Southern Gospel News SGNScoops Digital

ISRAEL HOUGHTON AND JOHN MARK McMILLAN EACH HONORED WITH 3 DOVE AWARD NOMINATIONS

MOBILE, Ala. – February 16, 2011 – Nominations were announced today for the 42^nd Annual GMA Dove Awards with Integrity Music’s signed and distributed artists and songwriters receiving 14 nominations, including three each for Israel Houghton and John Mark McMillan.

**MEDIA ALERT**

**MEDIA ALERT**

GRAMMY® Awards Nominees Jeff & Sheri Easter
to Join THE DREAM CENTER and GRAMMY® Nominee
KIRK WHALUM AND VICTORY UNIVERSITY for
“IT STARTED WITH A DREAM” Event This Sunday

PRE-GRAMMY® AWARDS CONCERT AND SERVICE HONORS
GRAMMY® NOMINEES IN ALL GOSPEL MUSIC CATAGORIES
(Contemporary, Pop, R&B, Traditional, Rock, Rap, Southern, Country & Bluegrass)
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal congratulates Jeff & Sheri Easter on their GRAMMY® nomination
at the Atlanta GRAMMY® Party honoring Georgia nominees at The W Hotel in Atlanta GA
on Thursday January 27 2011. (photo, L-R) Group members Jeff and Morgan Easter,
Gov. Nathan Deal and Sheri Easter

• WHAT: Sunday, February 13, THE DREAM CENTER, twelve-time GRAMMY® Award Nominee Kirk Whalum and Victory University are hosting “IT STARTED WITH A DREAM.” In celebration of this year’s Gospel GRAMMY® Nominees, the event is a pre-awards ceremony, concert and service honoring the nominees and benefiting THE DREAM CENTER’s PROJECT HOPE. “IT STARTED WITH A DREAM” will feature live performances by GRAMMY® Nominees; Israel Houghton, Lalah Hathaway, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Kirk Whalum with special guest George Duke and others to be announced from all fields in the Gospel category.
• WHEN: Sunday, February 13, 2011
  10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
• WHERE: Angelus Temple
  1100 Glendale Blvd.
  Los Angeles, CA 90026

The FREE EVENT is open to all that can attend. The concerts stellar performances will be streamed live on the web at DreamCenterLive.com inviting the entire world to view for $4.99 with proceeds benefitting Project Hope.

The vision of PROJECT HOPE is to provide a restoration home for immediate care to those rescued from human trafficking; rebuild one’s physical, mental and spiritual wholeness; and prepare individuals toward returning to society. Project Hope exists for the purpose of helping the lives of individuals who have fallen victim to human trafficking. This home offers a safe place to rebuild lives based on biblical principles. The home will focus on the specific needs for each individual.

JEFF & SHERI EASTER
Two-time GRAMMY®-nominated Jeff & Sheri Easter are Gospel music treasures, featured regularly on the Gaither HOMECOMING videos and international HOMECOMING tours in addition to their own heavy schedule of appearances. Jeff & Sheri are the recipients of six GMA DOVE Awards, 15 Singing News Fan Awards, three Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association Awards, two International Country Gospel Music Association honors, 16 Voice Awards, four Southern Gospel Music Fan Fair Awards, five SGN Scoops Diamond Awards, four Hearts Aflame Awards and three Cash Box Awards. Formed in 1988 following childhoods as part of their respective, nationally-known family groups—The Lewis Family and The Easter Brothers, the married couple is joined today on stage by their children—Madison and Morgan Easter—who round out the group. The group is known for such hits as “Roses Will Bloom Again,” “Praise His Name,” “Thread of Hope,” “Speak to the Mountain” and many others including “Born to Climb,” which garnered a 2010 DOVE Award. They are nominated for a 2011 GRAMMY® Award for their Expecting Good Things (Spring Hill Music) recording.

KIRK WHALUM
Saxophonist, Kirk Whalum will host the event and perform with his band. Kirk has been a recording artist for 25 years and has over 25 solo recordings to date. He has received numerous awards and acknowledgements for his musical excellence including twelve GRAMMY® nominations (four this year which include two for his most current release; The Gospel According to Jazz, Chapter III), two Dove Award nominations, a NAACP Image Awards nomination, and he has won two Stellar Awards. Kirk is a ordained minister with a Masters of Art in Religion. He was recently appointed CEO/President of the STAX Music Academy and the STAX Museum of American Soul Music in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Please visit www.facebook.com/KirkWhalum www.KirkWhalum.com.

MATTHEW BARNETT
Matthew Barnett, co-founder of THE DREAM CENTER and senior pastor of ANGELUS TEMPLE, will co-host the event. THE DREAM CENTER – located at the former Queen of Angels Hospital, is now a refuge for the city of Los Angeles’ homeless, abandoned teens, gang members and those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Los Angeles is being changed daily through THE DREAM CENTER and most people in the city are unaware of it. On behalf of Barnett, we would love to invite you to experience “IT STARTED WITH A DREAM” first-hand. Please visit www.angelustemple.org.

THE DREAM CENTER
Through its numerous outreach programs, THE DREAM CENTER feeds over 40,000 people per month (one million pounds of food) and houses more than 500 people daily each week, meeting them with love and a helping hand at their greatest point of need. THE DREAM CENTER provides food, shelter, clothing, life rehabilitation, education, job training and numerous resources through its 273 programs and outreaches. From its humble beginnings in 1994, located in a formerly crime-infested neighborhood of Los Angeles, THE DREAM CENTER has become one of the outstanding models of transformation in America.

VICTORY UNIVERSITY
Victory University is a Christian liberal arts college committed to academic excellence and the joining of faith, rigorous academic inquiry, and action guided by a biblical worldview. Building upon a challenging curriculum in the classroom, Victory embraces the richness and diversity of its urban community as an extension of its campus. Victory strives to set the standard among Christian colleges as a place where students are mentored by a strong and caring Christian faculty and Christian area leaders learn that knowledge and faith can transform communities and advance God’s purposes in the world.

ISRAEL HOUGHTON RECEIVES TWO GRAMMY NOMINATIONS

MOBILE, Ala. (Dec. 2, 2010) – Integrity Music’s GRAMMY, Stellar and Dove Award winner, Soul Train Award winner and double RIAA certified Gold-selling artist Israel Houghton has received two GRAMMY nominations for his critically acclaimed album, Love God. Love People.

Nominations for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced last night by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year as determined by the voting members of The Academy. The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on “GRAMMY Sunday,” Feb. 13, 2011, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

Houghton’s CD was nominated for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album while the song “You Hold My World” was nominated for Best Gospel Performance. A complete list of nominees in the Gospel field is available at http://www.grammy.com/nominees?year=2010&genre=14.

If Houghton’s Love God. Love People. CD wins a GRAMMY, it will be four straight for the worship leader from Houston. Each of Houghton’s last three CDs have been honored with GRAMMY Awards. Last year he won for his solo debut CD The Power of One, and with his powerhouse musical ensemble New Breed, Houghton won a GRAMMY in 2008 for A Deeper Level and in 2007 for Alive in South Africa.

Love God. Love People. released in August on Integrity Music/Columbia Records and has garnered praise from critics reaching out to a diverse variety of music fans nationally and beyond. Critics at media outlets ranging from CCM to Gospel Today and ChristianityToday.com to SoulTracks.com, CBA Retailer + Resources, GospelFlava.com, Breathecast.com, Crosswalk.com and more have lauded the new album, calling it “gospel music milk and honey,” “profound” “uplifting,” “spectacular,” “God dropped it out of heaven,” “excellent,” “amazing,” “musical and spiritual masterpiece,” “relentlessly original,” “wonderfulness” and more.

Writing or co-writing all but one of the songs on Love God. Love People., Israel is an innovative worship leader, singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer who has also written or co-written 11 CCLI Top 500 favorites. Breaking down barriers and defying categorization with his music, Israel uses his own multi-cultural upbringing as a reference point with a desire to draw people of all races, ages and cultures together.

The album features the musically masterful energy that has become synonymous with Houghton recordings, and includes special guest appearances by Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond and Take 6’s Claude V. McKnight, III, Mark Kibble and Joey Kibble, as well as song co-writes with Meleasa Houghton, Aaron Lindsey, Tommy Sims and Michael Gungor. Love God. Love People. blends the musical genres of worship, rock, pop, Gospel and R&B and was recorded and engineered at Abbey Road Studios.

Active as worship leader in his local church, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, Houston, Israel has served as worship leader at Hillsong conferences, Franklin Graham crusades, and is a featured CompassionArt songwriter and artist. Israel also ministers through concerts in the U.S. and around the world, has accompanied Alicia Keys at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards for a performance of George Michael’s “Freedom ’90,” and has performed at the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards, taking part in a segment saluting Gospel music alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin and BeBe Winans. Houghton has been featured on FOX, CBS, ABC, BET, CNN, TBN and CBN, and has amassed a legion of fans that cross generational and cultural lines. While blasting down barriers, he has been fittingly graced with two Gold-selling albums, three GRAMMY Awards, six Dove Awards, two Stellar Awards and a Soul Train Award.

For more information, go to http://www.israelhoughton.net or www.integritymusic.com.

Israel Houghton To Appear on Fox News This Saturday in Beyond The Dream Feature

November 12, 2010 — Integrity Music’s Israel Houghton is interviewed on Fox News this Saturday, Nov. 13 at Noon CST/1:00pm EST.  Hougton is interviewed by Fox reporter Kelly Wright as part of his regular “Beyond the Dream” segment, which has recently featured Denzel Washington and Joel Osteen.

The Power of One Makes Three for Israel Houghton

Acclaimed Worship Artist/Songwriter Wins 3rd GRAMMY Award

LOS ANGELES, Calif. –Multi-talented worship leader, songwriter and recording artist Israel Houghton won his third consecutive GRAMMY® last night during the 52nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Houghton took home the award for “Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album” for his critically-acclaimed CD The Power Of One and also was honored as a nominee for “Best Gospel Song” for “Every Prayer” from The Power of One.

Previously, Houghton and his powerhouse musical ensemble New Breed won two GRAMMYS in 2008 for A Deeper Level and in 2007 for Alive in South Africa. This year’s win marks his first GRAMMY as a “solo” artist.

“It’s really an honor to be nominated for such a prestigious award,” says Houghton. “And to win is such a surreal experience…I’m so moved that the message in the music was embraced and appreciated.”

The “message” of the genre-blending album is one of hope, redemption and revelation, especially the title track, which expresses Houghton’s passion for social justice.

“I strongly believe that those of us who consider ourselves worshippers need to have a heart for social justice,” says Houghton who will be in Toronto for a Haiti benefit concert on Feb. 12.

In addition to his career as a recording artist, Israel Houghton is a worship leader at Houston’s Lakewood Church and a spokesman for international relief agency World Vision. He is the recipient of six Dove Awards, two Stellar Awards, a Soul Train Award and three GRAMMY Awards. Additional information is available at www.israelhoughton.net and www.integritymusic.com.