Speak To Me” named gospel song of the year by BMI; Aaron Lindsey, J Drew Sheard II, Kierra Sheard and Jeshua “TedyP” Williams tied for songwriter of the year; Be Essential Songs Honored as Publisher of the Year
((March 31, 2022 – NASHVILLE, TN) – Today BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) celebrated the best and brightest in gospel music at the 2022 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards held at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville. BMI’s Gospel Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Publisher of the Year and Top 20 Songs from the previous year were all honored at the private event hosted by the BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President Creative- Atlanta Catherine Brewton.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 31: (LR) Greg Cox, Kirk Franklin, Dr. Bobby Jones, BMI Vice President Catherine Brewton and Dr. Bobby Jones speak onstage during BMI’s 2022 Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards on March 31, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI)
The inspiring celebration was filled with gospel luminaries and music industry insiders who were excited to honor the songwriters whose music brings the sounds of faith and joy to the world. The event began with Malian music performing the GRAMMY Award-winning song “Movin On,” co-written with Jonathan McReynolds and Terrell Demetrius Wilson.
Natalie Grant followed with a performance of Donald Laurentthe hit song “God,” on which she is featured, and brought the crowd to its feet. Before the award ceremony to the winners of the afternoon, the gospel legend CeCe Winans gave a powerful rendition of “Believe for It.”
BMI’s Gospel Songwriter of the Year was a four-way tie between Aaron Lindsey, J Drew Sheard II, Kierra Sheard and Jeshua “TedyP” Williams. GRAMMY, Dove and Stellar Award-winning songwriter Aaron Lindsey was honored for two chart-topping songs, “It Belongs to Me,” co-written and performed by Juan and Lisa Winans (feat. Marvin Winans) and “Thank You for It.” All,” co-written by Jarmone E. Davis and Marvin Sapp. J Drew and Kierra Sheard were honored for co-writing “His Love” and “It Keeps Happening”, which marked Kierra’s “first #1 single at Gospel radio as a solo artist and her third #1 overall on the Gospel Airplay chart. as quoted from The Christian Beat. This is also the first time siblings have received this honor at a Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards ceremony. GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter/producer Jeshua “TedyP” Williams was honored for his work on “Hold Me Close” and for co-writing “Trouble Won’t Last” with Keyondra Lockett, which won her first BMI award for hit single.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 31: (LR) BMI Vice President Catherine Brewton, BMI’s Wardell Malloy AVP Creative Los Angeles, Kierra Sheard and J. Drew Sheard II pose for a photo on stage during BMI’s 2022 Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards on March 31, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI)
BMI’s Gospel Publisher of the Year went to Be Essential Songs for having hits such as “In Spite of Me,” “Movin’ On” and “Never Lost” in its repertoire.
Throughout the ceremony, the music continued with featured performances from gospel greats and BMI pioneers gospel music icons Marvin Sapp and Kirk Franklin, as well as rising gospel star DOE. After receiving his sixth BMI Gospel Award for “Thank You for It All,” Sapp gave a moving rendition of the chart-topping single. The music continued with DOE’s uplifting performance of “Brighter,” from his 2020 self-titled debut EP. To close the performances, Greg Cox joined Franklin on stage for a soulful rendition of “Strong God,” which reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart.
This marks Franklin’s 19th BMI Gospel Award. After the performance, Franklin paid tribute to Dr. Bobby Jones, who was recognized with a standing ovation for his many years of supporting the gospel music community with his show “Bobby Jones Gospel” on BET, which was the original series oldest of this network.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – MARCH 31: Kirk Franklin and Marvin Sapp attend BMI’s 2022 Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards on March 31, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI)
ABOUT BMI:
Celebrating more than 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, 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 to more than 18.7 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.2 million songwriters, composers and music publishers. The Company negotiates music licensing agreements and distributes the royalties it generates as royalties to its affiliated authors and publishers when their songs are performed in public. In 1939, BMI created a revolutionary open-door policy, becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent creators of blues, jazz, country and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart-toppers to perennial favorites, span every genre of music and are consistently among the most performed hits of the year. For more information and the latest news from BMI, visit bmi.com, follow us on Twitter And Instagram @BMI or stay connected via Broadcast Music, Inc. the Facebook page. Subscribe to BMI’s The Weekly and receive our email newsletter each week to stay up to date on all things music.
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Author: Black Gospel Radio
