*(LOS ANGELES) – Tune-in to the biggest night in Gospel music when the 33rd Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards premieres on TV One, Easter Sunday, April 1, at 6/5c. The annual show is an exhilarating night of faith, praise and triumph, hosted by Kirk Franklin and held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
Franklin opened the show with a reminder of the enduring appeal and current relevance of the art form. “Gospel music is alive and well,” he shared. “You have to understand something; when there is a deep need, necessity is the mother of invention. And when we have troubles and tragedies in the culture, that’s when the people in this room are at their greatest,” Franklin added.
“[Gospel music] is at it’s most powerful because you have the seed that God has put in you to create, to innovate, to strategize to bring a new sound, a new idea so that when trouble comes, we’re able to tell the world that Jesus is the light of the world.”
The big night kicked off with legendary Gospel duo Mary Mary reuniting for the first time in more than six years for an unforgettable, high energy medley of their trailblazing hitsShackles, Get Up, We Livin, Well Done, and Can’t Give Up Now. The dance and praise continued when Ricky Dillard & New G raised the roof with a visually arresting performance of “I’ve got the Victory!”
This year’s roof-raising show also put the spotlight on up and coming gospel artists. The incomparable Tamela Mann, who was honored with the 2018 James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award, was there to help pass the torch on to the next generation.
“If I could just say a few words to all the up and coming artists, let’s not forget the shoulders that helped us cross this bridge,” said Mann. “We didn’t get here on our own,” she added. Don Jackson stated,
Tony-award winner Anika Noni Rose presented her with the honor, and described Tamela as the type of artist that “Brings us great joy when that artist embodies a sincerity, a realness that makes you truly believe every word they sing. It brings us inspiration that can last a lifetime.”
RELATED NEWS: PHOTOS: SNOOP DOGG, LEANDRIA JOHNSON, KIRK FRANKLIN, KORYN HAWTHORNE & MORE AT STELLAR GOSPEL MUSIC AWARDS (LOOK!)
The powerhouse vocals of Tasha Page-Lockhart, KeKe Wyatt, and Le’Andria Johnsonjoined forces for the tribute to Tamela, and their rendition of Now Behold the Lamb, God Provides, and Take Me to the King left Tamela Mann and husband David Mann visibly moved.
Stellar Gospel Awards creator and executive producer Don Jackson bestowed special honors upon gospel greats who “share one common thread, they all serve as guardians of gospel’s great history and traditions,” he said.
The legendary Rev. Milton Biggham was recognized with The Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones Legends Award, while Stellar Honors Hall of Fame Inductees included Kurt Carr, Ben Tankard, and Dr. Marabeth Gentry – President of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses.
“The Stellar Honors Hall of Fame celebrates those who have helped make gospel music America’s most important and original art form, be they artists or educators or philanthropists,” said presenter Donnie McClurkin. “They’ve taken gospel music to a wider audience, a much wider audience, and for that reason, we honor them.”
While the epic celebration included the biggest names in the genre and performances by such acts as Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Kierra Sheard, Tori Kelly, Anthony Brown, JJ Hairstonand The Hamilitones, one of the night’s highlights came when Hip-Hop music pioneerSnoop Dogg made his Stellar Awards debut, performing “Words Are Few” with B. Sladefrom his first Gospel album, Bible of Love. Another big moment occurred during the all-star tribute to the late, great Edwin Hawkins, with his sister Lynette Hawkins accepting the Edwin Hawkins Icon Award in his honor. The tribute featured a star-studded Stellar rendition of the classic song “Oh Happy Day.”
Top winners of the night were JJ Hairston with six awards; Tasha Cobbs Leonard andTravis Greene each winning four awards; and Anthony Brown and Tina Campbell winning two awards.
Bishop Cortez Vaughn delivered an inspiring message while accepting the award for State Farm Song of the Year alongside JJ Hairston.
“For everyone that’s holding on to a dream while you feel like you’re living a nightmare, just keep holding on,” he emphasized.
The 2018 Stellar Gospel Music Awards was not only a night full of great gospel music,” as host Kirk Franklin also served up the laughs when he and David Mann jokingly announced the upcoming theatrical release of their superhero movie, “Black Pastors.”
“Get ready for the blockbuster film about the true superheroes in our community, who never fall but rise up,” Kirk teased. “We call it, Black Pastors. Tell me that ain’t lit,” said Mann.
As Franklin later noted in the show, the spirited event was a night for “sisters who soar and brothers who believe, but now they need to hit the stage together” he enthused as he introduced the young performers of the first-ever Stellar Gospel Cipher Circle:Jonathon McReynolds, Todd Dulaney, Kierra Sheard, and Koryn Hawthorne.
Don Jackson sums it up best, “The 2018 33rd Annual Stellar Awards was by far the best and biggest show in our history. Our theme throughout the show was that Gospel Music was not dead and we proved it from the beginning to the end with Kirk Franklin as our host from his opening skit with Dr. Jones that Gospel Music is Alive because the Gospel is still alive in our communities; to our Icon Award to Edwin Hawkins tribute for his crossover hit of ‘Oh Happy Day’; to our new segment highlighting emerging new artists; to the climax of Snoop Dog’s amazing gospel music performance with B. Slade which opened the door for secular artists like Snoop to pay their personal tribute to gospel music in song.”
Tune-in to the biggest night in gospel music when the 33rd Annual Stellar Gospel MusicAwards premieres on TV One, Easter Sunday, April 1 at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT, with an encore airing at 11 p.m. ET/10 c. Additionally, the Stellar Awards will air in national broadcast syndication March 31-May 6, 2018.
The 2018 Stellar Gospel Awards are sponsored by AT&T, State Farm, AARP and McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour.
Viewers can join the conversation via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) using hashtags #StellarAwards.
For more information on the telecast, visit the network’s companion website atwww.tvone.tv
source:
Jalila Larsuel
JL Media PR
[email protected]