Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) and Entertainment One Music’s (eOne Music) BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Live 2013 album debuts at No. 10 on Billboard’s Gospel Albums chart. The opus, released on October 22, marks the first-ever recording from BMI and is a milestone among performing right organizations. The album features performances from Pastor Shirley Caesar, Le’Andria Johnson, Donald Lawrence & Company, Yolanda Adams, Kierra Sheard and many more, including Anaysha Figueroa-Cooper, whose interpretation of “Holy One” serves as the first single from the project.
On October 22, BMI and eOne Music hosted an invitation-only album release party in Atlanta, where Anaysha Figueroa – Cooper , Jason Nelson, Jonathan Nelson and Lisa Knowles performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd of gospel music’s premier songwriters, brightest stars and leading industry executives.
The album was recorded live on January 18 at the 14th annual BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon in Nashville. Gospel leaders Edwin Hawkins, Lady Tramaine Hawkins and Kurt Carr were honored at the fete, which is part industry celebration and part awe-inspiring worship service.
Produced by music director Joe “Flip” Wilson and songwriter Donald Lawrence – with BMI’s Catherine Brewton and BMI Executive Director, Writer/Publisher Relations Wardell Malloy serving as executive producers – the album captures the essence of the Trailblazers Luncheon.
The BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Live 2013 album’s track listing features the following artists and songs: “In The Sanctuary” – Donald Lawrence & Company; “I Need Your Spirit (Fall Fresh On Me)” – Jason Nelson and Jonathan Nelson; “Holy One” – Anaysha Figueroa-Cooper featuring CeCe Winans; “He Brought Me” – Yolanda Adams featuring CeCe Winans; “I Almost Let Go” – Sheri Jones-Moffett; “Oh Happy Day” – Pastor Shirley Caesar & Bishop Paul Morton; “Changed” – Le’Andria Johnson; “Oh My Soul Loves Jesus” – Lisa Knowles; “For Every Mountain” – Amber Bullock; “This Day” – Kierra Sheard.
Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in more than 8.5 million musical works created and owned by more than 600,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit www.bmi.com, follow us on Twitter @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.’s Facebook page.
