AM 1310: The Light » Music

Remember The Life Of Donna Summer Dies At Age 63: Gone Too Soon

Faith Dixson — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:09:04 +0000

LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012), known by the stage name Donna Summer, was an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She had a mezzo-soprano vocal range, and was a five-time Grammy Award winner. Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the US Billboard chart, and she also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a 13-month period.

Summer died on May 17, 2012. AP reports that she died in the morning at her home in Key West, Florida at age 63 following a battle with breast cancer. She had multiple R & B and Inspirational Hits!

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT HER LIFE

Here is another hit from her:

BET’s Celebration Of Gospel Took Viewers To Church

Faith Dixson — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:01:14 +0000

Was the BET’s Celebration of Gospel too secular? Most thought it brought the church to the world… What do you think? Check out this performance from Ricky Dillard and New G along with R & B sensation Johnny Gill:

www.bet.com/video/celebrationofgospel/

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The Academy of Country Music Awards wasn’t the only music special on the air on Sunday (April 1). BET aired their 12th annual “Celebration of Gospel.”

The Steve Harvey-hosted show featured a “Who’s Who” of gospel greats including Ricky Dillard & New G, Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp. It also offered a few guest stars including Faith Evans and Johnny Gill.

The event even drew “Glee” star Amber Riley. Riley performed during a tribute to Mahilia Jackson alongside Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar and Jennifer Holliday.

Riley was impressed with Adams, writing on Twitter, “She is always flawless.”

Here’s a little video from what you may have missed.

Don Cornelius: No Signs of Being Suicidal

Kierra D — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:25:32 +0000

*Tony Cornelius, the son of late “Soul Train” founder Don Cornelius, says nothing had suggested to him or to friends that his father was suicidal.

“He was not feeling well so it’s really hard to say why my dad decided he had had enough,” Cornelius’s son told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s just one of those things. You just never know what someone is thinking. I can tell you due to health, things like divorce and relationships, there’s all kinds of things that may trigger a reaction like that. But as his son, as one who was really close, I can’t tell you [why].”

Don Cornelius, 75, who launched Soul Train in 1970 with $400 from his own pocket, died Feb. 1 of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Tony Cornelius, who had worked with his father on various aspects of the franchise for about 15 years, says his father did not seem deeply despondent. “There were no signs of anything like that,” he said. “Many people can tell you they spoke to him, they talked to him, he was smiling when they saw him.”

In 2009, Don Cornelius was divorced from his second wife, Russian model Viktoria Chapman Cornelius, whom he had married in 2001. The previous year, he was arrested on charges of domestic violence and was placed on a 36-month probation, ordered to complete a 52-week domestic battery violence treatment, perform 300 hours of community service and stay 100 yards away from where the alleged attack took place. The probation period had ended recently. Tony declined to comment on that episode in his father’s life other than to say, “I think divorce is something that hurts everyone.”

But the main issue, he believes, was health. His father had sold the Soul Train franchise in 2008 and while he may have found it hard to let go of the property, he was satisfied overall with the way the new owner, InterMedia, was handling the property, Cornelius said.

“When it comes to the industry, he had done everything he wanted to do. He had been everywhere he wanted to be,” he said. “There was nothing he had not experienced. The factor that I would say, as his son, that really hurt him would be his health. My father had an aneurysm 15 or 20 years ago. When you’re struck with that kind of problem, it affects other parts of your body. He could get around well [but] he was frustrated by his health.”

A remembrance is planned for February 17, although the place and the guest list have not been finalized.

“The more I’m away from all this, the more I look at it as a celebration [of his father's life],” Cornelius said. “There are packages being produced on every station and the internet, all around the world, about the things he developed. It’s a situation where even younger people who never got a chance to see ‘Soul Train’ are being introduced to a world that they didn’t get to experience.”

Tony Cornelius also said he wants to create a foundation in his father’s name to help others who are struggling. “There are quite a few kids that are committing suicide,” he said. “Many times out of tragedy comes help.”

Mimi Redd Sings Order My Steps

praiseindy Staff — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:45:29 +0000

Republican Reads Wu-Tang Clan Lyrics On State Senate Floor

praiseindy Staff — Thu, 19 May 2011 11:48:22 +0000

ILLINOIS – Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno used lyrics from the Wu-Tang song “C.R.E.A.M.” from a letter supposedly from Wu Tang rapper, Raekwon. She used lyrics from C.R.E.A.M. to address the state’s budget crisis.

“The most precious thing in the world is the financial security and wellbeing of your family…You want to send your little ones to the best school and in the end you want to know you left them with peace of mind. Nowadays, we all know that cash rules everything around us. C.R.E.A.M. Get the money. Dolla dolla bill, y’all.”

Fox News Calls Common A “Vile Rapper” After White House Invite

VIDEO: New Music From Lisa Page Brooks “God Is Good”

Donna Schiele — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:00:04 +0000

Marvin Gaye’s Songs Still Resonates With Modern Day

praiseindy Staff — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:16:47 +0000

If you were a child who grew up in the 1970’s, it is likely that your mother was a huge Marvin Gaye fan. Marvin lived a tumultuous life. One of the defining things in Marvin’s life is that borne out of his pain came some of the most prolific, inspiring songs to ever grace the airwaves.

Unfortunately Marvin’s life ended in much of the tragic ways that our people die each day. Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was born April 2, 1939 and died April 1, 1984). After starting off as a session drummer at Motown records, Gaye ranked as the label’s top-selling solo artist during the sixties.

Marvin had a series of hits, but none in my opinion nearly as timeless as these two songs.

As I get older I understand perfectly what he sings in “Mercy Mercy Me”.

Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas/ Fish full of mercury
Oh, mercy mercy me/ Oh, things ain’t what they used to be
No, no/ Radiation in the ground and in the sky/ Animals and birds who live nearby are dying

As documented in the PBS “American Masters” 2008 exposé, several witnesses claimed Marvin’s mental and physical condition spiraled out of control. Groupies and drug dealers hounded Marvin night and day. He threatened to commit suicide several times after bitter arguments with his father. On April 1, 1984, Gaye’s father fatally shot him after an argument that started after his parents squabbled over misplaced business documents. Gaye attempted to intervene, and was killed by his father using a gun that Marvin Jr. had given him four months before. Marvin Gaye would have turned 45 the next day. How prolific were the lyrics he wrote in 1970 to “What’s Going On”.

Mother, mother/ There’s too many of you crying/
Brother, brother, brother/ There’s far too many of you dying/
You know we’ve got to find a way/ To bring some lovin’ here today – Ya/
Talk to me, so you can see/Oh, what’s going on/ What’s going on

Rest In Peace Marvin. Some of us are still wondering what’s going on?

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Vashawn Mitchell Will Tour With Mary Mary and Winans

praiseindy Staff — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 13:33:24 +0000

Breakthrough Gospel artist, Vashawn Mitchell , was just added to R&B and Gospel icons Bebe & Cece Winans and Mary Mary upcoming spring tour. VaShawn Mitchell will be the special guest for the ”Still Something Big” Tour, An Evening With BeBe & CeCe Winans And Mary Mary.

Mitchell, slated to open the show, will join the duos to hit a series of major market US tour dates this April 2011. Earning this coveted spot on the highly anticipated tour, Mitchell’s current success has been propelled by his Number 1 song, “Nobody Greater.” “Nobody Greater” has topped the Gospel radio charts for over 5 weeks continuing to touch a chord with audiences and people around the world. In 2011 Mitchell has garnered two Grammy nominations and recently two Dove Award nominations for his blockbuster CD, TRIUMPHANT.

Mitchell has performed on national TV specials including BET’s Celebration of Gospel, The Stellar Awards, TBN, Bobby Jones Gospel with an upcoming appearance on The Mo’Nique Show. Mitchell recently performed several songs from TRIUMPHANT on TBN’s Praise The Lord show.

Earlier this weekend BeBe Winans said that this would be his last tour. Read:

BeBe Winans Says This Is Last Tour With His Sister

STILL SOMETHING BIG TOUR DATES:

April 1^st— Detroit, MI: Fox Theatre

April 2^nd— Chicago, IL: Chicago Theatre

April 3^rd—St. Louis, MO: Fox Theatre

April 6^th— Washington, DC: Lincoln Theatre

April 8^th—Upper Darby, PA: Tower Theatre

April 9^th—New York, NY: The Theatre at Madison Square Garden

Mitchell is the Minister of Music at Higher Living Church in Atlanta, GA, who has a passion for worship,the heart of an encourager and the story of an overcomer.

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BeBe Winans Says This Is Last Tour With His Sister

praiseindy Staff — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:55:05 +0000

He knows some people might be skeptical, but BeBe Winans is adamant that the upcoming Still Something Big tour will be his last with sister CeCe Winans.

“I feel on the inside that this is our last go-round,” Winans, who’s been recording with his sister since 1984, tells Billboard.com. “I don’t see me doing this outside of this year.” Winans sees the gospel duo’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star prevention on Oct. 19 as a convenient conclusion to their musical association. “I told [CeCe], ‘Sweetie, I think that’s the day we say, ‘Thank you. See ya. So long. Have a great life,’ ” he explains. “That’s not to say that we’ll never sing again, but it is to say that it’s not going to be a continuation of BeBe and CeCe.”

As he settles in to his position as music minster at The Christian Community Center in Brooklyn New York he must evaluate his path. Winans says he also feels that 2010′s “Still,” which was nominated for a pair of Grammy Awards and five Stellar Awards — with the single “Close To You” named BMI’s Most Performed Gospel Song of the Year — brought the sibling’s recording career to a natural end. “It had been 15 years since we did an album together,” he notes, “so to come back and do the album, I felt it was important for us to say goodbye in the manner of honestly saying goodbye. The album [got] a wonderful reception and an appreciation that caused us to look back and say, ‘Wow, it’s been a great journey.’ But every journey comes to an end, so I believe it’s going to be that for us.”

It’s not just BeBe and CeCe that Winans plans to put on ice, either. Turning 50 in 2012, Winans says, is “a good enough reason to say ‘so long’ to the touring and the craziness that goes on with that.” In other words, he’s taking himself off the road entirely? “Yes sir,” Winans says, “with a capital Y-E-S and a capital S-I-R.”

Click here to read more

Men of Gospel

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Donnie McClurkin Tours Country

praiseindy Staff — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:43:14 +0000

After a successful launch in Chicago last year, Donnie McClurkin’s Perfecting Music Conference will make it’s way to: Charlotte, North Carolina (April 28-30); Milwaukee, WI (May 19-21); Montgomery, AL ((June 23-25); Los Angeles, CA (TBA) Philadelphia, PA (September 29/October 1 ); Dallas, TX (October 27-29) and Miami, FL (November 17-19) in 2011.

The two-day workshop with guest speakers and panels is designed to expand the role of music and the arts in ministry to serve as a platform for the advancement of artists, musicians, and ministry leaders.

Industry veterans will head up sessions geared towards Evangelism, Music/Arts Dept., Church Administration, Praise and Worship and Liturgical Dance. While the business sessions will cover Radio Seminar, Marketing Branding, Record Deals, Recording 101, and Developing a Label. In addition to the PMC sessions, a Job/Career and Multicultural Health & Wellness Fair has been added to make this an event for the entire family. For details go to www.perfectingmusicconference.com

Men of Gospel

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