God at the Grammys: Why do so many musical superstars think that their careers are part of a divine plan?
The hip-hop mogul Diddy, for example, has been in and out of courtrooms over the years, facing charges for assault, gun possession and bribery—yet he continually bounces back with a new name and a new career. When I asked him if he ever felt fear, he replied, “My faith is in God. Like, look who... Continue Reading
BeBe & CeCe Winans, Switchfoot Nab Grammy Awards
Brother and sister duo BeBe and CeCe Winans took home two Grammy awards on Sunday, adding to their already wide collection of gold statues. The two won for Best Gospel Performance and Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album during the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony. Other winners in the Gospel category included Switchfoot, Jerry Peters and... Continue Reading
An Interview with ‘Believin Stephen’ on “The Suffering Servant,” personal pain, and the future of Christian hip hop
Believin’ Stephen graciously agreed to an interview about his life and music from his hometown of Philly (one of my favorite cities in America). I am fascinated by the content of his lyrics because they address the types of topics in the lives of people in the Bible and tells a story of God’s healing... Continue Reading
Nominees for the 53rd Grammy Awards are in, Christian artists have been selected for seven categories
The nominees were announced Wednesday night. The 53rd Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Feb. 13, 2011. The categories include: Best Gospel Performance, Best Gospel Song, Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album, Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel, Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album, Best Traditional Gospel Album, and Best Contemporary... Continue Reading
Performers confirmed for 2010 Inspirational Country Music Awards
The 16th Annual Inspirational Country Music Awards Show (ICM Awards) announces that Ricky Skaggs, Katrina Elam and Steve Richard are confirmed to perform on the award show. Ricky Skaggs, Multi-Award winning giant and 2009 ICM Mainstream Country Artist of the Year, is nominated in four ICM award categories. Skaggs continues to add to his of... Continue Reading
John Lennon’s Dream: His 10 Best Songs – On the 70th anniversary of his birth
Editor’s Note: For all of ‘us’ in the 50 and over crowd! Youngsters are welcome. “Always know sometimes think it’s me/but you know I know and it’s a dream.”—John Lennon John Lennon was not just a great musician and songwriter. He was a dream-weaver who dared to imagine a world where human beings would put... Continue Reading
FLAME launches new record label
Hip-hop artist Marcus Gray, known as FLAME, launched his own record label Sunday, Aug. 1 The Grammy-nominated rapper, who is a school of theology student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, started Clear Sight Music to fill a void in Christian hip-hop industry, and to provide an opportunity for new artists to further the momentum... Continue Reading
MUSIC REVIEW: Overcoming Fear in ‘Feast or Fallow’ – interview with Sandra McCracken
“I have to be more efficient when I work these days. I am learning not to place my kids and songwriting against each other in competition” With one of the best albums of the year so far, Sandra McCracken’s new hymns project is balm for the soul. We asked her all about it. In one... Continue Reading
How to dismantle a U2 song
”When U2 songs are written, I don’t write them in English. I write them in what the band call ‘Bongelese’, I just sing the melodies and the words form in my mouth, later to be deciphered.” “As he turns 50 next week Bono has much to celebrate, not least achieving world domination as the frontman... Continue Reading
2010 Dove Awards Signal Christian Music’s Move to the Mainstream
Generating about a half a billion dollars, Christian music sales as a percentage of all music receipts rose to 7.2 percent last year from 6.8 percent in 2008. At the same time sales of other music saw losses. Midway through the evening, former heavy metal band Korn’s lead guitarist, Brian “Head” Welch, brings down the... Continue Reading