Stellar Award nominated balladeer, Earnest Pugh, is kicking off the New Year with a new label, new music, a new home in Houston, Texas and new business relationships. The five-octave belter has built a new recording home for his solo CDs. The label is named P-Man Music and it sees the dynamic vocalist partnering with Central South Distribution Company’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Vicki Mack-Lataillade, who birthed gold and platinum-selling acts such as Kirk Franklin, Kurt Carr and Trin-i-tee 5:7 through her former label, Gospocentric, in the 1990s.
“I have wanted to work with Chuck Adams – Central South’s founder – and Vicki Mack–Lataillade – since the 1990’s,” Pugh says. “No one markets like Vicki Mack! She is in a category all by herself and I am very optimistic about my future with CSD.” P-Man Music has scheduled a May 3, 2013 live CD/DVD recording for Pugh in Nassau, Bahamas. Grammy Award winner Cedric Thompson is producing the set that will feature collaborations with LeJeune Thompson, Chrystal Rucker, Keith Williams and Vincent Tharpe & Kenosis. It’s tentatively scheduled for a July 2013 release.
“We at Central South are elated that we will be working with Earnest Pugh and P-Man Music,” says Mack-Lataillade. “Earnest Pugh is a constant hit maker with a voice that is pure gold! I believe that Earnest Pugh has just scratched the surface of success with his gift and we are here at Central South to take him all the way and make him an even stronger brand in the entertainment industry as a whole.”
Some industry observers may wonder what this new deal means in terms of Pugh’s EPM Music Group (eOne Distribution) label that signed and released singles or CDs on Vincent Tharpe & Kenosis, Charles Butler & Trinity, Keith WIlliams and Chrystal Rucker over the last year. “EPM will remain in place,” Pugh states. “We have four powerful recordings slated to hit the market in 2013. I plan to add some of gospel music’s brightest stars to the EPM roster in the coming year.”
Music isn’t the only new aspect to Pugh’s life. After living in the Washington, D.C. area for over 12 years, Pugh recently relocated to Houston, Texas to consult with the Silverlake Christian Church (Pastor Reginald DeVaughn) as Artist-in-Residence. “I really needed to reinvent myself and surround myself with some newness,” Pugh admits. “To stay relevant we must keep evolving, increasing, and moving forward. The whole D.C. thing represents some of the greatest challenges in my life and career and I needed to close that chapter and move on. So, I am in a good place right now and it feels great.”
In 2010, Billboard magazine named Pugh the #4 gospel radio airplay artist of the year and his recent radio single, “I Need Your Glory,” spent 3 months at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart. The “Earnestly Yours” CD debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart. A Memphis native, Pugh released his first solo CD in 2006 and showed off his vocal range on the radio hit, “Wrapped Up, Tied Up, Tangled Up.” After years of making music, Pugh finally hit it big in 2009 with his #1 smash “Rain On Us”. He’s placed a half dozen songs on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs chart over the last three years, including a current Top 30 hit “Every Promise” with R&B star Lalah Hathaway. Visit www.earnestpugh.com for more information on this exciting artist.
