Donnie McClurkin and Erica Campbell are scheduled to host the BMI Trailblazers Luncheon this weekend in Nashville. The 15th Annual BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon is a first class, awe-inspiring worship service that honors the legends of gospel music. The invitation-only event attracts gospel music’s premier songwriters, brightest stars and leading executives. Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), the leading global music rights organization, is set to salute gospel leaders Daryl Coley and Richard Smallwood at its 15th annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon.
Daryl Coley’s voice is an inimitable instrument able to fuse musical genres into a unique, mellifluous and cohesive sound. His multi-decade career began as singer with Edwin Hawkins, which led to being a songwriter and musical director for Lady Tramaine Hawkins. Lead vocal appearances on recordings for James Cleveland’s Gospel Music Workshop of America resulted in Coley’s solo debut, Just Daryl. What followed was a string of Stellar, Dove and GRAMMY award nominations for career-defining albums including Beyond the Veil: Live at Bobby Jones Gospel XIII and Oh, the Lamb. Coley has recorded a landmark collection of more than 100 studio performances and worked with some of the industry’s legends, including Stevie Wonder, Nancy Wilson and Philip Bailey. Most recently, Coley received a Doctorate of Sacred Music from the Ray of Hope Theological Seminary and Bible College International School of Divinity.
Richard Smallwood is a legend in his own time. After more than three decades as one of the most popular inspirational artists in the music business, with classic tunes such as “Total Praise,” “Center of My Joy,” and “I Love the Lord” to his credit, the GRAMMY-nominated, Stellar and Dove award-winning songwriter and musician continues to enjoy widespread popularity and influence.
His seminal recordings with the Richard Smallwood Singers and Vision include Psalms, Adoration: Live in Atlanta and Journey: Live in New York. Each album and song released continually landed on the top of the gospel charts and in the repertoires of choirs throughout the world. His songs traverse genre boundaries and have been recorded by Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Destiny’s Child and many others. In 2006, Smallwood was inducted into the Gospel Music Associations’ Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He is currently exploring his gift as an author, as he works on completing his autobiography Total Praise, scheduled to be released in 2014.
Additional invited guests include:
- Donnie McClurkin; Yolanda Adams; Tamela Mann; Kirk Franklin
- Erica Campbell; Isaac Carree; The Clark Sisters; Fred Hammond
- James Fortune; Smokie Norful; Jessica Reedy; Kierra Sheard
- Marvin Sapp; Shirley Caesar;Beverly Crawford; Anaysha Figueroa-Cooper
- Ledisi; Michelle Williams; Rodney Jerkins; VaShawn Mitchell
- Tasha Page-Lockhart; Y’Anna Crawley; Dr. Bobby Jones; Lisa Knowles and others.