Southern Gospel News SGNScoops Digital

Studio 115A Calling All Songwriters

September 26, 2020*

Calling all songwriters and those who have dreamed of becoming a songwriter!

We are excited to host the upcoming Songwriting Seminar at Studio 115A in Columbus, MS on Saturday, September 26th! Join our very own Dennis McKay and Jessica Horton as they share their songwriting experiences and work with you to fine tune your skills. If you have always wanted to write a song or you are a seasoned songwriter, we hope you will reserve your seat and join us for this one day songwriting seminar in beautiful, historic Columbus, Mississippi.

For More Information: Click HERE

Vernon Alabama’s Gospel Music Weekend Spotlight Artist- Answered Prayer

Answered Prayer began in July 2006 as a result of many prayers, therefore the name ‘Answered Prayer’.  Being able to sing God’s praises through Southern Gospel music really is an `answered prayer` to everyone in the group.  Although there have been some changes in the group recently, the mission stays the same `To spread the good news of Jesus Christ through our ministry`.  Group members are Niki Bernardo, Buddy Dewease, Penny Welborn, Brian Carney, and Vance Green. God continues to amaze us with his blessings, as he has opened so many doors for us to stand in front of people and share the good news of Jesus Christ through the songs that we love so much.  Our motto is wherever God opens a door it`s for a reason, whether it be in front of 5 people or 5000.  If just one person receives a blessing from our concert, it`s worth every dollar it took to get there, and every minute of time we spent in preparation and concert time.  If you are looking for someone to just sing to you, then we may not be your group.  But, if you want to worship God through song, then please contact us!  We mix some of the Southern Gospel classics in with the songs on the charts today, to try and provide something for all ages of Southern Gospel music fans.

Come meet this weeks Artist Spotlight- Answered Prayer in Vernon , Alabama.

Here is the complete lineup for the event!

Diamond Award nominees featured in Columbus newspaper

The top five nominees in the 2019 Diamond Awards were announced live on Facebook on June 25, 2019. Although Christian music artists and events are often ignored by mainstream media, the nomination of a couple of local artists was noticed by a Columbus Mississippi newspaper.

Leslie and Dennis McKay of McKay Project and M.A.C. Records

Diamond Award nominees Jessica Horton and the McKay Project were featured in a recent edition of the Columbus Dispatch, described in a halfpage article as part of M.A.C. Records of Columbus.

Jessica Horton recently signed with M.A.C. Records and has been nominated for Sunrise Artist of the Year.

Jessica Horton

Dennis and Leslie McKay, known as the McKay Project, have been nominated for Duet of the Year, and for the Christian Country Song of the Year for “Taking Me Home.”

The Diamond Awards are presented by SGNScoops Magazine and Coastal Media. Rob Patz, CEO of Coastal Media, is thrilled that a local paper would feature Diamond Award nominated artists.

Creekside 2019

“Creekside artists being recognized by city newspapers is terrific,” says Patz. “The more the average citizen is aware of Christian music and those who perform it, the more likely they will be to attend a concert and hear the gospel. That’s what we are about: sharing our music and our lives with those around us at a grassroots level, building our audience and the Church. Together, we can be a vessel for revival across our country.”

The 2019 Diamond Awards will be held as part of Creekside Gospel Music Convention on Oct. 29, 2019 at the Smoky Mountain Convention Center, Pigeon Forge, Tenn. For information, lodgings, VIP tickets, and more, call Rob Patz at 360-933-0741.

Voting for the Diamond Awards can be found HERE.

For more information on the McKays go HERE.

For more information on Jessica Horton go HERE.

Read the June SGNScoops Magazine Online HERE

Vernon Alabama’s Gospel Music Weekend “Spotlight Artist”- Jessica Horton

Jessica Horton is a singer/songwriter from Columbus, MS. She was raised in classic country and gospel, and the soul and sound of these classics often find their way into her music. Her songs feature the acoustic guitar, dobro, mandolin, and other roots instruments. On stage, Jessica brings a live aspect to her show by playing guitar and including singable old-time hymns and gospel songs. Off- stage, Jessica spends a lot of time with her husband, David and her church family. She serves as worship leader and youth director at Shaeffer’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Columbus, MS.

Jessica is originally from Eupora, MS, and she grew up singing classic country with her “Pop” Jess, starting when she was only 3 years old. He taught her guitar and piano, and they traveled to different schoolhouses, opry houses, festivals, and election events to perform. When he passed away, Jessica focused more on her classical studies as a music major at Mississippi University for Women, where she earned a degree as a soprano vocalist and music educator.

In 2018, with the encouragement of her husband, Jessica reached out to Dennis and Leslie McKay with M.A.C. Records in Columbus, MS. Shortly after, Jessica signed with the label and began working on her first single. You can find her music on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Play and any other online music outlets.

Please follow her on Facebook @jesshortonmusic for the most recent updates!

And come hear Jessica in person at Vernon Alabama’s Gospel Music Weekend September 6-7th, 2019.

Here is a complete lineup of artists and information for the event.

See you in Vernon!

Jessica Horton jumps with Both Feet In

Jessica Horton: Both Feet In

Jessica Horton’s love of music and singing began 27 years ago when she was just three years old.

She would travel with her grandparents to old school houses and opry houses where they would sing for the people.  People would leave donations, and later on, this would actually pay for her first year of college.

As Jessica got older, she encountered others her age who began making fun of her for singing the classic country music and for dressing like a cowgirl for her family’s concerts. This peer pressure led Jessica to focus on other interests during her high school years and put her dreams of a music career on hold. “Looking back, I would give anything now for some of those moments with my grandparents,” Jessica says.

Jessica continued to dream of the day she would be singing professionally. As she began college, she feared her passion and dream seemed unattainable and thought it may never be more than a hobby, but God had other plans in store for her life.

She would go on to study classical voice in college and receive her degree in music education. She began teaching piano and voice. She discovered a new passion for her teaching when she began tutoring English to Chinese students online.

Musically, Jessica was influenced by the late Patsy Cline. She attributes much of her vocal warmness and tonal quality to her influence. Ministry opportunities began to open up for Jessica and she is currently serving as youth director for her church in addition to leading praise and worship.

During June of 2018, after some encouragement from her husband, David, Jessica reached out to M.A.C. Records. After hearing her sing, the label immediately knew she was a voice that should be heard.  Leslie McKay of M.A.C. Records received a message on Facebook from Jessica that said, “Okay…I’m ready to give this music thing a try.”

Leslie states, “There were three song files attached. I opened the tracks and after listening to them took them to my husband Dennis. I told him to take a listen. When I asked who it sounded like, neither of us could think of anyone. That’s a good thing.”

“We were very interested in talking with her. Her sound was very unique and pure and not like anyone else that we had ever heard,” Dennis McKay of M.A.C. Records says. A meeting was set up at Studio 115A to talk about Jessica’s vision and how she wanted to pursue her musical dream.  

Dennis states, “Initially, she was interested in pursuing secular music with an old country sound. We began talking about recording cover songs, but we encouraged her to think about writing her own songs. Jessica had never written any original songs, but she started trying her hand at songwriting. It wasn’t long before she had ‘Love Wins,’ and another song called ‘Motown Song.’ The songs just started flowing and she was on her way to writing and recording a secular project.”

However, there was another plan in the works; a divine plan.

Read more »

Carol Barham calls “America Come Back”

Christian Country artist, Carol Barham, has written a timely song, “America, Come Back!” This distinctive vocalist will be recording a live video for the song on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. local time, in Vernon, Alabama.

An excited Barham says, “We begin filming me in an awesome red and white classic 1955 Chevy, provided by Charles Cook from Vernon!”

“While driving, we will be going to the beautiful Twin Cables Antebellum Home and pulling up in the drive,” Barham says.

The song will be videoed by Nelda McKay of Freedom Productions, of Tupelo, Mississippi.

“This has been a dream of mine for a long time. I wrote this song several years ago and believed that God had a plan for it,” says Barham.”I recorded it at M.A.C. Studio 115A, with Dennis McKay, in 2013. That was the beginning of another dream I had. This song is calling America back to God and its foundation and the belief it was founded upon.”

Carol Barham can be heard on Christian Country radio singing the charting song, “God, Oral Roberts, and Billy Graham.”

For more information on Carol Barham click HERE.

Read the June SGNScoops Magazine Online HERE

Vernon Alabama’s Gospel Music Weekend Spotlight Artist

Carol Barham

Vernon Alabama’s Gospel Music Weekend Spotlight Artist – Carol Barham

Carol is a Christian Country singer, songwriter from Vernon, Alabama who records on the M.A.C. Records label. A pastor’s wife and grandmother, Carol has a passion for ministering to hurting people with her God given talent of songwriting and performing. Her message to others is that God loves them and will save, heal and deliver.

In an interview with SGN Scoops Magazine, Carol was asked this question.

SGN: Tell us about Carol Barham and what we can expect when we come to your concert or ministry/worship service?

Carol: I was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and grew up with two brothers, playing guitar and singing Country music.  Music has always been a part of my life and I am thankful for the God-given gift of songwriting. All of my songs are originals and recording them is a dream come true.

My partnership with M.A.C. Records is definitely not an accident. Dennis McKay of M.A.C. Records and I had known each other for several years but lost contact until one day our paths crossed and my dream began to unfold. I knew this was no accident but God had placed Dennis and me in the right place at the right time.

Here is a poster with a complete lineup of Artists for the event.

See you in Vernon, Alabama!

2019 Vernon Alabama’s Gospel Music Weekend

Vernon Alabama’s Gospel Music Weekend will be held Sept. 6 – 7, 2019 at the City Auditorium in downtown Vernon, Alabama. This family-friendly event is open to all ages and groups. Admission is free.

The weekend will feature multi-talented gospel artists showcasing a variety of musical styles, including Southern Gospel, Christian Country, and Bluegrass. Evening concerts begin at 6:00 p.m.

Many artists appearing are M.A.C. Records recording artists, including Jesse Reece, Jessica Horton, McKay Project, Carol Barham, Kenny Gardner, and Amy Richardson.

Also appearing are special guests the Bibletones, Eagle’s Wings, Day Three, Chronicle, Hope’s Journey,  The Riders, Gloryland, and Zion’s Way.

In addition to the nightly concerts, this year there will be a Saturday afternoon showcase concert featuring various regional artists. Concessions will be available.

Artists interested in performing during the showcase are invited to call the promoter listed below.

General admission is free, however, VIP passes are available this year. VIP guests will receive special priority seating, a bag of merchandise, and a private meet and greet reception with the artists. VIP passes are only $25.

Artists wishing to participate in the showcase, or for more information and VIP passes, email info@macrecords.net or call 662.889.2829 . For more information about the artists, sponsors, hotel accommodations, and restaurants, visit facebook.com/macnightofworship/

Leslie McKay: Wake Up Call

Leslie and Dennis McKay of McKay Project and M.A.C. Records

I imagine most of us are familiar with the term “wake up call.” If you are staying at a hotel, you may request a wake-up call at a certain time and a member of the staff will call your room to ensure that you wake up. Another definition of a wake-up call is something that happens to get your attention or to prompt you to change course, realize or recognize that you need to do things differently, or take stock of your life, etc.

Recently, we were staying at a hotel in Birmingham, Ala. After a long, but fun day of shopping we settled in for the night. The next morning was going to be an early one because we were heading back to Mississippi to be in church. We needed a good night’s rest. However, around 1:30 a.m. we were horrifically jarred from our sleep by the fire alarm going off in our room and the repetition of a woman’s voice telling us that a fire had been detected in the building and we needed to evacuate immediately.

We jumped up and after taking a few minutes to gain our senses, we threw on some clothes, grabbed blankets and headed out the door and down four flights of stairs. I would venture to say that very few people use the stairs in a high rise hotel or even pay attention to where the stairs come out of the hotel. When we emerged, we were in a basement parking garage and near what looked like a loading dock. We could hear the sound of fire trucks approaching. The hotel alarm was still blaring and the woman’s voice was repeating the message over and over to evacuate. We made it to the street level and saw other people like us that had dressed quickly, hair in a “hot mess”, and walking toward the front of the hotel. We followed.

You can imagine what was going through our minds…is it real or is it a prank? If it is real, what did we leave behind? If it is a prank, then I hope they catch who did this because it is not funny.

As we approached the front of the hotel, there was a group of people dressed in formal wear sitting leisurely in the front lobby. We noticed them earlier in the day. They were there to celebrate a wedding. Obviously, from their calm appearance, it was apparent that this was a false alarm and there wasn’t a fire in the building. Wow!

We entered the lobby of the hotel expecting someone to take charge and provide directions, but that didn’t happen. We expected to see firemen enter the building, but that didn’t happen either. After a few minutes, the alarm stopped and people were just standing around looking at each other wondering what to do next. When nothing happened, we went to the front desk where the clerk seemed to be doing business as usual (giving directions to the pizza delivery guy that had just arrived) and asked about returning to our rooms. “Oh yeah, there is no fire… you may go back to your rooms,” was his response. You can imagine that tempers were high. As sleepy people grumbled about the interruption, we entered the elevators and went back to our rooms to attempt to get a few hours of sleep before starting the day.

You may be wondering, “Where is she going with all of this?” or “What does this have to do with anything?”  As I returned to bed and began to try and calm my mind to go to sleep. I felt like the Spirit downloaded some info on the inside of me about that whole experience.

Everyone at some point in their life will experience a wake-up call of some kind.

You fill in the blank:
My “wake up call” happened when _________.

It can take a variety of forms. In 2018, my husband was in a restaurant when a car came through the glass wall and hit him (miraculously, he is okay). That is an example of an extreme “wake up call”. The wake-up call could be unwanted medical news, money trouble, job loss or change, a relationship going south, or any number of things. Sometimes a wake-up call is out of our control while other times we bring circumstances upon ourselves. I want to share some thoughts that I had after our recent hotel experience which I think relate to real life when it comes to a wake up call.

Leslie

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE WAKE-UP CALL HAPPENS?

1. Go With It – Move.  We realize what is happening, we take inventory, make the necessary adjustments and we keep moving. That night in the hotel room, we assessed what was happening, got up, got dressed and got out of the building.

In Acts 9 in the Bible, Saul was faced with a wake-up call when he was blinded on the road to Damascus and heard the voice of Jesus. Previously, Saul was a major persecutor of Christians and was on his way to Damascus to kill more Christians when he encountered Jesus. At that moment, Saul was confronted with who he was and who Jesus was. He immediately became willing to do what Jesus instructed him to do. Saul continued on the road to Damascus but the purpose for his trip was dramatically altered and his life was forever changed. Saul became Paul (Acts 13). His wake-up call produced an adjustment in his life that took immediate affect and he kept moving on for Jesus instead of against Him.

2. Stay in Chaos and Confusion. The wake-up call happens and we stay in a state of chaos and confusion; constantly scrambling and trying to keep our head above water.

My daughter and I laugh at my husband. He is a very deep sleeper and when he was jarred awake by the fire alarm he had no idea what was going on. For a few minutes, he was standing up, sitting down, standing up, sitting down, and scrambling just to get awake enough to process what was happening in the hotel room.

In the Bible, Jonah is an example where his wake-up call found him in a state of chaos and confusion that he brought on himself (and others). God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to the people. Jonah didn’t want to go so he ran the opposite direction. He made his own plan and boarded a boat heading for Tarshish.

Jonah’s actions affected more than just himself.  While out to sea, a monstrous storm came up and the crew was terribly afraid because they thought they were going to die. They called out to their gods and even threw their cargo overboard to lighten the ship. In spite of all that chaos, Jonah went below deck and fell asleep. Either that was some serious denial or he really didn’t yet understand the gravity of his situation. Eventually, the members of the crew decided to cast lots to see who was responsible for the awful storm and it fell on Jonah. They woke him up (another wake-up call) and asked him how in the world he could sleep and who he was and what he had done. He told them he was a Hebrew who followed the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and dry land. Jonah told them he was running from God.  The storm got worse and they asked Jonah what to do. He told them to throw him overboard because it was his fault. The crew didn’t want to throw him over and tried to row in spite of the storm but it grew wilder. Reluctantly, they threw Jonah over and the sea became calm.  As if that wasn’t enough, Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. In the belly of that fish, Jonah answered his wake-up call and repented and agreed to do what God asked. He went to Nineveh and preached to the people.

Sometimes we bring the circumstances for our wake-up call upon ourselves by the choices we make and many times those choices affect other people. In the story of Jonah, the crew was affected by his choices. They probably sacrificed valuable items when they threw their cargo overboard in an effort to fix the situation. Even after the crew knew they needed to throw Jonah overboard, they put it off and tried in their own power to row back to land.

Isn’t that sometimes how it is? Our world may be in chaos and everyone around us can see what is going on and they are trying to help us, but we have yet to wake up. It wasn’t until Jonah was alone in the belly of the great fish that he surrendered and decided to obey God. The fish spit him out and this time when God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, he went.

The point is not to stay in a state of chaos and confusion but recognize that God only wants the best for us and surrender to Him.

I Corinthians 14:33 tells us that “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace…”

Philippians 4:7 reminds us that “the peace of God, which surpasses every thought will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

3. Do Nothing.  Perhaps the wake-up call produces a fear in us that we can’t overcome and we just stop living. We are paralyzed and too afraid to do anything. We gather our resources around us and hunker down like we are waiting out a storm that never ends. Maybe we even convince ourselves it isn’t real and if we ignore it then maybe it will go away. Remember, the wake-up call should act as a catalyst in many cases to get us to move forward or do something different.

That night in the hotel lobby, no one was gripped by fear and it was obvious that most thought it wasn’t real. We figured that if we just ignored the fire alarm and warnings they would eventually stop. Even the hotel staff continued to conduct business as usual.

In Numbers 13 and 14 in the Bible, the Israelites had left Egypt and escaped from Pharaoh and reached the border of Canaan. God told Moses to send 12 spies into the land of Canaan to scout out the land. It was the land that God promised to give to the Israelites. However, when the spies returned they were so afraid of the giants living in the land that they convinced the people not to move forward. Caleb and Joshua were the only ones of the twelve that believed God’s promise that they could take the land. God was not happy with the people of Israel because of their lack of faith and their complaining. He declared that none of the people over 20 years old would enter the land that he promised with the exception of Joshua and Caleb and their descendants. They wandered another 40 years in the wilderness. Their fear and decision to do nothing resulted in the delay of receiving or moving into the land that God had promised them.

When the wake-up call happens in our lives, it can be scary but we can’t let fear grip us and rule our lives. Fear is a liar and God is not about fear.

II Timothy 1:7 reminds us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and a sound mind.”

Psalms 27:1 tells us, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom should I be afraid?”

Leslie McKay

I believe wake-up calls are part of life. Some are more intense than others, but we have a choice as to how we respond. I believe God has a purpose and a plan for each of us and wants the best for us. When those wake-up calls happen in life, I want to challenge you to ask yourself, “What can I learn?” Then…get up, dust yourself off and keep moving forward. Your best days are ahead of you!

By Leslie McKay

Leslie McKay is a writer for SGNScoops Magazine and is also a member of McKay Project with her husband, Dennis. Together they are McKay Project and own M.A.C. Records. Find out more about Leslie McKay here.

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Southern Gospel Weekend Welcomes Jessica Horton

Jessica Horton and Vonda Easley

Jessica Horton

Singer / Songwriter