SGN Scoops Digital

Joseph T. Lee Ministries to Sponsor Help For Haiti Relief Concerts

MECHANICSVILLE, Va. – Joseph T. Lee Ministries will be sponsoring two concerts this coming May in order to raise money for those affected by the Haiti earthquake which took place this past January.  The “Help For Haiti Relief Concerts” will take place on Friday, May 21, 2010 and Saturday, May 22, 2010 in central Virginia.

The May 21, 2010 concert will feature Hinson Revival, Vertical Praise, and Lee & Loyall.  The venue for the concert is Oak Knoll Middle School in Mechanicsville, Virginia.  There is no ticket admission. A love offering will be taken up during the event.

Saturday, May 22, 2010 will feature an evening with Vertical Praise and Lee & Loyall.  This event will be take place at Orange Assembly of God in Orange, Virginia. A love offering will be taken up at this event as well.

All proceeds and money donated will be given to Sunshine Ministries. Sunshine ministries funds and sponsors orphanages and churches in Haiti.  The money raised will help the orphaned children of Haiti, feeding & clothing, and rebuilding churches.

“My heart has gone out to the people of Haiti ever since I heard about the terrible devastation that has taken place there,” mentioned Joseph T. Lee.  “I am so thankful that I am in an industry that has groups that would give up their time and money to be a part of something like this.”

More information on the event can be found at http://www.josephleeministries.com or by calling Joseph T. Lee at (804) 241-8231.

More information on Joseph T. Lee can be found at his website – located at http://www.josephleeministries.com .  Contact and booking information can be found at the site. Fans are also encouraged to visit Joseph on ShoutLife by heading to http://www.shoutlife.com/josephlee .

Hoppers and Original Hopper Brothers and Connie plan Homecoming

DEN, NC — The Hoppers, from nearby Madison, are longtime favorites among members of the Gaither Homecoming videos, television shows and concert events. They are also legends in the Southern Gospel music industry.
In recent decades they have crisscrossed the nation repeatedly, and circled the globe many times, sharing the life-changing Good News in song and tight, family harmony.

Just as importantly, the Hoppers are homefolks from Rockingham County, and are especially proud of their North Carolina heritage.
In keeping with this, they are currently planning the Hoppers Homecoming, to be held in Eden, on Sat., Nov. 28th, at Osborne Baptist Church.

For the evening, the Hoppers — Claude, Connie, Mike, Dean, and Kim — will present a variety of songs that have garnered national attention for the mixed group. For example, they will perform favorites like “Shoutin’ Time,” “Anchor to the Power of the Cross,” “Jerusalem,” “I’ve Come Too Far,” and songs from their new album, Unforgettable. Also, they will sing Christmas carols and holiday favorites.

According to Claude, founder and manager of the group, the Hoppers are especially energized about performing back home.

“It is always a blessing for us to showcase the Gospel message in song, but it’s personally meaningful for us to be together with homefolks—here in Eden.”

As special guests, the Original Hopper Brothers & Connie will reunite for the evening. Original members, Claude, Monroe, Steve, Will, and Connie Hopper, will sing many of the songs from the earliest days of their musical adventure.

“We are extremely excited about this for it’s always a thrill to sing with my brothers,” Claude added. “We started out as farm boys that loved to sing together. Although we’re all older now, nothing has changed—we still have a blast together!”

Over more than 50-years of ongoing ministry, it seems clear that the Hoppers have not forgotten the eternal purposes behind their singing and stage performance; and there is a renewed excitement brewing in Eden over the upcoming concert event.

“It’s been continual ministry, long miles, and mighty miracles since this group’s early days of harmonizing in the tobacco fields in and around Rockingham County,” Claude said. “We still live at the home-place outside Madison.”

“It’s our goal that Christians from all walks of life will enjoy this Gospel music experience,” he added, “and we hope everyone receives a special touch from the Savior during the concert. Come, celebrate the holiday season with us right here at home.”

“We plan to pull out all the stops for this big night!” Dean Hopper said. “This is a chance for us to thank our many friends and family for their years of support and encouragement. We also look forward to visiting with everyone during and after the concert.”

The evening will capitalize on the strengths of each of the members of The Hoppers in unusual musical settings. The result will be a rich musical tapestry.

“After the concert, my family looks forward to meeting and greeting many of our friends who attend,” Dean added. “We look at it as a great opportunity to get to know everyone!”

The Homecoming is sponsored by the Hopper Heritage Foundation, and will officially mark the launch another active year of sharing the Gospel message in song for the Rockingham County group. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Gold advantage seating is $20 (100 seats available), and general admission is $10. Osborne Baptist Church is located at 326 East Stadium Dr., Eden, NC.

For more information about the Hoppers, contact the group by writing: The Hoppers, 2811 US Hwy 220, Madison, NC 27025, or call: (336) 548-2968, or email: info@thehoppers.com.

Pictured: Kim, Dean, Mike, Connie and Claude Hopper, of the Hoppers.

COUNTRY GOSPEL MUSIC ASSOCIATION: Combo Jamboree Musical

Bartlesville, OK – This coming Saturday, November 14, starting at 7:00 PM at the auditorium at 126 N. Kaw in Bartlesville, the Country Gospel Music Association Bartlesville Chapter will host a Combo Jamboree Musical Celebration in honor of holidays past, present, and future. The Country Gospel Music Association International, based in Branson, Missouri, is the largest Country Gospel organization in existence with more than 5400 members worldwide and exists solely to enhance the music ministries of its member artists.

For the first time ever, award winning musical artists from the Kansas City, Missouri chapter, the Branson chapter, and the Tulsa chapter will join Bartlesville’s local artists for a musical get-together in concert. Artists participating include the Country Cross Duo, Duo of the Year Gentle Hearts, Platinum Heart International Psalmist Gary Douglas Warlick, new vocal group the First Love Trio, Mol Hawkins, Yodeler of the Year Peggy Van Deren, Songwriter of the Year Christi Mynatt,, along with many other chapter member artists. CD’s will be available for purchase in the entry area.

Finger foods will be provided in the fellowship area by the chapters at no charge and admission is FREE. A goodwill offering will be received to help with facilities expense before intermission. For additional information, Bartlesville Chapter officers Ann Warlick(918-335-3969) or Becky Hambright(918-336-3279) are available to answer questions.

Concert to benefit scholarship fund being held tonight

The 2nd Annual Kate Davidson Memorial Concert
Featuring: The Booth Brothers and C S & K
Thurs. Nov. 12th, 7:00 PM
Air Line Baptist Church
White Sulphur Road
Gainesville, GA 30507
The purpose of this concert is to support the Kate Davidson Scholarship Fund.
Mrs. Davidson, Hall County, GA educator for over 30 years and her husband the Rev. Harley Davidson assisted in helping many, many young people further their education. Their daughters hold this concert to continue that help through a scholarship in their name.

YMR Music Productions Announces 2010 Branson Gospel Music Convention

BRANSON, Mo. – YMR Music Productions, LLC. announced the 2nd Annual Branson Gospel Music Convention at a press conference this past Friday, November 6, 2009 held at the Boxcar Willie Inn in Branson, Missouri.

The Branson Gospel Music Convention is to take place beginning Monday evening, June 28, through Friday, July 2, 2010 at the Branson Convention Center across from Branson Landing. Concerts will run every night, with matinees offered Tuesday through Friday and will feature over 150 gospel music artists from across the country, as well as exhibitors from the southern and country gospel music industries, Christian radio stations and retailers, record companies, and television broadcast stations.

For the 2010 endeavor, the organizers of the convention will be joining extensively with Branson and Ozark based businesses to bring awareness of the convention and its artists to the local area.

“We love the city of Branson and all it has to offer,” says Rod Burton, co-owner of YMR Music Productions and himself a gospel artist. “We are excited about bringing the music that we love to this great place during a time when the families of artists and audiences alike will be able to enjoy all that the convention and the city offers.”

The convention ticket prices are held to a low, family-friendly rate. A tour coordinator has been brought on staff to bring in fans from across the United States and Canada.

“We are pleased to offer fans an exciting time of music and ministry at an affordable rate,” Burton continues. ”By working with local Branson contacts, we are working to make their trip an unforgettable vacation that will also include tastes and sights from around the city and the excitement of the 4th of July celebrations that are held.”

YMR Music Productions, LLC. is partnering with both national and local businesses to promote the convention. They announced partnerships with Faith and Family TV, Sky Angel TV, SGM Radio, and SGN Scoops Digital Magazine.

Locally, the convention has already partnered with several Branson favorites: Dino’s 24 Karrot Café will serve as the official place for dining and fellowship during the event, while Juliano’s Catering and Event Planning will be the official caterer. The Branson Tourism Center will be will be selling tickets for the event, and Lakeside RV will be the official campground for artists and audience buses and RVs.

“The city of Branson has been so welcoming to us,” says Kelly Burton, co-owner of YMR Music Productions. “After holding the convention here in 2009, we formed connections with many wonderful businesses and people. We are excited to continue developing relationships and promoting this great place.”

In addition to the convention, YMR Music Productions, LLC. is also hosting a series of concerts called “Give the Gospel,” which will be held in select cities across the country, headlining national gospel groups and local favorites, and benefiting local charities.

“We believe the message of the gospel is the most important thing we offer,” Rod says, “And part of that message is showing kindness in a tangible way to the people who need it most.”

The first of these events took place Friday, November 6, 2009, at the Cowan Center, 500 Elm Street, Lebanon, Missouri. Featuring Ron Blackwood and the Blackwood Quartet, Rod Burton, and locally-based Ascension Quartet, the concert profits will benefit the Pregnancy Support Center of Laclede County.

More information about the Branson Gospel Music Convention can be found at http://www.bransongmc.com or by calling (708) 960-0111.

More information about YMR Music Productions, LLC. can be found at http://www.ymrmp.com or by calling 708-960-0111.

Press conference being held to announce Branson Gospel Music Convention 2010

Branson, MO – YMR Music Productions, LLC. invites the local media to a press conference on Friday, November 6,2009 to announce the 2010 Branson Gospel Music Convention.

The press conference will be held at the Boxcar Willie Inn. 360 Schaefer Drive in Branson MO, from 10:00 am until 11:00am and will be facilitated by Rod Burton, co-owner of the convention, along with headliner and Branson business owner Dino Kartsonakis, convention board member and gospel music legend Ron Blackwood, and convention sponsor Rob Patz of Coastal Media Group. Community leaders are expected to be in attendance as well.

For more information regarding the press conference, please contact Kelly Burton at 708-362-8360.

More information about YMR Music Productions, LLC. can be found at www.ymrmp.com

More information about the Branson Gospel Music Convention can be at www.bransongmc.com

YMR Music Productions Announces Give the Gospel Concert Series to Support Local Charities

HOMEWOOD, Ill. – YMR Music Productions, owner of the Branson Gospel Music Convention, is announcing a series of concerts, entitled Give the Gospel, which will be held across the country to benefit local charities. Concerts are being planned in several selected cities to promote community involvement and support organizations that give and serve those areas.

Kelly Burton, CEO of YMR Music Productions explains, “The current American economy presents a problem for most of us, but sadly, the charities that help those most in need are also being hit the hardest. YMR Music Productions would like to give supporters and fans of gospel music an opportunity to give back to their communities while enjoying the music they love and receiving ministry as well.”

The first concert in the series will take place on Friday night, November 6, 2009 in Lebanon, Missouri. YMR Music Productions will present a night of gospel music featuring The Ascension Quartet, Rod Burton, and the legendary Ron Blackwood and the Blackwood Quartet. This concert will partner with The Pregnancy Support Center of Laclede County, serving Lebanon and the surrounding areas.

Ron Blackwood says, “I am personally very excited about using gospel music to benefit more than its audience. All of us involved feel strongly that we must use our calling to give to as many people as we can a message of hope and a tangible hand whenever we can.”

The concert will take place at the Cowan Civic Center in Lebanon and will start at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 and available now by contacting the YMR Music Productions office at (708) 960-0111.

Additional concerts in the Give the Gospel concert series will be announced over the coming weeks and will pair some of the best loved names in gospel music with regional artists in selected cities. The concerts will feature a low ticket price with profits going to the selected charities.

The website for YMR Music Productions, LLC. is currently being developed. For more information, visit www.rodburtonmusic.com.

Three time Hall of Famers The Lewis Family will appear for one final concert

Grammy nominees Jeff & Sheri Easter will join them

One of Georgia’s most notable musical artists, The Lewis Family, officially retired in September, but the group was coaxed to appear in concert once again in their home state of Georgia.

“We are so excited to be coming together one last time for our friends here at home and for the folks at WJBF who have been so supportive of us all through the years,” said Little Roy Lewis.

Members of the First Family of Bluegrass Gospel will gather to appear in concert Saturday, Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. in Lincolnton, Ga. at the Lewis Family Pavilion. Jeff & Sheri Easter will also appear. Tickets are $10 and children 12 and under are free. Tickets are available only at the gate.

Attendees should bring lawn chairs in the event available seating is exceeded. Attendees should also dress appropriately for an outdoor concert.

Little Roy said he looks forward to jamming with visiting musicians with some parking lot pickin’ from noon until 4 p.m. prior to the concert.

The Lewis Family television show went on the air in 1954 and ran until 1992 when the family began producing its annual Christmas special. This event will be taped for use as the group’s 55th annual Christmas Show to air on WJBF in Augusta.

The Lewis Family are members of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and hold numerous awards including Doves, SPBGMA awards, and others.

The family began with the marriage of the late Roy “Pop” and Pauline “Mom” Lewis and their children began performing in 1951. As their fifty-eighth year of performing about 200 times a year covering 100,000 miles comes to a close, the group includes siblings Little Roy Lewis, Janis Lewis Phillips, Miggie Lewis, and the ailing Polly Lewis Copsey with third generation member Lewis Phillips. Other members of the family may make special appearances in recognition of this special event.

Two of those former members include Polly’s son-in-law and daughter, Jeff & Sheri Easter. They have distinguished themselves in a highly awarded career of their own including five Dove awards, a Grammy nomination and through their association with the Gaither Homecoming video series selling over 15 million videos.

“I am excited that we are giving people in Georgia a chance to come together and honor the family’s legacy,” Sheri said. “It will be a great opportunity for people to come and say thank you for all the things the Lewis Family has done for gospel music and our hometown and in turn a chance for all of us in the family to extend thanks for the many years of friendship from all those who included the Lewis Family as part of their lives.”

For more information, call (706) 359-1997 or (706) 359-3767 or visit www.lewisfamilymusic.com and www.jeffandsherieaster.com.

WESTON & CHRISTY HINSON WITH LARRY HINSON IN CONCERT SUNDAY OCTOBER 18

Weston Hinson, the son of gospel music legend, Kenny Hinson, and his wife, Christy Hinson, will be in concert with featured guest Larry Hinson of the Original Hinsons. This is a rare event, as Weston and Christy are part of the group, Weston Hinson & By Faith, and Larry is pastoring in Millersville, TN at South Point Church.

Don’t miss this opportunity to relive some of that “Old Time Feelin” again, and also experience what the next generation has in store. This will surely be an event you will want to attend, and one you will not forget. It will be held this Sunday, October 18, at 3:00 pm at Eastland Baptist Church in Nashville, TN.

For more information about the location of the church, please visit www.eastlandbaptistchurch.org. The event is free admission. There will be a love offering taken in the service. So, bring your friends, and pack your car pools. Call your pastor and tell the church, because this truly will be an event you don’t want to miss!

GOSPEL MUSIC COMMUNITY UNITES IN SUPPORT OF GOSPEL MUSIC ASSOCIATION

RAISES MORE THAN $350,000

Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, Fisk Jubilee Singers, MercyMe, Kirk Franklin, Booth Brothers, Natalie Grant, and More Come Together for ‘Concert of the Decade’

Godbeat.com, HearItFirst.com and 316Networks.com Partner to Offer One of the Largest Christian Concerts Ever Streamed Online

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – An unprecedented gathering of Christian and Gospel music’s premier artists and industry leaders united on Monday (10/12) for a concert to celebrate their musical legacy and support the mission of the Gospel Music Association (GMA), the non-profit trade organization which has championed Christian music for more than 45 years.

The musical event lived up to its billing as the “Concert of the Decade” with performances by Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Kirk Franklin, Point of Grace, Jason Crabb, Martha Munizzi, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Natalie Grant, Bernie Herms and the Booth Brothers. Brown Bannister, five-time Dove Award-winning Producer of the Year, produced the concert, which was staged at the Loveless Café Barn in Nashville.

GMA Board of Directors chairman Ed Leonard (president of Daywind Music), welcomed the near-capacity crowd of more than 350, plus an online audience of close to 10,000, to the fundraising dinner and concert, created in response to financial needs the GMA has, owing in part to the economic recession. “While tonight we’ve come together to help the GMA navigate through some immediate challenges, this assembly also offers us a unique blessing to renew the commitment to our community, and to build a GMA that is relevant for the future.”

Also appearing onstage as segment hosts were author/pastor David Nasser; Premier Productions President Roy Morgan; and GMA Executive Committee member Eddie DeGarmo (president of EMI CMG Publishing). Special guest U. S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), co-founder of the Congressional Songwriters Caucus, spoke to the importance of the advocacy the Gospel Music Association offers for its members.

The concert culminated with industry-leading Dove winners Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant singing “Friends,” followed by a stirring finale featuring the evening’s entire lineup leading the classic worship song “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).”

Sponsors and partners of Concert of the Decade included Platinum Sponsors World Vision, Compassion International and the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, plus the Grand Ole Opry, Gaylord Opryland Resorts and Convention Center, De Lux Productions, iTickets and the Gospel Music Channel. All performing artists and show producers donated their time, expenses and purchased the tickets to the event. *See below for a complete list of sponsors and partners.

Websites Godbeat.com and HearItFirst.com, in partnership with video platform provider 316Networks.com, offered a live web broadcast of the event, making it one of the largest Christian concerts ever streamed online.

The Concert of the Decade and dinner was staged at the Loveless Barn, the new intimate performance venue added to the Loveless Café restaurant on Highway 100 in Nashville.

For more information on supporting the Gospel Music Association or becoming a member, please visit www.gospelmusic.org or contact the Gospel Music Association directly at 615-242-0303.