In July of 2010, Atlanta Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church and Senior Pastor Dr. Carlton P. Byrd played host to the 59th General Conference Session of Seventh-day Adventists. This conference birthed a historical moment in gospel music and music ministry. Executive Producer and Director Minister Bruce Seawood gathered over 300 voices from five different states at the historic Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel on the Morehouse College campus in Atlanta, GA and created the Spring Into Praise™ Mass Choir.
The Spring Into Praise™ Mass Choir takes a step into prominence among major music conferences and choir projects with their momentous recording of Black Adventists from the United States and Caribbean. Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) choirs from Detroit and Flint, MI; Indianapolis, IN; Huntsville, AL; St. Louis, MO; Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA and Bermuda recorded UNDER HIS WINGS, which marks the first national all SDA live audio and video recording. “What an awesome display of unity, cooperation, and spiritual solidarity,” says Dr. Carlton P Byrd, Senior Pastor, Atlanta Berean SDA Church. “The Lord be praised for this inspirational musical project!”
UNDER HIS WINGS combines original traditional and contemporary gospel compositions with the assistance of producers Dr. Wayne Bucknor and Kelvin Wooten and Music Director Dr. G. Ian Fisher-Curley. The skillfully executed project features guest appearances by multi-Stellar Award nominee Lamar Campbell, Sherice Tomlin, Grace Dorsey-Landy, Eric Nettles and LoLo Harris. This musical experience will now be available nationally on CD and DVD October 25 distributed by Central South Distribution. The first radio single “I Command My Soul” led by Lamar Campbell impacts Gospel and Christian radio in October.
“Gospel Music is alive and well in the Seventh-day Adventist Church,” declares Al ‘The Bishop’ Hobbs, Chairman of The National Gospel Announcers Guild. “When you need a blessing, don’t hesitate to drop UNDER HIS WINGS in your music player, before you know it, you’ll be springing into praise as well!”
The Spring Into Praise™ Mass Choir is one of many artists that have emerged from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Artists with Adventist roots that have made significant impact in mainstream music include multiple Grammy Award winning harmonizers Take 6, noted gospel female group Virtue, emerging talents and winners of NBC’s The Sing-Off Committed and recent BET’s Sunday Best winner Amber Bullock.
The Spring Into Praise™ Mass Choir also picks up their first music award nomination. UNDER HIS WINGS has been nominated for a 2011 Southern Coalition Movement Gospel Awards for BEST GOSPEL VIDEO.
