GOSPEL’S DYNAMIC DUO STRIKES AGAIN
JAMES FORTUNE & KERRY DOUGLAS
TAKE “I BELIEVE” FT. CORTEZ, FORTUNE, & MCLEMORE
TO #1 ON BILLBOARD HOT GOSPEL SONGS CHART
“Kerry Douglas Presents Gospel Mix Volume IV” CD DEBUTS AT #4
Gospel music’s dynamic duo has done it again. Black Smoke Music Worldwide CEO, Kerry Douglas, and his superstar protégé, James Fortune, have racked another smash with “I Believe.” The inspirational ballad features James Fortune & FIYA, Shawn McLemore (who has made a full recovery from a recent stroke) and Zacardi Cortez. Douglas orchestrated Fortune’s 2009 breakthrough smash, “I Trust You,” that spent 29 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart and Earnest Pugh’s recent #1, “Rain On Us.” Now, Douglas and his ace radio promoter, Tawanda Shamley, have pushed “I Believe” to #1 while also taking it to #41 on the Urban AC airplay chart.
“This is America’s song,” Douglas says of its success. “It’s #1 because America is going through hard times. People are out of work, people are sick, the economy is bad but we all want to believe that things will get better and this song reminds us that with God’s help, things will get better sooner than later. That’s why I keep saying this isn’t just a gospel song. This is a song for all of America.”
The song is available exclusively on the CD/DVD, Kerry Douglas Presents Gospel Mix Volume IV, Douglas’ hit up-and-coming artists compilation that introduced artists such as Earnest Pugh and James Fortune to the public. The package has just debuted at #4 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums sales chart. Six of the CD’s 17 songs are in rotation on the BDS Top 100 Gospel Playlist. The package also includes a 14-track DVD of live performances or concept videos of the various artists on the audio CD such as James Fortune, Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson, and The Brown Boyz. “We’re doing something no one else is doing,” says Douglas. “We’re not taking old hits and repackaging them. We’re taking new songs by new artists and making them today’s hits.”
