Urban/contemporary gospel is a modern form of Christian music that expresses either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music. 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, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s.

The radio format is marketed primarily to young African-American adults.

Origins and development[link]

Protestant hymns and African-American spirituals make up the basic source material for traditional black gospel music, which in turn is the most significant source of urban/contemporary gospel. Urban/contemporary gospel has kept the spiritual focus of the traditional black gospel music, but uses modern musical forms.

Urban/contemporary gospel derives primarily from traditional black gospel music, with strong influence from, and strong influence on, many forms of secular pop music. Due to strong racial divisions in 20th century American culture, urban/contemporary gospel developed specifically out of the African-American musical traditions (Bream 1991). The equivalent music from white American culture is contemporary Christian music (Bream 1991). Although the racial lines have blurred in some areas, particularly with urban musical styles, these divisions are still evident in the industry (Burdick 2009). The color line divides artists with extremely similar musical styles on the basis of their race, and unites artists with divergent styles (such as rap and pop) on the same basis in industry reporting, marketing choices, and awards like the Grammy and Dove awards (Bream 1991).

During the 1970s, hit songs like Edwin Hawkins's "Oh Happy Day" and Andrae Crouch's "Take Me Back" were significant milestones in the development of urban/contemporary gospel music. Andrae Crouch is called the "godfather of contemporary gospel" (Waldron 2006).

Sacred ministry or entertainment?[link]

Like most forms of Christian music in the last two centuries, artists have been criticized by Christians who see the new forms as too similar to secular music styles or insufficiently focused on traditional religious sentiments. Artists in the urban/contemporary styles have taken a variety of approaches to address these concerns from their fan bases (Darden 2004:302).

Artists in this genre are expected to convey a committed Protestant Christian religious viewpoint and to treat their musical performances as a sacred service to God. In a distinctly Protestant-American touch, artists in this genre are expected to pray publicly, to "testify" about the artist's personal, emotion-driven conversion, and to make an effort to convert non-Christians to Christianity (Darden 2004:55).

Style[link]

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 (Darden 2004:285).

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 father's love for his son may be interpreted as God the Father's love for God the Son, or as a human father's love for his human child. This lyrical ambiguity echoes the double-voicedness of 19th century spirituals, and may have musical crossover appeal to the larger secular market (Darden 2004:79-80). Common themes include hope, deliverance, love, and healing (Waldron 2006).

In comparison with traditional hymns, which are generally of a statelier measure, gospel songs are expected to have a refrain and a pronounced beat with a syncopated rhythm. Compared to modern praise and worship music, urban/contemporary gospel typically has a faster tempo and more emphasis on the performer. Like traditional black gospel music, the performer's emotional connection to the audience and the lyrical content of the song is valued highly.

This style encompasses Christian hip hop, including rap music with Christian lyrics.

Influences[link]

Rock 'n' roll, country, and rhythm & blues were influenced by traditional black gospel music, and these forms, as well as disco music, funk, jazz and many secular genres, influenced urban/contemporary gospel music.

Perhaps the most significant musical influences on urban/contemporary gospel are hip hop and R&B (Waldron 2006). Like contemporary gospel, R&B developed from traditional black gospel music (Bream 1991). Soul music and Christian rock are also significant influences on contemporary gospel.

Sales and marketing[link]

The gospel market is smaller than the secular market, but popular artists have sold millions of units.

Compared to traditional black music, whose sales are steady, urban/contemporary sales are rising, as a result of more significant marketing efforts (Johnson 2008:86).

Representative artists[link]

• Tramaine Hawkins is a gospel singer who has won two American Grammy awards, as well as Dove and Stellar awards. She has recorded in nearly every subgenre of gospel music at some point, and has worked with secular stars like M.C. Hammer. She expands her commercial appeal by recording some "inspirational" music to provide alternatives for the secular market to the misogyny and violence that dominates urban music, which has resulted in criticism about whether she sees her music as a ministry or as entertainment (Darden 2004:303).
• John P. Kee, called the "Crown Prince of Gospel", is a pastor, singer, and songwriter. He has formed several mass choirs and taught many gospel workshops. His albums are often a mix of traditional and contemporary gospel styles, with strongly Christian lyrics. He stopped performing in 1996 to form a church in the neighborhood where he became addicted to drugs as a youth, but has since recorded several albums and received many awards (Darden 2004:304-307).
• Vickie Winans is a singer, actress, designer, and comedian. Her performances and recordings showcase her "multioctave voice and old-time gospel energy" (Darden 2004:309). As she performs both secular and religious music, her career is marked by controversies about her choices. She has won multiple Stellar Awards, and in 1991, her then-label, MCA Records, sent her to the Stellar show to perform with dancers that were condemned by her fans as too "worldly" (Cummings 2007). Under pressure from her conservative fans to do more explicitly Christian lyrics, she also felt pressure from the label to self-censor her lyrics to make them more appealing to the secular market (Cummings 2007). She performs 200 to 250 times per year, and represents herself, earning the description "the hardest working woman in gospel music" (Darden 2004:209).
• Donnie McClurkin, a multi-platinum artist, earned his first Grammy nomination in 1996, for his first album, Stand. A gifted pianist, his career began after his aunt introduced him to Andrae Crouch. His signature songs include "Stand", which reflects his testimony and life story as an abused child, and "We Fall Down". He has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and founded a church on Long Island, New York, where he preaches (Darden 2004:310-312).
• Yolanda Adams is a singer and radio show host. Her music frequently features "sizzling beats and bass-heavy contemporary accompaniment" (Dearden 2004:314). She has won multiple awards, including four Grammy Awards, four of the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards, one American Music Award, seven NAACP Image Awards, one Soul Train Music Award, and three BET Awards. She is one of the few female gospel artists to have sold millions of copies of her albums (Darden 2004:321).
• Kirk Franklin is a multi-platinum soloist, choir leader, and book author. He has won many awards, including seven Grammy awards. Musically, his style is based on the secular music he was exposed to during his youth, including non-American influences. Albums like Stomp feature funk and hip hop. However, his lyrics are anything but secular, and have been described as "very orthodox" and "transparently religious" (Darden 2004:318-319).

Labels[link]

• GospoCentric
• Verity Records

See also[link]

• List of gospel musicians
• Category:Urban contemporary gospel musicians
• Soul music
• Gospel Music Hall of Fame
• Museum of African American Music
• Stellar Awards

References[link]

• Jon Bream (October 27, 1991). "Divided LoyaltiesCharts Split Gospel Music Into Separate Camps". Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-10-27/entertainment/9104060840_1_gospel-music-billboard-two-charts. 
• John Samuel Burdick (2009). "Collective Identity and Racial Thought in São Paulo’s Black Gospel Music Scene". Music and Arts in Action 1 (2): 16–29. ISSN 1754-7105. 
• Tony Cummings (6 January 2007). "Vickie Winans: The Complete History Of A Gospel Music Institution". Cross Rhythms. http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Vickie_Winans__The_Complete_History_Of_A_Gospel_Music_Institution/25462/p1/. 
• Bob Darden (2004). People Get Ready!: A New History of Black Gospel Music. London: Continuum. ISBN 0-8264-1436-2. 
• Johnson, Barry L. (2008). A Change is Gonna' Come: The Transformation of a Traditional to a Contemporary Worship Celebration. Authorhouse. ISBN 1-4259-4474-4. 
• Clarence Waldron (14 August 2006). "Old School or New School: Gospel Music is Everlasting". Jet. ISSN 0021-5996. 

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Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass (often with hip hop vocalists or rappers) and Caribbean music such as reggae, reggaeton, zouk, and sometimes Soca (In Toronto, London, New York City, Boston and Miami). Urban contemporary was developed through the characteristics of genres such as R&B and soul.^[1] Virtually all Urban contemporary formatted radio stations are located in cities that have sizeable African-American populations, such as New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Memphis, New Orleans, Charlotte.

The term "urban contemporary" is heavily associated with African-American music, particularly for Contemporary R&B in African-American contexts. For the Latinos, the music is more Latin urban, such as Reggaeton, Latin hip hop, or bachata.

These stations focus primarily on marketing to African-Americans between the ages of 18 and 34.^{[citation needed]} Their playlists are dominated by singles by top-selling hip hop and R&B performers. On occasion, an urban contemporary station will play classic soul music songs from the '70s and early '80s to satisfy the earlier end of the genre.

Most Urban formatted stations such as; KJLH, KPRS, KMEL, KDAY, WRBP, UTN, and WVEE will play gospel music or urban contemporary gospel music on Sundays.

Mainstream urban is a branch of urban contemporary, and rhythmic contemporary is also a branch.

History[link]

The 1970s[link]

When Frankie Crocker was appointed as program director of the newly created WBLS in 1974, he created an eclectic music mix of R&B, disco and gospel music, redefining the R&B format as urban contemporary. The station was an instant success, the most listened-to radio station in the country^{[citation needed]}. In 1975, WDMT in Cleveland began programming a mix of R&B, disco and rap. The station featured live "street jocks" mixing vinyl records each night. The station 's popularity grew and in 1980, it was Arbitron rated No. 2 12+, just behind the No. 1 rated WMMS with the original "Morning Zoo". Carol Ford hosted the morning drive show. Other famous people who worked at WDMT include: Tony Harris (CNN), Len Canon (NBC, Fox-NYC), Brenda Love, Kim Skillern (Lady Skill), Matt Morgan, Dean Rufus, Freddie James, Mike Chapman, Rod See, Eric Fasion and Vanilla Fudge.

The 1980s[link]

WBLS in New York City was the first station to air a rap radio show, Rap Attack with Mr. Magic and Marley Marl, in 1983.^[2]

During the early 1980s as newly-formed WRKS-FM (98.7 Kiss FM) became the first rap station in the United States^{[citation needed]}, WBLS quickly began adding more rap records to its playlists. The urban format by this time was redefined by an eclectic mix of R&B, rap, reggae, gospel, dance, house, and freestyle. WBLS continued as the flagship station of the Urban format; however, Kiss FM surpassed them in the ratings.

Many radio stations imitated the urban sound since it was proven to be more profitable than other formats. Another subformat of urban contemporary is rhythmic contemporary hits which plays a great deal of dance music. WQHT-FM and KPWR were the first stations to utilize this format.

1990s–present[link]

Since the 1990s, as urban contemporary hits have dominated the US pop charts, many adult contemporary stations have turned to playing some tracks popular on urban contemporary radio stations.

Today, urban contemporary refers to music that can be described as a crossover of rap and contemporary R&B which in some instances may be accompanied with dance beats. Notable examples include:

• "I'm Real" by Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule
• "Dilemma" by Nelly and Kelly Rowland
• "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z
• "Baby Boy" by Beyoncé Knowles and Sean Paul
• "Yeah!" by Usher, Lil Jon and Ludacris
• "Goodies" by Ciara and Petey Pablo
• "1 Thing" by Ameriie
• "Single Ladies" by Beyoncé Knowles

It should be noted that contemporary R&B artists usually produce alternative versions of such duets that have rapping excluded. Such versions are produced for more conservative radio stations that would consider rapping unacceptable for their listeners.

Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is awarded since 2002.

Other formats[link]

Urban adult contemporary[link]

Urban AC is a subformat that is geared towards adult African-American audiences, and therefore, the artists that are played on these stations are most often African-American. The Urban AC stations are more similar to Soft AC than they are to Hot AC, and the music they play is predominantly R&B and soul music. This is reflected in many of the Urban AC radio stations' taglines, such as "Today's R&B and Classic Soul", "The Best Variety of R&B Hits and Oldies" and "(City/Region)'s R&B Leader." Some popular nicknames for Urban AC stations include "Magic" (borrowed from Soft AC), "Mix" (borrowed from Hot AC), and "Kiss" (borrowed from Top-40)^{[citation needed]}

A more elaborate form of Urban AC is the Rhythmic Oldies format, which focuses primarily on "Old School" R&B/Soul hits from the 1960s to the 1990s, including Motown and disco hits. Often referred to in the past as "Jammin'" or "Groovin'" Oldies, the Rhythmic Oldies format was quite popular for a time in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1997, KCMG-FM "Mega 100" in Los Angeles pioneered the concept of "Jammin' Oldies," which involved creating a mass-appeal music mix. The "Jammin'"/"Groovin'" Oldies format subsequently spread nationwide, to stations like WTJM-FM in New York City, WMOJ in Cincinnati, and WGRV-FM in Detroit (all of which have since changed format). Many of these stations played soul or disco by artists such as ABBA and The Bee Gees in addition to African-American artists. Many believe that what contributed the most to the death of the "Jammin' Oldies" stations was the fact that their playlists soon became very small and narrow, increasing listener "burnout" and dropping ratings within a few months after a promising ratings start. Rhythmic Oldies stations still exist today, but chiefly in markets with large African-American populations; the peak of the "Jammin' Oldies" approach has come and gone.

Usually embedded within the Urban Adult Contemporary is another format called Quiet Storm. This format is most played during the evening beginning at 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm hours into late night. The Quiet Storm format plays on Urban Adult Contemporary format. The music that is played are strictly ballads and slow jams. Popular artists played on the Quiet Storm format are Babyface, Teena Marie, Angela Bofill, Miki Howard, Regina Belle, Howard Hewett, Freddie Jackson, Johnny Gill, Anita Baker, Sade, Patti LaBelle, Whitney Houston, Vanessa Williams, Mariah Carey, Dru Hill, and En Vogue among others.

Mainstream urban[link]

Mainstream urban is a term used to describe a radio format similar to an urban contemporary format. The format differentiates itself due to two factors: playlist composition and target demographic. The majority of the stations cater to younger listeners; they tend to have a more hip-hop-heavy playlist compared to the R&B-heavy playlist that is very common among urban contemporary-formatted radio stations. Also, mainstream urban stations tend to target both genders with its playlist compared to urban contemporary station that tend to target mainly females^{[citation needed]}. The term 'mainstream urban' was coined in the mid-1990s when radio stations started featuring primarily different styles of current hip-hop and R&B when it became very popular. The target demographic of the format is usually the 16- to 34-years-old males and females.^{[citation needed]}

The format features various styles of hip-hop and R&B from different regions of the country that are popular at the moment. However, the format does feature numerous classic hip-hop and R&B songs from the late '80s and 1990s.

Rhythmic contemporary[link]

Rhythmic Contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio and "Rhythmic Crossover" is a music radio format that includes of a mix of dance, and upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop, and R&B hits. While most rhythmic stations' playlists are composed of that mentioned above, some tend to lean very urban with current hip-hop, urban pop, and R&B hits that gain mainstream appeal.

Most of its core listeners makeup a multicultural mix of African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian-Americans, that include a core group of teens, young adults (mostly 18–34) and young females^{[citation needed]}

The origins of Rhythmic Top 40 can be traced back 1978 when WKTU on 92.3 FM New York City (now WXRK) became a disco based station. That station was classified as urban but played a blend of disco, dance music, and pop crossovers. Back then stations playing strictly R&B materials were known as Black stations^{[citation needed]}. Stations like WKTU were known as Urban^{[citation needed]}. In the 1980s many Urban contemporary stations began to spring up. Most of these leaned towards R&B and away from plenty of dance music. These urban stations began sounding identical to so called "Black stations" and by 1985 stations that played strictly R&B product were all known as Urban stations. Still some urban outlets continued to add artists from outside the format onto their playlist. In most cases it was dance and rhythmic pop but occasionally they added a few rock songs. Also Urban Contemporary radio stations were the first to play New Wave artists such as B-52's, Duran Duran, ABC and Culture Club.^[3] However it wasn't until January 11, 1986 that KPWR Los Angeles, a former struggling adult contemporary outlet and WQHT New York began to make its mark with this genre by adopting this approach^{[citation needed]}.

It would be known as Crossover because of the musical mix. As these stations pilfered listeners away from numerous mainstream stations, many urban stations reintroduced Dance music onto their playlists again. Billboard magazine took notice of this new format and on February 15, 1987, it launched the first Crossover chart. But by December 1990 Billboard eliminated the chart because more Top 40 and R&B stations were becoming identical with the rhythmic-heavy playlist that were also being played at the crossover stations at the time. Billboard would later revive the chart again in October 1992 as the Top 40 Rhythm/Crossover chart. On June 25, 1997, it was renamed the Rhythmic Top 40 chart as a way to distinguish stations that continue to play a broad based rhythmic mix from those whose mix leaned heavily toward R&B and Hip-Hop.

For years since its inception, the Rhythmic name has been a source of confusion among music trades, especially in both Billboard (which used the Rhythmic Top 40 title) and Radio & Records (which use the CHR/Rhythmic title for their official charts). In August 2006 Billboard dropped both the "Top 40" and "CHR" name from the Rhythmic title after its sister publication Billboard Radio Monitor merged with Radio & Records to become the "New" R&R as part of their realignment of format categories. The move also ended confusion among the radio stations who report to their panels, which was modified by the end of 2006 with the inclusion of non-monitored reporters that were holdovers from the "(Old) R&R" days.

Still, over the years since its inception, the genre has grown and evolved but not without criticism. Traditional R&B outlets claim that the Rhythmic format does not target or serve the African-American community properly, while traditional Top 40 stations claim that the format is too urban to be Top 40. However, those claims have been all but slienced, with both R&B and mainstream Top 40 stations taking cues from the format they criticized.

Still there continues to be confusion of the distinction between Rhythmic CHR stations and Urban Top 40 stations. In New York City WQHT Hot 97 strictly plays R&B and Hip Hop. Also in that city WWPR Power 105 plays a similar format. WQHT is classified as Top 40/Rhythm while WWPR is classified as Urban. Los Angeles is similar where KPWR and KDAY have similar formats but KPWR is considered Top 40/Rhythm while KDAY is considered Urban. Also very similar situations have occurred in Washington, D.C. with WPGC-FM and San Francisco with KMEL. One possible reason for this is precedent. When these stations began they played a great deal of dance music and were classified as CHR outlets. However, many critics say the ability to attract more mainstream advertisers as Rhythmic, rather than Urban, is the real reason, thus fueling the criticism from the African-American community in general.

However by 2005 KPWR began to re-add more Rhythmic Pop product after a seven-year gap (it had phased most of the Rhythmic and Dance product by 1997 when it had competition from KIBB and KACD/KBCD, both defunct), mostly in response to rival KIIS leaning towards a rhythmic direction. The move has resulted in KPWR and KIIS reigniting their Los Angeles Top 40 war. KPWR has also gone on the offensive to protect their Hispanic demos in the wake of new Hurban rival KXOL making a dent in the ratings.

WQHT on the other hand, had moved more towards R&B/Hip-Hop as they step up their competition in the Big Apple with WWPR-FM, which had gotten nasty with both stations blasting each other on the air and at high-profile concerts/events, as well as who claims ownership of who plays the most Hip-Hop in New York.

WPGC-FM began operating in 1987 as a Rhythmic that played R&B, hip-hop, dance, and pop music. Its playlist began to migrate to mostly Hip-Hop/R&B songs with R&B and soul slow songs on Sunday through Thursday nights since 1993, a format very similar to WKYS. This began a head-to-head battle with WKYS, but also Urban ACs, WHUR and WMMJ, due to WPGC playing old school R&B and soul songs during the overnight hours and on weekends. In 2008, WPGC began to air gospel music on Sunday mornings.

KMEL also began in 1984 as a Mainstream Top 40, but migrated to a Rhythmic that played began hip-hop, dance, freestyle, house, and reggae music by 1987. However, in 1992, its playlist began to lean more urban to battle with competitor KYLD, which ended in 1997 when both stations became sister stations. KMEL currently has a playlist that is Hip Hop/R&B music, and plays mostly R&B slow jams at night from Sundays through to Thursdays and gospel music on Sunday Mornings, while KYLD plays a balanced mix of Rhythmic Pop, Hip-Hop/R&B and some Dance products.

On August 11, 2006, R&R had moved WQHT, WPGC-FM, KMEL, to the Urban Contemporary Airplay Panel since they seldom play any type of Rhythmic pop product and is therefore not considered part of the 'Pure' Rhythmic community. However, despite the changes, there are a few "Churbans" who remain on the Rhythmic panel that are exceptions, mostly due to the lack of minorities in several major metropolitan markets that do not have a mainstream Urban, like KTWN-FM/Minneapolis-St. Paul and WJMN/Boston. However, on May 25, 2007, WQHT, KXHT/Memphis, WZMX/Hartford and WMBX/West Palm Beach, along with KZZA/Dallas-Ft.Worth (from the Latin Rhythm Airplay panel), were re-added to the panel, as their playlists now favors a broader Rhythmic direction, thus making them outright Rhythmics.

Urban adult hits[link]

In 2010, WUKS St. Pauls, North Carolina switched to a format described as "Everything that jamz" that included a variety of musical styles that can be described as urban contemporary or urban oldies. WUKS owner Beasley Broadcast Group said the new sound "targets men and women, ages 25 to 54, with a blend of rhythm-and-blues, funk and early hip-hop from the 1970s to today's hits."^[4] Beasley market manager Mac Edwards said listeners indicated they wanted more energy and more of the songs they danced to when younger.^[4] It is interesting to note that from 1975 to 1988, Beasley Broadcast Group owned WDMT in Cleveland, one of the first Urban Contemporary stations in the country.

Another station in this format is WUHT in Birmingham, Alabama owned by originally by Citadel Broadcasting, now Cumulus Media, that has had a similar format to this since 2005.

References[link]

Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams performing at the National Memorial Day Concert in May 2010.
Background information
Also known as	First Lady of Modern Gospel
Born	(1961-08-27) August 27, 1961 (age 50), United States
Genres	Gospel, R&B, soul
Occupations	Singer, record producer, actress, radio host
Years active	1979 – present
Labels	Sound of Gospel (1987-1989) Tribute/Benson (1991-1996) Verity (1996-1998) Elektra (1998-2004) Atlantic (2004-2007) Columbia (2007-2009) N-House Music Group (2011–present)
Website	YolandaAdamsLive.com

Yolanda Yvette Adams (born (1961-08-27)August 27, 1961) is an American gospel singer, record producer, actress, and radio host. As of September 2009, she had sold 4.5 million albums since 1991 in the United States, according to SoundScan.^[1]

On December 11, 2009, Billboard Magazine named her the #1 Gospel Artist of the last decade.^[2] In the same chart, her album Mountain High...Valley Low was acknowledged as the best gospel album.^[3]

Life[link]

The oldest of six siblings, Adams was raised in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Sterling High School in Houston in 1979.^[4] After graduating from Texas Southern University, she began a career as a schoolteacher and part-time model in Houston, Texas.^[5][6] Eventually she gave up teaching to perform full-time as a lead singer.

Musical career[link]

Beginnings[link]

Adams first attracted the attention of Thomas Whitfield and Sound of Gospel Records as a lead singer with Houston's Southeast Inspirational Choir affiliated with the Church of God in Christ, under the direction of Carl Preacher, Brenda Waters, and Shirley Joiner. The choir released the single in 1982 "For My Liberty" with Adams as the featured vocalist. In 1986, Adams was featured on the Edwin Hawkins Music and Arts Seminar Choir release Give Us Peace, with a performance entitled "My Trust Lies In You". Later, she signed a recording contract with Sound of Gospel which yielded her first album Just As I Am in 1987.^[7] In 1990, she was discovered by producer/keyboardist Ben Tankard, and signed to his independent label Tribute Records and released Through The Storm. Tankard's goal with Tribute Records during this time was to develop an audience for a smoother gospel/jazz sound. He featured Yolanda's jazzy vocals on his album and concept video single "You Bring Out The Best In Me" on his 1994 release Play Me In Your Key. The collaboration received positive response from gospel,jazz and "quiet storm" formats.

One year later, Adams followed with Save the World, which included her first signature song "The Battle Is The Lord's". Her next release was 1995's More Than A Melody, which featured more production work from Tankard with contributions from O'Landa Draper, and BeBe Winans. The single "Gotta Have Love," from that album featuring Tony Terry on background vocals, gained mainstream notoriety and was her first single and music video. Yolanda... Live In Washington, released the following year, featured versions of material from her first three albums. The footage from this recording was released as a collection of two videos on VHS initially, and later as a single set on DVD and CD. During this time Tribute Records' parent company Diadem Music Group merged with Benson Music Group, which was eventually bought by New York-based Zomba/Verity Records.

	"How Great Thou Art" Yolanda Adams performs "How Great Thou Art" at the White House Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement in 2010. "How Great Thou Art" audio only file
Problems listening to these files? See media help.

Songs from the Heart was her final release for Verity Records, including "Only Believe", which was popular songs on contemporary radio. The album also included "Still I Rise," a dedication to Rosa Parks, which was inspired by the Maya Angelou poem of the same name.

Mainstream breakthrough[link]

Adams' first significant attention outside the urban contemporary gospel arena came with the release of Mountain High... Valley Low in 1999 on Elektra Records. Several mainstream artists and producers helped in the production of this album including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, Boyz II Men), James "Big Jim" Wright (Mariah Carey, Nicole C. Mullen), Warryn Campbell (Mary Mary, Brandy), and Keith Thomas (BeBe & CeCe Winans). The album went 2x Platinum in 2000 and won Adams a Grammy Award. Notable singles from the album include "Yeah", "Fragile Heart", and "Open My Heart". "Fragile Heart", was dedicated to the memory of Adams' long-time road manager, who died in 1998.^[8]

In 2000, Adams released a Christmas album, and in 2001 she released a live album (The Experience). The Experience netted Adams a second Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. Believe, which included the hit "Never Give Up" was released in 2001 and reached gold status according to the RIAA. She would later go on to perform this song at "The Salute to Gospel Music" at the White House during President George W. Bush's administration. In 2001, Adams also released a compilation CD entitled The Divas Of Gospel; it included the legendary Grammy Award winner Albertina Walker, who is considered the "queen of gospel music."

Adams recorded a song for the 2003 film Honey entitled "I Believe", which played during the last scene in the final dance.

Adams was also a judge for the 2nd annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[9]

[edit] Day By Day

After nearly four years without releasing an album, Adams returned in 2005 with Day By Day. Although charting higher than Mountain High...Valley Low on the Billboard 100 and Billboard R&B Albums chart, it did not receive RIAA certification. The album featured the singles "Be Blessed," "Someone Watching Over You," "This Too Shall Pass", and "Victory" (which was prominently featured in the movie The Gospel).

After ending her long association with Atlantic Records, Atlantic released a greatest hits collection entitled The Best of Me in May 2007.

Adams signed with Columbia Records in 2007. Columbia released What a Wonderful Time, her second holiday collection, in October 2007. "Hold On" was released as the lead single.

Morning radio show and book release[link]

After the release of "What a Wonderful Time", Adams embarked on the radio market with her "The Yolanda Adams Morning Show." The show proved to be a huge success, taking over 26 markets in just two years. Currently, the show is heard in 39 markets.

On December 25, 2009, Adams performed on BET's The Mo'Nique Show, where she sang "Already Alright," from her 1999 Mountain High...Valley Low album. Mo'Nique stated that the song is one of her favorites.

In 2010, Adams released her book "Points of Power", based on one of the segments of her radio show.

Yolanda Adams appeared on the 2011 BET Honors to sing her signature song "The Battle Is the Lord's" in honor of Cicely Tyson. Later, Adams appeared at the 53rd Grammy Awards, taking part in a tribute to Aretha Franklin, along with Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine, and Martina McBride. Adams performed "Spirit in the Dark" - Franklin's classic from 1970. On several occasions, Franklin stated that she "especially loved" Yolanda's performance.^[10][11] On May 29, 2011, Yolanda sang at the prestigious National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, DC, to honor the U.S. soldiers.

[edit] Becoming

Adams' eleventh studio album, Becoming, was released on 3 May 2011. The new single, "Be Still", produced by Drathoven, debuted on Tuesday, 19 April on the Yolanda Adams Morning show. Becoming was released by Walmart as an exclusive deal.

Book release[link]

Adams released her first book Points of Power in 2010. It is a Christian book in reference to living a pure, spirit-filled Christian life.

The Yolanda Adams Morning Show on radio[link]

The Yolanda Adams Morning Show

Genre	Comedy, talk, urban contemporary gospel
Running time	approx. 4 hours
Country	United States
Starring	Yolanda Adams
Website	and TheYolandaAdamsMorningShow.com

Adams is the host of The Yolanda Adams Morning Show, which currently airs on Urban Gospel stations owned by Radio One.

Morning Show cities and affiliates as of 7/21/2009[link]

Personal life[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2009)

In 1997, Yolanda Adams married former NFL player Tim Crawford. The couple divorced in August 2004 after seven years. Adams and Crawford had one daughter, Taylor, born in 2001.^[13]

Adams served as a spokesperson for the FILA Corporation's Operation Rebound, a program that addressed the concern of inner-city schoolchildren.

Discography[link]

• 1987: Just as I Am
• 1991: Through the Storm
• 1993: Save the World
• 1995: More Than A Melody
• 1997: Live in Washington
• 1998: Songs from the Heart
• 1999: Mountain High...Valley Low
• 2000: Christmas With Yolanda Adams
• 2001: Believe
• 2002: The Experience
• 2005: Day By Day
• 2007: What a Wonderful Time
• 2011: Becoming

Awards[link]

In total, Adams has won four Grammy Awards, sixteen Stellar Gospel Music Awards, four of the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards, one American Music Award, seven NAACP Image Awards, one Soul Train Music Award, and three BET Awards.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Yolanda Adams

• yolandaadamslive.com Official Website
• theyolandaadamsmorningshow.com Official Radio Show web site
• Yolanda Adams at Allmusic
• Yolanda Adams at the Internet Movie Database

Kirk Dwayne Franklin (born (1970-01-26)January 26, 1970) is an American Gospel music musician, choir director, and author, and is most notably known for leading urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property and One Nation Crew (1NC).

Early years[link]

This section of a biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2012)

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Franklin was raised by his grandmother, Gertrude, having been abandoned as a baby by his mother.^{[1][dead link]} Gertrude collected and resold aluminum cans to raise money for Kirk to take piano lessons from the age of four. Kirk excelled in music, being able to read and write music, while also play by ear.

He received his first contract offer at the age of seven, which his aunt turned down.^[1] He joined the church choir and became music director of the Mt. Rose Baptist Church adult choir at the age of eleven.

Despite his strict religious upbringing, Franklin rebelled in his teenage years, and in an attempt to keep him out of trouble, his grandmother arranged an audition for him at a professional youth conservatory associated with a local university. He was accepted and, while his life seemed to be on track for a while, the announcement of a girlfriend's pregnancy and his eventual expulsion from school for behavioral problems proved otherwise.

After the shooting death of a friend,^[2] Franklin returned to the church, where he began to direct the choir once again. He also co-founded a gospel group, The Humble Hearts, which recorded one of Franklin's compositions and got the attention of gospel music legend Milton Biggham. Impressed, Biggham enlisted him to lead the DFW Mass Choir in a recording of Franklin's song "Every Day with Jesus." This led to Biggham hiring Franklin, just 20 years old at the time, to lead the choir at the 1990 Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention, a major industry gathering.^[1]

Professional background[link]

Kirk Franklin & The Family (1990s–2000)[link]

In 1992, Franklin organized "The Family", which is a seventeen-voice choir, formed from neighborhood friends and associates. In 1992, Vicki Mack-Lataillade, the co-founder of fledgling record label GospoCentric, heard one of their demo tapes and was so impressed she immediately signed up Kirk & The Family to a recording contract.

In 1993, the group, now known as "Kirk Franklin & The Family," released their debut album, Kirk Franklin & The Family. It spent almost two years on the Gospel music charts and charted on the R&B charts, eventually earning platinum sales status. It remained at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart for 42 weeks. It was the first gospel music album to sell over a million units.

Two years later, after releasing a 1994 Christmas album entitled Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas, the group released Whatcha Lookin' 4 in 1995. The album was certified 2x platinum and earned Franklin his first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. 1997 brought another album, a collaboration with the vocal ensemble God's Property, aptly named God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation. The lead single, "Stomp", featuring Cheryl "Salt" James (of Salt-N-Pepa), was a huge hit, enjoying heavy rotation on MTV and other music channels, and charting at No. 1 on the R&B Singles Airplay chart for 2 weeks, even making it in to the Top 40. God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation was No. 1 on the R&B Albums chart for 5 weeks, No. 3 on the Pop charts, and would go on to be certified 3x platinum. It also brought Franklin another Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, as well as three Grammy nominations.

In 1996, Franklin’s song "Joy" was recorded by Whitney Houston and the Georgia Mass Choir. With production by Houston and Mervyn Warren, the composition was included on the best-selling soundtrack to the movie The Preacher's Wife.

On November 2, 1998, God's Property sued Franklin. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Franklin induced God's Property founder Linda Searight into signing an "onerous and one-sided" contract with B-Rite Music.^[3]

The Nu Nation Project was released in 1998.^[4] The first single, an interpretation of the Bill Withers song "Lean on Me" and produced by Franklin and pop producer Dan Shea, controversially featured several mainstream artists, including R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige and Bono of U2. Together with Crystal Lewis, and the Family, "Lean On Me" and the second single "Revolution" (featuring Rodney Jerkins) were considerable hits, and the album contained a version of another Withers song "Gonna Be a Lovely Day". The Nu Nation Project went on to top the Billboard Contemporary Christian Albums chart for 23 weeks and the Billboard Gospel Albums chart for 49 weeks, and brought Franklin his third Grammy.

In, 2000, The Family filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit for royalties for their work on The Nu Nation Project against Franklin and GospoCentric Records.^[5] This saw the end of the "Kirk Franklin & The Family" records, as Kirk went on to become a solo artist, except for his CD Kirk Franklin presents 1NC, which he did in collaboration with One Nation Crew, and was released that same year.

On January 16, 2010 at the 25th Annual Stellar Awards show taping, in Nashville, Tennessee, Kirk Franklin & The Family reunited briefly on stage to perform songs made popular by them in the 1990s.

Solo artist (2000–present)[link]

In 2001, Franklin ventured into new territory, scoring and producing the soundtrack for the film Kingdom Come. The soundtrack featured gospel artists Mary Mary, Crystal Lewis, and 1NC, as well as secular artists Az Yet, Jill Scott, Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men and others. A notable song from the soundtrack was "Thank You" (Kirk Franklin feat Mary Mary).

2002's The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin topped the Gospel Albums chart for 29 weeks, was No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and was certified Platinum. The album featured collaborations with Bishop T.D. Jakes, Shirley Caesar, Tobymac, Crystal Lewis, Jaci Velasquez, Papa San, Alvin Slaughter, and Yolanda Adams. This was Kirk's first major release not to garner him a Grammy Award.

On October 4, 2005, Hero was released in the United States. The album was certified Gold on December 2, 2005 (2005-12-02) and Platinum on December 14, 2006 (2006-12-14) by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[6] It made No. 1 on both the Billboard Top Christian and Top Gospel albums. The first single, "Looking for You", was a hit, as was the follow-up "Imagine Me", which made it onto the R&B Charts. In December 2006, Kirk Franklin won two 2007 Grammy Awards for Hero. Additionally, Hero was the 2007 Stellar Awards CD of the Year.^[7]

Kirk Franklin's 10th album, The Fight of My Life, was released in the United States on December 18, 2007 (2007-12-18). The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 33 with 74,000 copies sold in the first week.^[8] It reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Top Gospel and Top Christian albums charts, and also peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart.^[9][10] The first single, "Declaration (This is It)," was released on October 23, 2007 (2007-10-23) and peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.^[10] The album features guest appearances from Rance Allen, Isaac Carree, TobyMac, Da' T.R.U.T.H., Doug Williams, and Melvin Williams. The song "Jesus" was released as the album's second single in 2008 and was sent to Urban AC radio on July 15, 2008. In January 2010 after Haiti had a devastating earthquake, Kirk Franklin got an ensemble of gospel artists together to sing the song he wrote, called "Are You Listening". They included: Yolanda Adams, Jeremy Camp, Shirley Caesar, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Natalie Grant, Fred Hammond, Tamela Mann, David Mann, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, Bishop Paul S. Morton, J. Moss, Smokie Norful, Marvin Sapp, Karen Clark-Sheard, Kierra Sheard, BeBe Winans, Cece Winans, and Marvin Winans.

Kirk Franklin is currently host and co-executive producer of the BET original series, "Sunday Best."^[11] Franklin's eleventh studio album called Hello Fear was released on March 22, 2011.^[12] The album features Marvin Sapp, Mali Music, Marvin Winans, John P. Kee and Rance Allen. The first single off the album is "I Smile", which peaked at No. 85 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his first appearance on that chart in six years.

Personal life[link]

On January 20, 1996, Franklin married long-time friend Tammy Collins.^[1] When they wed, they each had one child from previous relationships: Kirk's son Kerrion, born in 1988, and Tammy's daughter Carrington, born in 1989.^[13] As a couple, they have two children: Kennedy, born in 1997, and Caziah, born in 2000.^[14] In 2006, Franklin appeared with his wife on "The Oprah Winfrey Show.^[14][15]

Discography[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Franklin, Kirk (1998) [1998-10-1]. Church Boy. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 0-8499-4050-8. 
• Waldron, Clarence (2007-10-29). "Kirk Franklin's new mission: finding gospel's next superstar and boosting the music's appeal". Jet (Magazine/Journal) 112 (17): 60(5) 
• Slagle, Dana (2005-12-26). "Kirk Franklin healed from 20-year addiction; filled with Christmas joy". Jet (Magazine/Journal) 108 (26): 52(6) 
• "Kirk Franklin's Joyful Noise". Guideposts. 1997 

External links[link]

• Official website
• Kirk Franklin at the Internet Movie Database
• Kirk Franklin at Allmusic
• One Nation Crew at Allmusic
• Kirk Franklin Biography
• Another Kirk Franklin's Biography