and the new
millennium in
the works and
schedule for
release later in
the year.
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