1.
Christian music industry
–
The Christian music industry is a small part of the larger music industry, that focuses on traditional Gospel music, Southern gospel, contemporary Christian music, and alternative Christian music. It is sometimes called the music industry, although this designation is not a limitation on the musical styles represented. Christian artists generally use secular styles, pairing them with lyrics that display faith, generally speaking, the industry is influenced by mainstream culture. Musical trends, for instance, follow those of the secular scene, the Christian music industry carries the distinction of being the only music subculture whose content is labeled by its lyrical dimension rather than its music. Still, music within the industry is sold by its musical style rather than lyrical content, Christian musics critics point to the divergent interests of commercialization and ministry, which have, according to some, polar opposite goals. Aspects of Christian music have long struggled to gain general acceptance, what some see as secularization and a lacking of direct theology, others see as artistic ministry. This opens up questions of the definition of Christian music that have lingered over the industry since its inception, the Christian music industry experienced tremendous growth in the 1990s. Christian music sales grew to exceed those for classical, jazz, even so, the Christian music industry has experienced the same issues as the general market in recent years. The contemporary Christian music industry has roots in the late 1960s and early 1970s Jesus Movement, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music points out three reasons that the Christian music industry developed as a parallel structure to the general music industry. First, the Jesus movement produced a number of bands in a very short period. This was in due to a lack of appreciation for the ideology expressed by such artists. Finally, Jesus music artists tended toward mistrust of secular corporations, petra, for instance, struggled to find an audience for their hard rock sound, partially due to limited distribution to Christian bookstores. Even so, the 1970s saw established corporations become involved in the Christian music market, Word Records, founded in 1951, was bought in 1976 by ABC. Other music industry giants also got involved, CBS started a short-lived Christian label, Priority Records, while the Jesus movement had ended by the 1980s, the Christian music industry was maturing and transforming into a multi-million dollar enterprise. The early 1980s saw an increase Christian booksellers taking product, as a percentage of gross sales, Christian music rose from 9% in 1976 to 23% in 1985. By her 1982 release Amy Grant had saturated the Christian marketplace, Sandi Patti and Michael W. Smith also gained influence within Christian music, each playing significant roles in the development of the industry. Harder forms of Christian music, such as metal, also began to gain acceptance. This is largely credited to Stryper, who had begun making inroads into the market by 1985
2.
Nashville, Tennessee
–
Nashville is the capital of the U. S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in the central part of the state. The city is a center for the music, healthcare, publishing, banking and transportation industries and it is known as a center of the country music industry, earning it the nickname Music City, U. S. A. Since 1963, Nashville has had a consolidated city-county government which includes six municipalities in a two-tier system. Nashville is governed by a mayor, vice-mayor, and 40-member Metropolitan Council, thirty-five of the members are elected from single-member districts, five are elected at-large. Reflecting the citys position in government, Nashville is home to the Tennessee Supreme Courts courthouse for Middle Tennessee. According to 2015 estimates from the U. S. Census Bureau, the balance population, which excludes semi-independent municipalities within Nashville, was 654,610. The 2015 population of the entire 13-county Nashville metropolitan area was 1,830,345, the 2015 population of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Columbia combined statistical area, a larger trade area, was 1,951,644. The town of Nashville was founded by James Robertson, John Donelson, and it was named for Francis Nash, the American Revolutionary War hero. Nashville quickly grew because of its location, accessibility as a port on the Cumberland River, a tributary of the Ohio River. By 1800, the city had 345 residents, including 136 African American slaves and 14 free blacks, in 1806, Nashville was incorporated as a city and became the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1843, the city was named the permanent capital of the state of Tennessee, by 1860, when the first rumblings of secession began to be heard across the South, antebellum Nashville was a prosperous city. The citys significance as a port made it a desirable prize as a means of controlling important river. In February 1862, Nashville became the first state capital to fall to Union troops, the state was occupied by Union troops for the duration of the war. Within a few years after the Civil War, the Nashville chapter of the Ku Klux Klan was founded by Confederate veteran John W. Morton, meanwhile, the city had reclaimed its important shipping and trading position and developed a solid manufacturing base. The post–Civil War years of the late 19th century brought new prosperity to Nashville and these healthy economic times left the city with a legacy of grand classical-style buildings, which can still be seen around the downtown area. Circa 1950 the state approved a new city charter that provided for the election of city council members from single-member districts. This change was supported because at-large voting diluted the minority populations political power in the city and they could seldom gain a majority of the population to support a candidate of their choice
3.
Atlanta
–
Atlanta is the capital of and the most populous city in the U. S. state of Georgia, with an estimated 2015 population of 463,878. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,710,795 people, Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County. In 1837, Atlanta was founded at the intersection of two lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the American Civil War to become a national center of commerce. Atlantas economy is considered diverse, with dominant sectors that include logistics, professional and business services, media operations, Atlanta has topographic features that include rolling hills and dense tree coverage. Revitalization of Atlantas neighborhoods, initially spurred by the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, has intensified in the 21st century, altering the demographics, politics. Prior to the arrival of European settlers in north Georgia, Creek Indians inhabited the area, standing Peachtree, a Creek village located where Peachtree Creek flows into the Chattahoochee River, was the closest Indian settlement to what is now Atlanta. As part of the removal of Native Americans from northern Georgia from 1802 to 1825, the Creek ceded the area in 1821. In 1836, the Georgia General Assembly voted to build the Western, the initial route was to run southward from Chattanooga to a terminus east of the Chattahoochee River, which would then be linked to Savannah. After engineers surveyed various possible locations for the terminus, the zero milepost was driven into the ground in what is now Five Points. A year later, the area around the milepost had developed into a settlement, first known as Terminus, and later as Thrasherville after a merchant who built homes. By 1842, the town had six buildings and 30 residents and was renamed Marthasville to honor the Governors daughter, later, J. Edgar Thomson, Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad, suggested the town be renamed Atlantica-Pacifica, which was shortened to Atlanta. The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as Atlanta on December 29,1847, by 1860, Atlantas population had grown to 9,554. During the American Civil War, the nexus of multiple railroads in Atlanta made the city a hub for the distribution of military supplies, in 1864, the Union Army moved southward following the capture of Chattanooga and began its invasion of north Georgia. On the next day, Mayor James Calhoun surrendered Atlanta to the Union Army, on November 11,1864, Sherman prepared for the Union Armys March to the Sea by ordering Atlanta to be burned to the ground, sparing only the citys churches and hospitals. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Atlanta was gradually rebuilt, due to the citys superior rail transportation network, the state capital was moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868. In the 1880 Census, Atlanta surpassed Savannah as Georgias largest city, by 1885, the founding of the Georgia School of Technology and the citys black colleges had established Atlanta as a center for higher education. In 1895, Atlanta hosted the Cotton States and International Exposition, during the first decades of the 20th century, Atlanta experienced a period of unprecedented growth. In three decades time, Atlantas population tripled as the city expanded to include nearby streetcar suburbs
4.
Trinity Broadcasting Network
–
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is an international Christian-based broadcast television network. Operating as an independent entity, TBN is also the worlds largest religious television network, TBN was headquartered in Costa Mesa, California until March 3,2017 when it sold its highly visible office park. The broadcaster will retain its Tustin facilities, auxiliary studio facilities are located in Irving, Texas, Hendersonville, Tennessee, Gadsden, Alabama, Decatur, Georgia, Miami, Florida, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Orlando, Florida, and New York City. TBN also offers a range of original programming, and faith-based films from various distributors. TBN owns and operates six broadcast networks, each reaching separate demographics, in addition to the main TBN network, TBN owns Hillsong Channel, Smile, TBN Enlace, TBN Salsa and JUCE TV. It also owns several other networks outside of the United States. Matt Crouch currently serves as TBNs president and head of operations, the Trinity Broadcasting Network was co-founded in 1973 by Paul Crouch, an Assemblies of God minister, and spouse Jan Crouch as KTBN. TBN began their activities by renting time on independent station KBSA in Ontario. After that station was sold, he began buying two hours a day of programming time on KLXA-TV in Fontana, California in early 1974 and that station was put up for sale shortly afterward. Paul Crouch then placed a bid to buy the station for $1 million, initially, the station ran Christian programs for about six hours a day. The fledgling network was so weak in its first days, that, according to Crouch in his autobiography and it almost went bankrupt after just two days on the air. TBN began national distribution through cable providers in 1978. The ministry, which known as the Trinity Broadcasting Network. The network was a member of the National Religious Broadcasters association until 1990, in 1977, the ministry purchased KPAZ-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, becoming its second television station property. TBNs availability eventually expanded to 95% of American households by early 2005, TBNs programming is available by default via a national feed distributed to cable and satellite providers in markets without a local TBN station. Worldwide, TBNs channels are broadcast on 70 satellites and over 18,000 television, the TBN networks are also streamed live on the internet globally, the network also provides select archived shows on demand, through the website and select IPTV services. During 2010, citing economic problems and a lack of donations, TBN closed down, of those,17 were sold to another Christian television network, Daystar. On April 13,2012, TBN sold 36 of its translators to Regal Media, a group headed by George Cooney
5.
Christian rock
–
Christian rock is a form of rock music that promotes Jesus and is typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals and bands whose members focus the lyrics on matters of Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands, many bands who perform Christian rock have ties to the contemporary Christian music labels, media outlets, and festivals, while other bands are independent. In 1952 Archibald Davison, a Harvard professor, summed up the sound of traditional Christian music, based upon Archibald Davisons statement it is easy to see how different these two genres of music are. Religious people in regions of the United States did not want their children exposed to music with unruly, impassioned vocals, loud guitar riffs and jarring. Rock and roll differed from the norm, and thus it was seen as a threat, often the music was overtly sexual in nature, as in the case of Elvis Presley, who became controversial and massively popular partly for his suggestive stage antics and dancing. However, Elvis was a person who even released a gospel album. Individual Christians may have listened to or even performed rock music in many cases and he Touched Me was a 1972 gospel music album by Elvis Presley which sold over 1 million copies in the US alone and earned Presley his second of three Grammy Awards. Not counting compilations, it was his third and final album devoted exclusively to gospel music, the song He Touched Me was written in 1963 by Bill Gaither, an American singer and songwriter of southern gospel and Contemporary Christian music. In the 1960s, rock music developed artistically, attained popularity and became associated with the radical counterculture. This further increased the Christian opposition to rock music, moreover, many saw the music as promoting a lifestyle of promiscuous sex, drugs and rock and roll, also reflected in the behavior of many rock stars. However, there was growing recognition of the musical and ideological potential of rock. One of his songs, Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music, summarized his attitude and his quest to pioneer Christian rock music. Another Christian rock pioneer, Randy Stonehill, released his first album in 1971, in the most common pressing of the album, side one is entirely a live performance. Another early Christian rock album was Mylon by Mylon LeFevre, son of members of the gospel group The LeFevres. He recorded the album with members of Classics IV and released it through Cotillion Records in 1970, petra and Resurrection Band, two of the bands who brought harder rock into the early CCM community, had their origins in the early to mid-1970s. They reached their height in popularity in the late eighties alongside other Christian-identifying hard rock such as Stryper. The latter had played on MTV, one being To Hell with the Devil. Christian rock has proved successful in the UK and Europe, although such artists as Bryn Haworth have found commercial success by combining blues
6.
Contemporary Christian music
–
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith. Today, the term is used to refer to pop, rock. Top-selling CCM artists will also appear on the Billboard 200, in the iTunes Store, the genre is represented as part of the Christian and gospel genre. The growing popularity in the styles of Rock n Roll music in the 1950s was initially dismissed by the church because it was believed to encourage sinfulness. Yet as evangelical churches adapted to appeal to people, the musical styles used in worship changed as well by adopting the sounds of this popular style. The genre became known as contemporary Christian music as a result of the Jesus movement revival in the latter 1960s and early 1970s, about that time, many young people from the sixties counterculture professed to believe in Jesus. Convinced of the bareness of a lifestyle based on drugs, free sex, however, there were people who felt that Jesus was another trip. It was during the 1970s Jesus movement that Christian music started to become an industry within itself, Jesus Music started by playing instruments and singing songs about love and peace, which then translated into love of God. Paul Wohlegemuth, who wrote the book Rethinking Church Music, said 1970s will see a marked acceptance of rock-influenced music in all levels of church music. The rock style will become familiar to all people, its rhythmic excesses will become refined. Larry Norman is often remembered as the father of Christian rock and he is remembered as the artist who first combined rock n roll with Christian lyrics in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Unlike traditional or southern gospel music, this new Jesus music was birthed out of rock, pioneers of this movement also included Keith Green, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Barry McGuire, Andraé Crouch and the Disciples, Evie, Benny Hester, and The Imperials, among others. The small Jesus music culture had expanded into an industry by the 1980s. Many CCM artists such as Benny Hester, Amy Grant, DC Talk, Michael W. Smith, Stryper, the genre emerged and became prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s. Beginning in July 1978, CCM Magazine began covering Contemporary Christian Music artists and it has certain themes and messages behind the songs and their lyrics including Praise and worship, faith, encouragement, and prayer. These songs also focus on themes of devotion, inspiration, redemption, reconciliation, many people listen to contemporary Christian music for comfort through tough times. The lyrics and messages conveyed in CCM songs are aimed to evangelize, one of the earliest goals of CCM was to spread the news of Jesus to non-Christians. In addition, contemporary Christian music also strengthens the faith of believers, Contemporary Christian music has influences from folk, gospel, pop and rock music
7.
Christian hip hop
–
Christian hip hop is hip hop music characterized by a Christian worldview, with the general purposes of evangelization, edifying some members of the church and/or simply entertaining. It emphasizes the use of positive and uplifting messages to promote faith, Christian hip hop, blending rhythmic music and faith-based lyrics, first emerged on record in 1982 with a track entitled Jesus Christ by Queens, New York artist McSweet. The first full-length, Christian hip hop album, Bible Break, other early Christian hip recording artists from the mid-1980s included P. I. D. who recorded to funky rock rhythms, as well as JC & the Boys and Michael Peace. The first notable full album released was Stephen Wileys Bible Break, written by Wiley, in the same year by David Guzman founded JC & The Boyz. Some of Americas premiere Christian rappers, such as, Michael Peace, SFC, Dynamic Twins, MC Peace, a more commercially successful crew known as P. I. D. Michael Peace is an American rapper and one of Christian raps first solo artists, in the late 1980s, other crews emerged, including dc Talk, E. T. W. and S. F. C. ETW was led by producer/artist Mike Hill who went on to one of the largest inner city youth groups in the country out of Tulsa Oklahoma. S. F. C. was led by Chris Cooper who originally rapped as Super C and later became Sup the Chemist, Christian emcee Danny D-Boy Rodriguez was another well-known early Gospel rap artist, but was murdered in 1990 in Texas. She would go on to release an album in 1991. The 1990s saw the trend of funky rap artists blending faith and rap, such as D. O. C. who emerged from Oklahoma as well as the Gospel Gangstaz from Compton. In 1991, JC Crew emerged featuring Maximillian and T-Bone, other Christian rap artists include Dynamic Twins, Freedom of Soul, IDOL King, Apocalypse, 12th Tribe, and Holy Alliance. 12th Tribe and Holy Alliance were produced by Scott Blackwell of MYX Records, S. F. C. s 1992 album Phase III was DJed and produced by DJ Dove, whose credits also include the Gang Affiliated, Gospel Gangstas 1993 debut album. Around the same time as Phase III, Dynamic Twins came out with their 1993 album No Room To Breathe, Freedom of Soul followed with their second album, The Second Coming, also their last album as a group. The label was among the first to market the Contemporary Christian music market through distribution at Christian bookstores and playing on Christian radio. This trend continued with other such as Tooth & Nails Uprok Records and others that gave an outlet to hip hop artists who identified themselves as Christian. Recently, a number of artists and labels such as Reach Records, Grace and Peace Records, Kirk Franklin joined with the 1 Nation Crew in the album Kirk Franklin Presents 1NC. In September 2009, the Higherground Record Pool and One Accord DJ Alliance held their first Gospel DJ Conference at the Crowne Plaza, Queens, the first known Gospel DJs were honored at the event. Kingdom Affiliates Record Pool also was represented at the conference, most recently Christian rap artists like Lecrae and his label-mates from Reach Records have been setting records with sales and award-winning albums
8.
Christian country music
–
Christian country music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music. Christian country music is a form of Christian music and a subgenre of both Gospel music and Country music, like other forms of music the creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of Christian country music varies according to culture and social context. It is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes with a positive message. However, a theme as with most Christian music is praise. Christian country music has been around for generations and it originated as a blend of early mountain music, cowboy music and the music from the plantations of the Deep South. It was out of this blend of music that Southern Gospel music was birthed and was primarily in the southern states. Today, Christian country music has blended with a new brand of music called Positive Christian Country music, the music tends to deal with lifes problems and Gods answers to those problems, and it doesnt sound like the religious music of years past. It has attracted extraordinary talent and quality in production, thereby making it palatable to the ears of the unchurched who like the sounds of country music. Its becoming a tool for all over the world and through it many churches have sprung up around the country with country gospel as their main musical format. Many Christian country organizations have been around for a number of years. The oldest of all of these organizations is the International Country Gospel Music Association which was founded in 1957 and these organizations were founded to further artists careers much in the same manner as the GMA, NARAS or CMA. Many of these organizations have yearly conventions which hosts music showcases, one should note that the CCMA was sued by the CMA for award name right infringement. The CCMA renamed their awards show after a judge ruled that they could no longer use the name. The new name is the ICM Music Awards which stands for Inspirational Country Music, Radio personality Bob Wilson was one of the first radio personalities to see the potential of the genre. His weekly show Gospel Country Round-up aired for many years playing southern, many Christian country stations today are going the way of Internet stations. That is a move for this genre, however, because there are few terrestrial radio stations that play a strictly Christian country format. Many mainstream country stations only have a weekly Sunday Country Gospel show, Christian country has several syndicated programs. The Country Gospel Countdown has broadcast since 1984 and syndicated since 1988, The Country Parson radio program, todays Cross Country with Marty Smith, broadcast since 1995, syndicated since 1996
9.
Urban contemporary gospel
–
Musically, it follows the trends in secular urban contemporary music. Urban/contemporary gospel is a recent subgenre of gospel music, Christian hip hop is a subtype of urban/contemporary gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, the radio format is pitched primarily to African-American young adults. Protestant hymns and African-American spirituals make up the source material for traditional black gospel music. Urban/contemporary gospel has kept the focus of the traditional black gospel music. Urban/contemporary gospel derives primarily from traditional black music, with strong influence from. Due to strong racial divisions in 20th century American culture, urban/contemporary gospel developed specifically out of the African-American musical traditions, the equivalent music from white American culture is contemporary Christian music. Although the racial lines have blurred in some areas, particularly with urban musical styles, during the 1970s, hit songs like Edwin Hawkinss Oh Happy Day and Andrae Crouchs Take Me Back were significant milestones in the development of urban/contemporary gospel music. Andrae Crouch is called the godfather of contemporary gospel, artists in the urban/contemporary styles have taken a variety of approaches to address these concerns from their fan bases. Artists in this genre are expected to convey a committed Protestant Christian religious viewpoint, the secular version of this music is urban contemporary music, which is musically indistinguishable, but which takes non-religious subjects for its lyrical content. Urban/contemporary gospel music is characterized by dominant vocals, usually performed by a soloist, common instruments include drums, electric guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards. The lyrics very often have an explicitly Christian nature, although inspirational songs feature lyrics that can be construed as secular in meaning. For example, a song about a love for his son may be interpreted as God the Fathers love for God the Son. This lyrical ambiguity echoes the double-voicedness of 19th century spirituals, common themes include hope, deliverance, love, and healing. In comparison with hymns, which are generally of a statelier measure, gospel songs are expected to have a refrain. Compared to modern praise and worship music, urban/contemporary gospel typically has a faster tempo, like traditional black gospel music, the performers emotional connection to the audience and the lyrical content of the song is valued highly. The genre includes Christian hip hop, which has lyrics with Christian ideals, perhaps the most significant musical influences on urban/contemporary gospel are hip hop and R&B. Like contemporary gospel, R&B developed from black gospel music
10.
Gospel music
–
Gospel music is a music genre in Christian music. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music varies according to culture. Gospel music is composed and performed for many purposes, including aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, Gospel music usually has dominant vocals with Christian lyrics. Gospel music can be traced to the early 17th century, with roots in the oral tradition. Hymns and sacred songs were repeated in a call and response fashion, most of the churches relied on hand clapping and foot stomping as rhythmic accompaniment. Most of the singing was done a cappella, the first published use of the term Gospel Song probably appeared in 1874. The original gospel songs were written and composed by such as George F. Root, Philip Bliss, Charles H. Gabriel, William Howard Doane. The advent of radio in the 1920s greatly increased the audience for gospel music, following World War II, gospel music moved into major auditoriums, and gospel music concerts became quite elaborate. Gospel blues is a form of gospel music. Southern gospel used all male, tenor-lead-baritone-bass quartet make-up, progressive Southern gospel is an American music genre that has grown out of Southern gospel over the past couple of decades. Christian country music, sometimes referred to as gospel music, is a subgenre of gospel music with a country flair. It peaked in popularity in the mid-1990s, bluegrass gospel music is rooted in American mountain music. Celtic gospel music infuses gospel music with a Celtic flair, and is popular in countries such as Ireland. British black gospel refers to Gospel music of the African diaspora, some proponents of standard hymns generally dislike gospel music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, with distance, there is a greater acceptance of such gospel songs into official denominational hymnals. Gospel music in general is characterized by dominant vocals referencing lyrics of a Christian nature, subgenres include contemporary gospel, urban contemporary gospel, Southern gospel, and modern gospel music. Several forms of gospel music utilize choirs, use piano or Hammond organ, tambourines, drums, bass guitar and, increasingly, electric guitar. In comparison with hymns, which are generally of a statelier measure, several attempts have been made to describe the style of late 19th and early 20th century gospel songs in general
11.
Hymn
–
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word hymn derives from Greek ὕμνος, which means a song of praise, a writer of hymns is known as a hymnodist. The singing of hymns is called hymnody, collections of hymns are known as hymnals or hymn books. Hymns may or may not include instrumental accompaniment, although most familiar to speakers of English in the context of Christianity, hymns are also a fixture of other world religions, especially on the Indian subcontinent. Hymns also survive from antiquity, especially from Egyptian and Greek cultures, some of the oldest surviving examples of notated music are hymns with Greek texts. Surviving from the 3rd century BC is a collection of six literary hymns by the Alexandrian poet Callimachus, patristic writers began applying the term ὕμνος, or hymnus in Latin, to Christian songs of praise, and frequently used the word as a synonym for psalm. Originally modeled on the Psalms and other passages in the Scriptures. Many refer to Jesus Christ either directly or indirectly, since the earliest times, Christians have sung psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, both in private devotions and in corporate worship. One definition of a hymn is. a lyric poem, reverently and devotionally conceived, which is designed to be sung, others are used to encourage reverence for the Holy Bible or to celebrate Christian practices such as the eucharist or baptism. A writer of hymns is known as a hymnodist, and the practice of singing hymns is called hymnody, a collection of hymns is called a hymnal or hymnary. These may or may not include music, a student of hymnody is called a hymnologist, and the scholarly study of hymns, hymnists and hymnody is hymnology. The music to which a hymn may be sung is a hymn tune, in many Evangelical churches, traditional songs are classified as hymns while more contemporary worship songs are not considered hymns. The reason for this distinction is unclear, but according to some it is due to the shift of style and devotional thinking that began with the Jesus movement. In ancient and medieval times, stringed instruments such as the harp, lyre and lute were used with psalms, since there is a lack of musical notation in early writings, the actual musical forms in the early church can only be surmised. During the Middle Ages a rich hymnody developed in the form of Gregorian chant or plainsong and this type was sung in unison, in one of eight church modes, and most often by monastic choirs. While they were originally in Latin, many have been translated. Later hymnody in the Western church introduced four-part vocal harmony as the norm, adopting major and minor keys and it shares many elements with classical music. Today, except for choirs, more musically inclined congregations and a cappella congregations, hymns are sung in unison
12.
Spiritual (music)
–
Spirituals are generally Christian songs that were created by African slaves in the United States. Spirituals were originally a tradition that imparted Christian values while also describing the hardships of slavery. Although spirituals were originally unaccompanied monophonic songs, they are best known today in harmonized choral arrangements and this historic group of uniquely American songs is now recognized as a distinct genre of music. Slave Songs of the United States, the first major collection of Negro spirituals, was published in 1867 and they are a result of the interaction of music and religion from Africa with music and religion of European origin. Further, this occurred only in the United States. Africans who converted to Christianity in other parts of the world, even in the Caribbean and Latin America, Negro spirituals were primarily expressions of religious faith. Some may also have served as socio-political protests veiled as assimilation to white American culture and they originated among enslaved Africans in the United States. Slavery was introduced to the British colonies in the early 17th century, in the United States, these people would remain in bondage for the entire 18th century and much of the 19th century. Most were not fully emancipated until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865, Slaves were forbidden from speaking their native languages, and were generally converted to Christianity. With narrow vocabularies, slaves would use the words they did know to translate biblical information, while some slave owners believed that Christian slaves would be more docile, others came to feel that stories of Moses leading the Israelites out of bondage were counterproductive. Forced conversion only worked to a point since church attendance might be required, some slaves became Christians voluntarily, either because it helped them endure hardships or because membership may have offered other benefits. Many of the Slaves turned towards the Baptist or Methodist churches, in some places enslaved Africans were permitted, or even encouraged, to hold their own prayer meetings. During these meetings, worshipers would sing, chant, dance, along with spirituals, shouts also emerged in the Praise Houses. Shouts begin slowly with the shuffling of feet and clapping of hands, drums were used as they had been in Africa, for communication. When the connection between drumming, communication, and resistance was eventually made drums were forbidden. Slaves introduced a number of new instruments to America, the bones, body percussion, and an instrument variously called the bania, banju, or banjar and they drew on native rhythms and their African heritage. They brought with them from Africa long-standing religious traditions that highlighted the importance of storytelling, Music was an essential element in communicating identity, shared social mores, traditional customs, and ethnic history. The primary function of the spirituals was as communal songs sung in a religious gathering, Negro spirituals may also have served as socio-political protests veiled as assimilation to the white American culture
13.
Sacred Harp
–
Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music that originated in the American South of the United States. The name is derived from The Sacred Harp, a ubiquitous, the work was first published in 1844 and has reappeared in multiple editions ever since. This music was included in, and became associated with, books using the shape note style of notation popular in America in the 18th. Sacred Harp music is performed a cappella and originated as Protestant Christian music, the name of the tradition comes from the title of the shape-note book from which the music is sung, The Sacred Harp. This book exists today in various editions, discussed below, in shape-note music, notes are printed in special shapes that help the reader identify them on the musical scale. There are two prevalent systems, one using four shapes, and one using seven, the four-shape system is able to cover the full musical scale because each syllable-shape combination other than mi is assigned to two distinct notes of the scale. For example, the C major scale would be notated and sung as follows, The shape for fa is a triangle, sol an oval, la a rectangle, in Sacred Harp singing, pitch is not absolute. The shapes and notes designate degrees of the scale, not particular pitches. Thus for a song in the key of C, fa designates C and F, for a song in G, fa designates G and C, and so on, hence it is called a moveable do system. When Sacred Harp singers begin a song, they start by singing it with the appropriate syllable for each pitch. For those in the not yet familiar with the song. The process of reading through the song with the shapes also helps fix the notes in memory, once the shapes have been sung, the group then sings the verses of the song with their printed words. Sacred Harp groups always sing a cappella, that is to say, the singers arrange themselves in a hollow square, with rows of chairs or pews on each side assigned to each of the four parts, treble, alto, tenor, and bass. The treble and tenor sections are mixed, with men and women singing the notes an octave apart. There is no leader or conductor, rather, the participants take turns in leading. The leader for a particular round selects a song from the book, leading is done in an open-palm style, standing in the middle of the square facing the tenors. The pitch at which the music is sung is relative, there is no instrument to give the singers a starting point, the leader, or else some particular singer assigned to the task, finds a good pitch with which to begin and intones it to the group. The singers reply with the notes of their own parts
14.
Shape note
–
Shape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a teaching device in American singing schools. Shapes were added to the heads in written music to help singers find pitches within major and minor scales without the use of more complex information found in key signatures on the staff. This association can be used to help in reading the music, when a song is first sung by a shape note group, they normally sing the syllables to solidify their command over the notes. Next, they sing the notes to the words of the music. The syllables and notes of a shape note system are rather than absolute. The first note of a major key always has the triangular Fa note, followed by Sol, La, the first note of a minor key is always La, followed by Mi, Fa, etc. The first three notes of any major scale – fa, sol, la – are each a tone apart, the fourth to sixth notes are also a tone apart and are also fa, sol, la. The seventh and eighth notes, being separated by a semitone, are indicated mi-fa and this means that just four shapenotes can adequately reflect the feeling of the whole scale. The system illustrated above is a system, six of the notes of the scale are grouped in pairs assigned to one syllable/shape combination. The four syllable variation of Guidos original system was prominent in 17th century England, shortly afterward, shapes were invented to represent the syllables. The other important systems are seven-shape systems, which give a different shape, such systems use as their syllables the note names do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do familiar to most people. A few books present the older seven-note syllabization of do, re, mi, fa, so, la, si, in the seven-shape system invented by Jesse B. Aikin, the notes of a C major scale would be notated and sung as follows, whether or not shape notes actually facilitate learning music is disputed. A controlled study on the usefulness of shape notes was carried out in the 1950s by George H. Kyme with a population consisting of fourth-. Kyme took care to match his experimental and control groups as closely as possible for ability, quality of teacher and he found that the students taught with shape notes learned to sight read significantly better than those taught without them. Kyme additionally found that the students taught with shape notes were far more likely to pursue musical activities later on in their education. Many forms of music employ modulation, that is, a change of key in mid-piece, modulation is problematic for shape-note systems, since the shapes employed for the original key of the piece no longer match the scale degrees of the new key
15.
Gospel Music Hall of Fame
–
This is an incomplete list of those inducted into the GMAs Gospel Music Hall of Fame, listed alphabetically with the year of induction. Many of these were honored posthumously for their contribution in gospel music and these artists include, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, Larnelle Harris, Steven Curtis Chapman, dc Talk, Jars of Clay. Others associated with Grahams ministries are also inductees, George Beverly Shea, Cliff Barrows, Ralph Carmichael, southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame
16.
Gospel Music Workshop of America
–
Gospel Music Workshop of America is an international music convention founded by Rev. James Cleveland. Active GMWA Membership ranges from professional and amateur Gospel vocalists to instrumentalists, composers, arrangers, directors and producers, according to its official website, approximately 75% of the music on Billboards Gospel Charts is written, arranged, produced, or performed by GMWA members. The GMWA also has chapters in the United States, United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Europe, the GMWA presently meets twice a year. A board meeting is held in the spring and the annual session is held at a major venue beginning on the second Sunday of August. The conventions include workshops and musical performances during the week and attract 12,000 to 15,000 registrants annually, a mass choir of 2,000 to 3,000 vocalists is formed at each GMWA convention, and each year a new recording is produced. GMWA offshoots who also record include GMWA Women of Worship, GMWA Men of Promise, the first GMWA convention was held in Detroit, Michigan in 1968 at King Solomon Baptist Church. The most recent GMWA convention was held in Birmingham, Alabama in 2016 at the Sheraton Hotel, in 2017, the Board Meeting will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada and the 50th Annual Session will be held in the month of July in TBA. GMWA Official Site Gospel Music Workshop of America at AllMusic Gospel music convention underway in Cincinnati
17.
National Gospel Singing Convention
–
The National Gospel Singing Convention is an annual Southern Gospel music event, and has played a significant part in the development of Gospel music. The first event was held in 1936 in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1949, the conventions constitution was revised so that state singing conventions would have voting privileges in addition to music publishers. In 1961, Stella Vaughan wrote an article for Vaughans Family Visitor newsletter that chronicled the conventions first twenty-five years, the convention has continued as an annual event for more than 70 years, rotating among small towns throughout the United States. Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, home of the original Vaughan publishing company and generally regarded as the birthplace of Southern Gospel music since 1910, hosts the 2006 convention in November. The 2007 convention will be in Pass Christian, Mississippi, at the Gospel Singers of America School of Gospel Music campus auditorium, mr. Everette Driskell, President of GSA will serve as President of the 72nd NGSC. Gospel Music from the Handbook of Texas Online
18.
National Quartet Convention
–
The National Quartet Convention is an annual gathering of Southern Gospel quartets and musicians. It is held at Leconte Center at Pigeon Forge in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the first National Quartet Convention was held in 1957. J. D. Sumner, Cecil Blackwood and James Blackwood of The Blackwood Brothers were the founders of the famous National Quartet Convention formerly held in Memphis, the National Quartet Convention featured all the major gospel groups at a three-day event at the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis, Tennessee. After the first couple of years, the NQC was moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 1959 and Atlanta and it returned to Memphis in 1961 and was drawing annual crowds of 20,000 by the mid-1960s. Sumner bought the convention in 1971 and moved it to Nashville, Tennessee in 1972, the National Quartet Convention was held in Nashville, Tn. through 1993. After 1993, it was moved to a new home, Louisville, in 2014 the convention moved to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Over the years, the National Quartet Convention grew from three days of concerts to a six-day multi-purpose event, fans meet their favorite artists in the exhibit area. A concert is held each evening in the Leconte Center at Pigeon Forge, the Singing News used to present the Fan Award on the Thursday night of the week but it was changed to Saturday night in 2009. Afternoons are devoted to showcases, some for new talent and others for conceptual events, for example, a couple of popular showcases have been Mike Specks Choral Music Extravaganza. and Glorious Piano Extravaganza featuring the best in southern gospel music piano players. These are usually the highlights of the afternoons, there is a talent competition during the week as well. In addition to the events for the fans, industry members routinely schedule meetings, groups needing to replace a member make new contacts at NQC and sometimes conduct auditions during the week. Various business deals are made or renegotiated, hoping to gain exposure, up and coming artists schedule showcases at nearby hotels. Record labels court radio and media by feeding them meals, taking them on riverboat cruises, in the late 1990s, the convention added three additional events designed to take the Southern Gospel convention experience to regions distant from Louisville. Within a few years, though, they had sold or abandoned those events in favor of focusing on the event in Louisville. 1999, Glen Payne made his public performance via telephone from his hospital room at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. He performed I Will Not Have to Cross Jordan Alone at the request of George Younce his singing partner from The Cathedral Quartet,2005, Lauren Talley, Jason Crabb, and several other young Southern Gospel vocalists joined together to record an album called The Torch. The Race, a song from the album, was voted #1 on some charts in late 2005. 2007, Ivan Parker became the first soloist to take the Convention stage in 25 years,2013, Tracy Stuffle of The Perrys joined his wife Libbi Perry-Stuffle on stage via FaceTime on her iPhone
19.
GMA Canada
–
The Gospel Music Association of Canada or GMA Canada is a not for profit association, founded in 1974, whose purpose is to promote Christian music in Canada. GMA Canada assists Christian artists, songwriters, producers, promoters and others working in Christian music to promote their work with media, retailers, distributors, the organization runs educational programs and presents the annual Covenant Awards. The business of the association is conducted by a board of advisors drawn from its membership, the current board consists of Gregory J. Strom, Gordie Cochran, Jon Buller, Melayne Shenkel, Mat Crisp and Clarence Giesbrecht. GMA Canada is loosely associated with the Gospel Music Association in the United States, GMA Canada is the presenter of the annual Covenant Awards, Canada’s national awards for the Canadian gospel music industry. The 2012 awards were presented November 7 as part of GMA Canada Week in Burlington, Awards were handed out in 50 categories, including the GMA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award and the newly created Scotts Parable Canadian Gospel Music Song Hall Of Fame. The Huron Carol Written in 1643 by Jesuit Missionary Jean de Brébeuf The Huron Carol was admitted to GMA Canada Song Hall of Fame in 2012 as part of its inaugural year. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the language of the Huron/Wendat people under the original name of Jesous Ahatonhia. The melody came from the traditional French folk song Une Jeune Pucelle, the English lyrics were written in 1926 by Jesse Edgar Middleton. They became public domain in 2011, the song has been recorded by many Canadian artists including Lianna Klassen, Cheryl Bear, Bruce Cockburn, Crash Test Dummies and Tom Jackson. Come, Now Is the Time to Worship Written by Brian Doerksen in 1998, come, Now Is The Time To Worship became his most recognized song, being sung in churches around the world. It has been recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys, Phillips, Craig and Dean, VeggieTales and my Jesus I Love Thee The hymn My Jesus I Love Thee was written as a poem by William Ralph Featherston in 1864 when he was 16 years old. Featherston was from Montreal, Quebec and was a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Montreal, Music was added to the poem after Feathertons death in 1876 by Adoniram Gordon. The song has been recorded by hundreds of artists including The Wiebes, Paul Baloche, Amy Grant, Avalon, Capstone, 27th Annual Covenant Hits 28th Annual Covenant Hits GMA Canada presents 30th Anniversary Collection Music of Canada Covenant Awards Official website
20.
GMA Dove Award
–
A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards took place in Atlanta, Georgia during 2011 and 2012, the ceremonies feature live musical performances and are broadcast on TBN. The awards were established in 1969, and represent a variety of styles, including rock, pop, hip hop, country. The Dove Awards were originally conceptualized by Gospel singer and songwriter Bill Gaither, the idea of the award being represented by a dove is credited to Gaither and design for the award itself is credited to gospel singer Les Beasley. The first GMA Dove Awards were held at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, in 1971, the awards moved to Nashville. There were no awards held in 1979, due to a decision by the Gospel Music Association to move the awards from autumn to spring, every ceremony since has been held in the spring. The first televised ceremony was the 15th GMA Dove Awards of 1984, the awards were held in Nashville until 2011 before being presented at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia in 2012. They returned to Nashville in 2013, and have held at the Allen Arena on the campus of Lipscomb University since. The General Field includes seven awards which are not restricted by genre, Song of the Year is awarded to the songwriter, prior to the definition, the only qualified music was that sold in Christian Booksellers Association affiliated stores. The new standards resulted in complaints by fans and artists after thirteen entries were disqualified as being too secular in the 1999 Dove Awards. The rules were rescinded afterwards, and many groups disqualified by the rulings in 1999 were winners in 2000, Christian pop culture Gospel Music Association of Canada Covenant Awards Official website GMA website Past winners
21.
Stellar Awards
–
Not to be confused with the Stella Awards that were given between 2002 and 2007 to people who filed outrageous and frivolous lawsuits. The Stellar Awards is a Gospel Music Awards in the U. S. honoring Gospel Music artists, writers, Chicago based production company Central City Productions Inc. spearheaded by founder, chairman & CEO Don Jackson, has produced the show since its inception in 1985. The Stellar Awards was first taped in Chicago at the Arie Crown Theater, the show has been held at various venues across the United States in cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville, and New York. The show is taped in mid-January and is broadcast on local and national TV stations such as ABC, FOX. 2) http, //www. gospelflava. com/stellar/stellarresults-2000. html As the 2000 Awards are referenced as the 15th Annual, we may infer 1985 as the first year for the Stellar Awards
22.
Covenant Awards
–
The Covenant Awards are awarded annually by GMA Canada, the Gospel Music Association of Canada. Created in 1974, the association is an organization whose mission is to promote the growth. To this end, GMA Canada presents the annual Covenant Awards, the Covenant Awards ceremonies are held annually in cities across Canada. The 36th annual Covenant Awards were handed in November 2014 in Langley, GMA Canada is loosely associated with the Gospel Music Association in the United States, which presents the Dove Awards. Covenant Awards are handed out in over 45 categories, one of the most prestigious awards given is the GMA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2008 the association released a special collection to commemorate its 30th anniversary. Music DVD of the Year, God Rocks, the Music Videos - God Rocks. Video of the Year, Crystal - Fresh I. E. E. Aboriginal Song of the Year, Hand In Hand - Yvonne St. Germaine Aboriginal Album of the Year, Roots - Dorothy Mae Video of the Year, I Will Come - Greg Sczebel Music DVD of the Year, live In Miami - God Rocks. Presents Tenore - Tenore Childrens Song of the Year, Giver Of Grace - Jon Bauer Aboriginal Song of the Year, rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year, God of This City as recorded by Fresh I. E. E. - Josh Lake Jazz/Blues Song of the Year, Swing Low - G. B. E. E, special Events/Compilation of the Year, This Is Our Love - Jody Cross Jazz/Blues Album of the Year, Nuthin But a Man - A. J. Rock/Modern Rock Album of the Year, Mrs. E, presents, KMF – The Watchmen Rap Song Of The Year - Young Scribe, Psalms & Fresh I. E
23.
McDonald's Gospelfest
–
The McDonalds Gospelfest is an annual gospel music festival, talent competition, and fundraiser in Newark, New Jersey. The event, inaugurated in 1983, and sponsored by McDonalds, the closing night contest and ceremony is produced, directed, and hosted by A. Curtis Farrow. The event, which can take hours, has been recorded. Involving more a thousand performers it has described as the largest collection of gospel talent ever assembled. The event is followed up by McDonalds Inspiration Celebration which makes a national tour, McDonalds Gospelfest originated in 1983 under the auspices of the McDonalds Corporation and the McDonalds Tri-State Owners Association. The event has been an important fundraising event which supports education opportunities within local communities, and has awarded millions of dollars in scholarship money. Over the years the competition performances have taken place at Palace Theater, the Hammerstein Ballroom, Westbury Music Fair, Newark Symphony Hall, Madison Square Garden, since 2008, the 25th incarnation of the event, it has been held at Prudential Center. Parts of the show have been broadcast by WABC, which in 2000 and 2001 garnered New York Emmy Awards for WABC in the Religious Programming category, the show is since 2008 televised on WWOR-TV. The Gospelfest is produced by Newark-based Irving Street Rep and is directed and hosted by its founder, Greater Newark has long tradition of gospel and jazz, having begun in the 1910s with the Coleman Brothers. Savoy Records gave many early artists opportunities to record, Newark Symphony Hall is home to the NSH Special Ensemble, which was selected as the Gospelfest Youth Choir Winner in 2011, and hosts the When Praise Goes Up. The affiliated Newark Boys Chorus also includes spirals in its repertory, in 1980, the former movie palace Stanley Theater became the Newark Gospel Tabernacle. Newark is one of seven cities nationwide to host the touring gospel music competition How Sweet the Sound, auditions and semi-finalist competitions are held in tri-state New York-New Jersey-Connecticut each year prior to the Gospelfest. Out-of-Town Choir Continuing Mother’s Day weekend tradition Saturday, May 13 and this year’s event features Donnie McClurkin, Erica Campbell, Hezekiah Walker, Israel Houghton, Bishop Paul Morton, Anthony Brown & Group Therapy and Greater Allen AME Cathedral. Saturday, May 7,2016, on Mother’s Day Weekend, featuring Yolanda Adams, Tamela Mann, Bishop Hezekiah Walker & LFC, Shirley Caesar, Donnie McClurkin, Jennifer Holliday, the 2014 Gospelfest took place on Saturday May 10 before Mothers Day. One thousand performers chosen from 80,000 contestants took the stage for the May 12,2012 Mothers Day event, among the headliners were Shirley Caesar, Donnie McClurkin, Vickie Winans, Fred Hammond, Mary Mary, Steve Harvey and Cissy Houston. The festival was seen as a tribute to Whitney Houston, with roots in Newark, whose had died earlier in the year. The event was noted for showing the face and diversification of gospel music. There were 80,000 audition contestants of whom 850 were chosen to perform in the event which place on June 19,2010
24.
Christianity
–
Christianity is a Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who serves as the focal point for the religion. It is the worlds largest religion, with over 2.4 billion followers, or 33% of the global population, Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of humanity whose coming as the Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament. Christian theology is summarized in creeds such as the Apostles Creed and his incarnation, earthly ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection are often referred to as the gospel, meaning good news. The term gospel also refers to accounts of Jesuss life and teaching, four of which—Matthew, Mark, Luke. Christianity is an Abrahamic religion that began as a Second Temple Judaic sect in the mid-1st century, following the Age of Discovery, Christianity spread to the Americas, Australasia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the rest of the world through missionary work and colonization. Christianity has played a prominent role in the shaping of Western civilization, throughout its history, Christianity has weathered schisms and theological disputes that have resulted in many distinct churches and denominations. Worldwide, the three largest branches of Christianity are the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the denominations of Protestantism. There are many important differences of interpretation and opinion of the Bible, concise doctrinal statements or confessions of religious beliefs are known as creeds. They began as baptismal formulae and were expanded during the Christological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries to become statements of faith. Many evangelical Protestants reject creeds as definitive statements of faith, even agreeing with some or all of the substance of the creeds. The Baptists have been non-creedal in that they have not sought to establish binding authoritative confessions of faith on one another. Also rejecting creeds are groups with roots in the Restoration Movement, such as the Christian Church, the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada, the Apostles Creed is the most widely accepted statement of the articles of Christian faith. It is also used by Presbyterians, Methodists, and Congregationalists and this particular creed was developed between the 2nd and 9th centuries. Its central doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the Creator, each of the doctrines found in this creed can be traced to statements current in the apostolic period. The creed was used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. Most Christians accept the use of creeds, and subscribe to at least one of the mentioned above. The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God, Christians believe that Jesus, as the Messiah, was anointed by God as savior of humanity, and hold that Jesus coming was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. The Christian concept of the Messiah differs significantly from the contemporary Jewish concept, Jesus, having become fully human, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, but did not sin
25.
Bill Gaither (gospel singer)
–
William J. Bill Gaither is an American singer and songwriter of Southern gospel and Contemporary Christian music. He has written numerous popular Christian songs with his wife Gloria, he is known for performing as part of the Bill Gaither Trio. In the 1990s, his gained a resurgence, as popularity grew for the Gaither Homecoming series. Bill Gaither was born in Alexandria, Indiana in 1936 to George and he formed his first group the Bill Gaither Trio in 1956 while a college student at Anderson College, to which he had transferred after one year at Taylor University. He graduated from Anderson in 1959 with a major in English and he married the former Gloria Sickal in 1962. He tried for a few years to both a music career and his full-time teaching job, but he quit his teaching job in 1967. He recorded his breakthrough song He Touched Me in 1964, Gaither was influenced by southern gospel singers such as Jake Hess and Hovie Lister and by groups such as the Speers, the Statesmen, and the Happy Goodmans. His songs have been performed by Christian artists, country singers, Gloria Gaither often writes the lyrics while Bill writes the music, although composing is usually a collaborative project between the two. As of 2005, they had composed 600 songs and by 2012 that number had increased to over 700, since Gaither first began singing with the Bill Gaither Trio in the 1950s, he has constantly been performing. The Bill Gaither Trio originally consisted of Bill, his brother Danny Gaither, in about 1964 Bills wife, Gloria, took the place of Mary Ann. The trio sang traditional songs along with original compositions by the Gaithers that gave them a more contemporary feel. Gaither has a bass voice, and would often sing while playing piano with the Bill Gaither Trio. Gaither also runs a center called Gaither Family Resources. Included as part of the company is Live Bait Productions, which is a company run by Benjy Gaither. In the 1980s, Gaither was involved with Paragon Associates, which formed a partnership with Zondervan to buy Benson Records, in 1994, Gaither and entrepreneur Leland Boren founded the Brentwood, Tennessee-based Chapel Hill Music Group, which later changed its name to Spring Hill Music Group. It was created as part of the Gaither Music Company to handle in-house productions, Gaither has been a father figure to many younger performers in the Contemporary Christian music industry, while helping to prolong the careers of those who came before him. Mark Lowry, Michael W. Guy Penrod and Mark Lowry were the members of the Gaither Vocal Band with the longest tenure besides Bill Gaither himself, Guy Penrod was with the group from 1995–2008 and Mark Lowry from 1988-2001. Gaithers Homecoming tours, which started in 1991, brought together major stars of the gospel and CCM industry
26.
Les Beasley
–
Les Beasley is a retired American Southern Gospel musician. From 1953-2007 he was the singer, bass guitarist. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Gospel Music TV, Beasley was born to Lester Beasley and Edna Stewart Beasley. His father was a minister, and his mother a homemaker, Beasley started singing at an early age in his fathers churches. Growing up, Beasley lived in places, including Crockett TX, Ripley TN, Mt Vernon TX, Mobeetie TX, Benton AR, Burdette AR, Jena LA, Kentwood LA. Beasley attended college and graduated from Louisiana State University, Beasley started his career singing with a trio called the McManus trio and then in 1953 joined The Gospel Melody Quartet, which eventually was renamed The Florida Boys Quartet. Joined by future Southern Gospel music legends and hall of famers Glen Allred and Darryl Stewart, Beasley was the lead singer, after developing severe vocal problems, Beasley stepped aside as lead vocalist in 1999 but stayed on as manager of the group and as well as bass guitarist. An innovator in the Southern Gospel world, he introduced a sound by adding guitars in addition to vocals as he. In the 1960s and 70s, Beasley co-produced the popular syndicated television program The Gospel Singing Jubilee and he also served as President of the Gospel Music Association in 1970 and 1971, and co-designed the Dove Award statue. Beasley is the owner of Beasley And Barker Publishing Company and also serves as a lifetime member and he has also served on the board of the National Quartet Convention for many years. He is also a songwriter with such songs as Lead Me To The Altar to his credit. Beasley was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1989, Beasley retired from the Florida Boys in 2007 along with Allred and Stewart, their last performance as a group was at the 2007 National Quartet Convention. Beasley is no longer performing, but is leasing the name of the group to Southern Gospel Music promoter Charlie Waller with entirely new members to keep the name alive, Beasley stays active in the Gospel music scene. He has been married to his wife Frances for almost 50 years and has 6 children,12 grandchildren, the Dove Awards is the result of that suggestion
27.
Peabody Hotel
–
The Peabody Memphis is a luxury hotel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The hotel is known for the Peabody Ducks that live on the hotel rooftop, the Peabody Memphis is a member of Historic Hotel of America the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The hotel was a success, and Brinkley gave it to his daughter Anna Overton Brinkley. Snowden as a gift not long after it opened. The hotel had 75 rooms, with bathrooms, and numerous elegant public rooms. Among its guests were Presidents Andrew Johnson and William McKinley and Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee, jefferson Davis, the former President of the Confederacy, lived there in 1870 when he worked as president of an insurance company. The hotel closed in 1923 in preparation for a one block away. The building was demolished and Lowensteins department store was constructed there, the current Peabody Hotel building, on Union Avenue, is an Italian Renaissance structure designed by noted Chicago architect Walter W. Ahlschlager. Construction began less than a month after the old hotel closed, the new hotel was built on the previous site of the Fransioli Hotel, a structure which looked nearly identical to the original Peabody Hotel. The new hotel opened on September 1,1925, before the mid-1960s, alcoholic beverages were sold in Tennessee only as sealed bottles in licensed liquor stores. A patron could bring a bottle acquired elsewhere into the bar, The Creel. The hotel was sold to the Alsonett Hotel Group in 1953, deeply in debt by the early 1960s, it went bankrupt in 1965 and was sold in a foreclosure auction to Sheraton Hotels. As downtown Memphis decayed in the early 1970s, the hotel suffered financially, an Alabama investment group purchased the hotel in 1974 and reopened it briefly under its original name, but they declared bankruptcy on April 1,1975 and it closed again. Isadore Edwin Hanover purchased the hotel from the county on July 31,1975 for $400,000 and sold it to his son-in-law, Jack A. Belz, Belz spent the next several years and $25 million renovating the landmark structure. The grand reopening in 1981 is widely considered a major catalyst for the Memphis downtown areas ongoing revitalization, the Peabody Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Peabody Hotel Group operated two additional properties under the Peabody name for many years, the Peabody Orlando, near Orlando, Florida opened in 1986 as the second Peabody Hotel. It was sold on August 28,2013 and was renamed Hyatt Regency Orlando on October 1,2013 and they also operated properties for a number of years under the Hilton name in Greenville, South Carolina and Little Rock, Arkansas. The Peabody is probably best known for a custom dating back to the 1930s, the General Manager of the time, Frank Schutt, had just returned from a weekend hunting trip in Arkansas
28.
Memphis, Tennessee
–
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U. S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the fourth Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf, Memphis had a population of 653,450 in 2013, making it the largest city in the state of Tennessee. It is the largest city on the Mississippi River, the third largest in the greater Southeastern United States, the greater Memphis metropolitan area, including adjacent counties in Mississippi and Arkansas, had a 2014 population of 1,317,314. This makes Memphis the second-largest metropolitan area in Tennessee, surpassed by metropolitan Nashville, Memphis is the youngest of Tennessees major cities, founded in 1819 as a planned city by a group of wealthy Americans including judge John Overton and future president Andrew Jackson. A resident of Memphis is referred to as a Memphian, and the Memphis region is known, particularly to media outlets, as Memphis and the Mid-South. Occupying a substantial bluff rising from the Mississippi River, the site of Memphis has been a location for human settlement by varying cultures over thousands of years. The historic Chickasaw Indian tribe, believed to be their descendants, French explorers led by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto would encounter the Chickasaw in that area, in the 16th century. J. D. L. Chickasaw Bluffs, located on the Mississippi River at the present day location of Memphis, spain and the United States vied for control of this site, which was a favorite of the Chickasaws. The United States gained the right to navigate the Mississippi River, the Spanish dismantled the fort, shipping its lumber and iron to their locations in Arkansas. Captain Isaac Guion led an American force down the Ohio River to claim the land, by this time, the Spanish had departed. The forts ruins went unnoticed twenty years later when Memphis was laid out as a city, the city of Memphis was founded on May 22,1819 by John Overton, James Winchester and Andrew Jackson. They named it after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River, Memphis developed as a trade and transportation center in the 19th century because of its flood-free location high above the Mississippi River. Located in the delta region along the river, its outlying areas were developed as cotton plantations. The cotton economy of the antebellum South depended on the labor of large numbers of African-American slaves. Through the early 19th century, one million slaves were transported from the Upper South, Many were transported by steamboats along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. This gave planters and cotton brokers access to the Atlantic Coast for shipping cotton to England, the citys demographics changed dramatically in the 1850s and 1860s under waves of immigration and domestic migration. Due to increased immigration since the 1840s and the Great Famine, ethnic Irish made up 9.9 percent of the population in 1850, but 23.2 percent in 1860, when the total population was 22,623. They had encountered considerable discrimination in the city but by 1860 and they also gained many elected and patronage positions in the Democratic Party city government, and an Irish man was elected as mayor before the Civil War
29.
Electoral fraud
–
Electoral fraud, election manipulation, or vote rigging is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about a result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates. What constitutes electoral fraud under law varies from country to country, many kinds of election fraud are outlawed in electoral legislation, but others are in violation of general laws, such as those banning assault, harassment or libel. Show elections, in only one candidate can win, are sometimes classified as electoral fraud. In national elections, successful electoral fraud can have the effect of a coup détat or corruption of democracy, in a narrow election, a small amount of fraud may be enough to change the result. Even if the outcome is not affected, revelation of fraud can have an effect, if not punished. A list of threats to voting systems, or electoral fraud methods considered as sabotage, is kept by the National Institute of Standards, Electoral fraud can occur in advance of voting if the composition of the electorate is altered. The legality of this type of manipulation varies across jurisdictions, deliberate manipulation of election outcomes is widely considered a violation of the principles of democracy. In many cases it is possible for authorities to control the composition of an electorate in order to produce a foregone result. One way of doing this is to move a number of voters into the electorate prior to an election. Many countries prevent this with rules stipulating that a voter must have lived in a district for a minimum period in order to be eligible to vote there. However, such laws can also be used for demographic manipulation as they tend to disenfranchise those with no fixed address, such as the homeless, travelers, Roma, students, another strategy is to permanently move people into an electoral district, usually through public housing. One notable example of this occurred in the City of Westminster in England under Shirley Porter, immigration law may also be used to manipulate electoral demography. A method of manipulating primary contests and other elections of party leaders is related to this, people who support one party may temporarily join another party in order to elect a weak candidate for that partys leadership. The goal ultimately is defeat of the candidate in the general election by the leader of the party that the voter truly supports. The composition of an electorate may also be altered by disenfranchising some classes of people, from the turn of the century into the late 1960s, most African Americans in the southern states of the former Confederacy were disenfranchised by such measures. Compared to most European nations, many states in the US have much more severe laws that prevent convicted felons who have served their sentences from ever voting again, groups may also be disenfranchised by rules which make it impractical or impossible for them to cast a vote. Communities may also be effectively disenfranchised if polling places are situated in areas perceived by voters as unsafe, in some cases voters may be invalidly disenfranchised, which is true electoral fraud
30.
Southern gospel
–
Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Like other forms of music the creation, performance, significance and it is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for the marketplace. Vaughan Music Publishing Company in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, the existence of the genre prior to 1910 is evident in the work of Charles Davis Tillman, who popularized The Old Time Religion, wrote Lifes Railway to Heaven and published 22 songbooks. Some of the roots can be found in the publishing work and normal schools of Aldine S. Kieffer. Over time, southern gospel came to be a musical form with groups singing traditional hymns, a capella songs, country, bluegrass, spirituals. Because it grew out of the traditions of white musicians from the American South. Convention songs typically have contrasting homophonic and contrapuntal sections, in the homophonic sections, the four parts sing the same words and rhythms. In the contrapuntal sections, each member has a unique lyric. These songs are called convention songs because various conventions were organized across the United States for the purpose of getting together regularly, Convention songs were employed by training centers like the Stamps-Baxter School Of Music as a way to teach quartet members how to concentrate on singing their own part. Examples of convention songs include Heavenly Parade, Im Living In Canaan Now, Give the World a Smile, Southern gospel is sometimes called quartet music by fans because of the originally all-male, tenor-lead-baritone-bass quartet makeup. Early quartets were typically either a cappella or accompanied only by piano or guitar, over time, full bands were added and even later, pre-recorded accompaniments were introduced. In the first decades of the century, southern gospel drew much of its creative energy from the holiness movement churches that arose throughout the south. On October 20,1927, The Stamps Quartet recorded its early hit Give The World A Smile for RCA Victor, the Stamps Quartet was heard on the radio throughout Texas and the South. A handful of groups were considered pioneers in southern gospel music for a series of firsts, Sumner also was instrumental in creating the National Quartet Convention, an annual music festival where many groups, both known and well known perform for a week. The Speer Family was known for bringing blended groups to mainstream popularity where both male and female performers toured together, the best known group of the 1950s and 1960s was Statesmen Quartet, which set the trend for broad appeal of the all male quartets that would develop years later. From the start of the genre, the predominant type of artist has been the male quartet, trios and duos have also been a vital element of southern gospel for most of the genres history. All-male trios also are very popular, groups such as Greater Vision and the Booth Brothers are immensely popular. Both have been nominated for numerous Grammy Awards, the genre also has a growing number of popular soloists
31.
The Blackwood Brothers
–
For the Scottish publisher and printer, see Blackwood. The Blackwood Brothers are an American southern gospel quartet and they are nine-time Grammy Award-winning pioneers of the Christian music industry. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet were formed in 1934 in the midst of the Great Depression when preacher Roy Blackwood moved his family home to Choctaw County. His brothers, Doyle Blackwood and 15-year-old James Blackwood, already had experience singing with Vardaman Ray. After adding Roys 13-year-old son, R. W. Blackwood, to sing baritone, by 1940, they were affiliated with Stamps-Baxter to sell songbooks and were appearing on 50, 000-watt radio station KMA in Shenandoah, Iowa. Doyle left in 1942 and was replaced by Don Smith, after Doyle left, The Quartet relocated to Memphis, Tennessee in 1950. The move proved to be successful for the group as they began to appear on television station WMCT in coming years. After the move, Roy left and was replaced with Calvin Newton, who was replaced with Cat Freeman, in 1951, Alden Toney and Don Smith left and were replaced with Dan Huskey and Bill Lyles. In 1952, Dan Huskey left and was replaced by Bill Shaw, the excitement was short lived, however when a plane crash took the lives of R. W. Blackwood, Bill Lyles, and Johnny Ogburn, a local friend of the Blackwood Brothers. The survivors, James Blackwood, Bill Shaw, and Jackie Marshall soldiered on, R. W. s little brother Cecil Blackwood took over as baritone and J. D. Sumner replaced Bill Lyles at the bass position, according to Ken Berryhill, their producer, it was at about this point in their career that they first crossed paths with the young Elvis Presley, with whom they became friends. But they had to him from joining them. The Blackwood Brothers were, in fact, Presleys favorite gospel group led them to form an enduring friendship. The group is also the founders of the National Quartet Convention, with Sumner also contributed to the group as a songwriter, the Blackwood Brothers were also setting new standards in the studio. Their RCA Victor recordings from time period are now prized collectors items. The lineup with Bill Shaw, James, Cecil, and J. D. Sumner is considered the classic version of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet, a replica of the bus can be seen at the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The Blackwood Brothers formed a partnership with the Statesmen Quartet to tour as a team in the 1950s and this dominance lasted for about a decade until the rise of gospel television shows in the late 1960s began to give competing groups wider exposure. The Stateswood team also started independent record label Skylite Records, at one time, the Skyline roster included The Blackwood Brothers, J. D
32.
Christian Broadcasting Network
–
The Christian Broadcasting Network is an American Christian-oriented religious television network and production company. Founded by televangelist Pat Robertson, its headquarters and main studios are based in Virginia Beach, CBN was founded by televangelist Pat Robertson in 1961, using a religious variety program format that has been successfully used in religious broadcasting ever since. One of the companys mainstays is The 700 Club, the program in the variety format. CBN also operates online channels on its website, such as the CBN News Channel, the company also produces versions of The 700 Club aimed at Latin American and British audiences. CBN has broadcast programs in over 70 languages, on April 29,1977, CBN launched a religious cable network, the CBN Satellite Service. The channel was revamped as the CBN Cable Network in 1981. In September 1990, it rebranded as The Family Channel, IFE later sold it to News Corporation in 1997, which later sold it to The Walt Disney Company in 2001. The terms of the sale to International Family Entertainment stipulated that the channel continue carrying two CBN programs, including The 700 Club. It is often thought the deal stipulated that the channel maintain the word Family in its name in perpetuity, CBN and Regent University jointly produced the film First Landing. The secular commercial stations that continue to air The 700 Club in syndication air CBNs annual telethon during the last week of January. CBN entered into the industry in 1960, when Robertson founded WYAH-TV in Portsmouth. CBN later signed on WHAE-TV in Atlanta, Georgia in June 1971, finally, it signed on WXNE-TV in Boston in October 1977. CBN gradually sold its stations during the late 1980s and 1990s and it retained ownership of KXTX until 2000, when it sold the station to NBC, which converted it into a Telemundo owned-and-operated station. This station group was split up after CBN sold the licenses to separate owners, in addition, CBN planned to build a television station in Richmond, Virginia, WRNX on UHF channel 63. However, CBN sold the permit for that station to Capitol Christian Television in 1983. That station was sold and in 1986, converted into secular independent station WVRN. The 700 Club – a daily newsmagazine that debuted in 1966, one of the longest runs of any program within that genre, the program is hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen and Gordon Robertson. Club 700 Hoy – a half-hour weekly Spanish-language version of The 700 Club that is syndicated throughout Latin America, the magazine-style formatted morning program features opinions on current issues, interviews, informative features, stories about people, places and music, and life advice
33.
Fox Theatre (Atlanta)
–
The Fox Theatre, a former movie palace, is a performing arts venue located at 660 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, and is the centerpiece of the Fox Theatre Historic District. The theater was planned as part of a large Shrine Temple as evidenced by its Moorish design. The 4,665 seat auditorium was ultimately developed as a movie theater in the Fox Theatres chain. It hosts a variety of cultural and artistic events including the Atlanta Ballet, a film series. The venue also hosts concerts by popular artists. When the Fox Theatre first opened, the newspaper described it as having, “a picturesque. It remains a showplace that impresses theatre-goers to this day, the principal architect of the project was Olivier Vinour of the firm Marye, Alger and Vinour. The original architecture and décor of the Fox can be divided into two architectural styles, Islamic architecture and Egyptian architecture. The Islamic sections feature a number of fountains, which are currently kept dry. The Fox Theatre gives regular tours of the Fox Theatre’s interior, the theater opened on December 25,1929, just two months after the stock market crash. After 125 weeks of talking pictures and stage entertainment, the Fox Theatre declared bankruptcy and it floundered financially during the 1930s and both William Fox and the Shriners lost their economic interests in the building. In 1939, the perhaps most associated with Atlanta and the South, Gone with the Wind. Although GWTW was produced by Selznick International, it was distributed by Loews Incorporated as part of a deal with rival studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The parade down Peachtree Street for the movie’s premier coincidentally started just outside the Fox because the movie’s cast was staying across the street at the Georgian Terrace Hotel, during the 1940s, the Fox acquired strong management and became one of the finest movie theaters in Atlanta. It was also at this time that the Egyptian Ballroom became Atlanta’s most popular dance hall and hosted all the important big bands and country. It was notable at that time for being the theater in Atlanta allowing both white and black patrons. These are left in place for educational and historical purposes, during the 1970s, several elements collided to bring about the Fox’s decline – white flight, the rise of suburban multiplex theaters, and changes in how films were distributed. A group was formed to save the theater and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1974
34.
Atlanta, Georgia
–
Atlanta is the capital of and the most populous city in the U. S. state of Georgia, with an estimated 2015 population of 463,878. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,710,795 people, Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County. In 1837, Atlanta was founded at the intersection of two lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the American Civil War to become a national center of commerce. Atlantas economy is considered diverse, with dominant sectors that include logistics, professional and business services, media operations, Atlanta has topographic features that include rolling hills and dense tree coverage. Revitalization of Atlantas neighborhoods, initially spurred by the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, has intensified in the 21st century, altering the demographics, politics. Prior to the arrival of European settlers in north Georgia, Creek Indians inhabited the area, standing Peachtree, a Creek village located where Peachtree Creek flows into the Chattahoochee River, was the closest Indian settlement to what is now Atlanta. As part of the removal of Native Americans from northern Georgia from 1802 to 1825, the Creek ceded the area in 1821. In 1836, the Georgia General Assembly voted to build the Western, the initial route was to run southward from Chattanooga to a terminus east of the Chattahoochee River, which would then be linked to Savannah. After engineers surveyed various possible locations for the terminus, the zero milepost was driven into the ground in what is now Five Points. A year later, the area around the milepost had developed into a settlement, first known as Terminus, and later as Thrasherville after a merchant who built homes. By 1842, the town had six buildings and 30 residents and was renamed Marthasville to honor the Governors daughter, later, J. Edgar Thomson, Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad, suggested the town be renamed Atlantica-Pacifica, which was shortened to Atlanta. The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as Atlanta on December 29,1847, by 1860, Atlantas population had grown to 9,554. During the American Civil War, the nexus of multiple railroads in Atlanta made the city a hub for the distribution of military supplies, in 1864, the Union Army moved southward following the capture of Chattanooga and began its invasion of north Georgia. On the next day, Mayor James Calhoun surrendered Atlanta to the Union Army, on November 11,1864, Sherman prepared for the Union Armys March to the Sea by ordering Atlanta to be burned to the ground, sparing only the citys churches and hospitals. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Atlanta was gradually rebuilt, due to the citys superior rail transportation network, the state capital was moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868. In the 1880 Census, Atlanta surpassed Savannah as Georgias largest city, by 1885, the founding of the Georgia School of Technology and the citys black colleges had established Atlanta as a center for higher education. In 1895, Atlanta hosted the Cotton States and International Exposition, during the first decades of the 20th century, Atlanta experienced a period of unprecedented growth. In three decades time, Atlantas population tripled as the city expanded to include nearby streetcar suburbs
35.
Allen Arena
–
Allen Arena is an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. The arena was named in honor of James C. and Linda Allen, James Allen is a member of the board of trustees for the university and worked for the university at one time. The arena is used for basketball and volleyball athletic events and is also used for daily chapel services. Other than hosting athletic events and on campus convocations, the arena hosts events such as dinners, concerts, area-wide worship services. The facility has been host to such as the annual Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation Concert, bringing entertainers such as former Vibe host Sinbad, Bill Cosby, Dana Carvey. Besides being the home of Lipscomb sports teams, it served as the home of the now-defunct Nashville franchise and it is now also the home of the Music City Stars, an American Basketball Association team. The Allen Arena opened on October 28,2001, with a worship service called In His Hands. The Arena and adjacent parking garage was the site for the schools old McQuiddy Gym name after J. C. McQuiddy Part of the McQuiddy Gym was retained along with the adjacent Student Activities Center. Yearwood Hall, a dormitory, was torn down for construction of the arena. In the first Lipscomb Bisons home game at Allen Arena, Bison Clayton Osborne made a in bounds shot from three-quarters of the court away, with no time remaining, the ball fell through the net, giving the Bisons a 78-77 victory over the North Texas Eagles. The arena hosted the 2008 and 2009 Atlantic Sun Conference mens basketball tournaments, in October 2013, the arena held the nationally-televised 44th GMA Dove Awards for the Christian music scene. Arena seating capacity is between 4,000 and 5,000 depending upon the purpose for which it is being used, and is given as 5,028. Official Website Facilities - Allen Arena
36.
Lipscomb University
–
Lipscomb University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is affiliated with the Churches of Christ, the campus is located in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville between Belmont Boulevard to the west and Granny White Pike on the east. Student enrollment for the fall 2016 semester is 4,632 which includes 2,986 undergraduate students and 1,646 graduate students and it also maintains a location called Spark in the Cool Springs area of Williamson County. Lipscomb University was founded in 1891 by David Lipscomb and James A. Harding, the campus grounds consist predominantly of the former estate of David Lipscomb, who donated it to the school. The school was never intended to function as a seminary, although a seminary is a part of the university, in fact, in an early catalog, the founders expressed their views about providing a liberal education with spiritual exploration. It was not our design to make professional preachers, but to train males and females, young and old, all who might become members of the school, each student is left to choose his own calling. Its original name was the Nashville Bible School, which was changed to David Lipscomb College, Lipscomb graduated its first senior class in 1948, leaving behind the name of junior college forever. In 1954, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted Lipscomb its first accreditation, in 1988, Lipscomb attained Level III status and became known as David Lipscomb University. In 2005, the David was legally dropped, and the institution was renamed simply Lipscomb University, all full-time, undergraduate students are required to take Bible classes and attend chapel twice a week. In addition to the university campus, there is also a high school and middle school. All three comprise Lipscomb Academy, offering Pre-kindergarten through high school education, there have been 13 superintendents or presidents of Lipscomb over 17 administrations. James A. Harding William Anderson J. S. Ward E. A. Elam J. S. Ward H. Leo Boles A. B, David Lipscomb never served as president, but as chairman of the board of trustees. James A. Harding served as the schools first superintendent, U. S. News & World Report ranks Lipscomb University 18th among Regional Universities according to the U. S. News & World Reports 2015 Americas Best Colleges guidebook. Lipscombs liberal arts curriculum includes a range of academic programs in the arts. Under the administration of President Lowry, Lipscomb increased the number of its programs from 8 in 2005 to 44 in 2015. A full-service Starbucks store has also opened inside the campus center, the bricked square is traditionally used during warm weather as the location for devotionals, concerts, and other campus activities. Willard Collins Alumni Auditorium has been renovated with new seating, flooring. Attached to Alumni Auditorium is the A. M. Burton Health Sciences Center, the Burton building was heavily renovated to house the College of Pharmacy
37.
Britt Nicole
–
Brittany Nicole Waddell, better known by her stage name Britt Nicole, is an American vocalist, songwriter and recording artist. She has mainly charted as a Christian pop artist, but in 2012 found her debut single, Gold, the album was nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 55th Grammy Awards. She is signed to Sparrow and Capitol Records, Britt Nicole was born on August 2,1984. Nicole began singing at the age of three in her church, Truth Temple of Kannapolis, North Carolina and she, along with her brother and cousin, eventually became involved with the churchs daily program on Charlotte TV station WAXN. She was a dancer, taking ballet, jazz, hip hop. At South Rowan High School, she was a member of the schools advanced choir group, Nicole was also a member of Duke Universitys Brightleaf Music Workshop. Nicole turned down a scholarship from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and she felt that God was telling her to concentrate on singing instead of going to college. In January 10,2003 released her album, Follow the Call. In 2004, she signed a management deal with Vertical Entertainment, also in 2004 she released her debut extended play, Brittany Waddell. She was featured on Christian hip-hop group GRITS2006 album, Redemption, on the songs Right Back and Soul Cry, on May 22,2007 she released her debut album Say It. It peaked at No.40 on Billboards Christian Albums chart, the debut single from the album, You, was released on March 27,2007. It hit the Top 10 on the R&R magazine chart and it was the 12th most played song on Christian Hit Radio stations in 2007, according to R&R magazine. It also peaked at No.6 on Billboards Hot Christian Songs, Nicole was the opening act on the 2007 Winter Jam Tour with Sanctus Real, Hawk Nelson, Jeremy Camp, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Newsong. Nicoles song Sunshine Girl was featured on MTVs teen reality show Newport Harbor, Nicoles first music video, for the song Believe, premiered on the Gospel Music Channel on September 22,2007. The song was released as the albums second single on October 30,2007. It was the 21st most-played song of 2008 on Christian Pop radio stations according to R&R magazines Christian CHR chart, on November 20,2007, Nicole released her first EP titled Holiday Trio. The EP was Christmas-themed and was released digitally. It featured her song Holiday, plus two never before released songs, one is an original titled Come What May, and the other is a song of the holiday hit Last Christmas
38.
Musical theatre
–
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through the words, music, movement, since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals. These were followed by the numerous Edwardian musical comedies and the theatre works of American creators like George M. Cohan. Musicals are performed around the world and they may be presented in large venues, such as big-budget Broadway or West End productions in New York City or London. Alternatively, musicals may be staged in smaller fringe theatre, Off-Broadway or regional theatre productions, musicals are often presented by amateur and school groups in churches, schools and other performance spaces. In addition to the United States and Britain, there are vibrant musical theatre scenes in continental Europe, Asia, Australasia, Canada, the three main components of a book musical are its music, lyrics and book. The interpretation of a musical is the responsibility of its team, which includes a director. A musicals production is also characterized by technical aspects, such as set design, costumes, stage properties, lighting. The creative team, designs and interpretations generally change from the production to succeeding productions. Some production elements, however, may be retained from the production, for example. There is no fixed length for a musical, while it can range from a short one-act entertainment to several acts and several hours in length, most musicals range from one and a half to three hours. Musicals are usually presented in two acts, with one intermission, and the first act is frequently longer than the second. A book musical is usually built four to six main theme tunes that are reprised later in the show. Several shorter musicals on Broadway and in the West End have been presented in one act in recent decades, moments of greatest dramatic intensity in a book musical are often performed in song. Proverbially, when the emotion becomes too strong for speech, you sing, typically, many fewer words are sung in a five-minute song than are spoken in a five-minute block of dialogue. Therefore, there is time to develop drama in a musical than in a straight play of equivalent length. Within the compressed nature of a musical, the writers must develop the characters, the material presented in a musical may be original, or it may be adapted from novels, plays, classic legends, historical events or films. On the other hand, many musical theatre works have been adapted for musical films, such as West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Oliver
48th GMA Dove Awards
