13th Annual Celebration of Gospel
BET NETWORKS’ 13th ANNUAL “CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL” IS BACK WITH ELECTRIFYING PERFORMANCES BY DONNIE MCCLURKIN, PASTOR SHIRLEY CAESAR, ISRAEL HOUGHTON, YOLANDA ADAMS, TYE TRIBBETT, ANTHONY BROWN, TAMELA MANN,
TAMAR BRAXTON AND OTHER GOSPEL AND R&B STARS WITH
“PEOPLE’S CHOICE” WINNER FOR BEST NEW TALK SHOW
STEVE HARVEY AT THE HELM
BET’s Annual Praise-Fest Tapes on Saturday, March 16, 2013 in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES —February 25, 2013 — “CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL,” BET Network’s exciting two-hour music fest designed to pay tribute to the rich history of gospel music, returns for its 13th season. Film, TV and radio superstar Steve Harvey also returns as the affable host alongside celebrated musical director, Ray Chew.
GRAMMY® winners Israel Houghton & New Breed, Dorinda Clark Cole, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Karen Clark Sheard, and Yolanda Adams are just a few of the many award-winning performers scheduled to appear and guaranteed to supercharge the celebration.
Other chart-topping artists ready to raise the praise are R&B vocalist Tamar Braxton, gospel super stars Kierra “Kiki” Sheard, Isaac Carree, Canton Jones, Da T.R.U.T.H., Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Choir, “SUNDAY BEST” finalist Jessica Reedy and “SUNDAY BEST” winners Joshua Rogers and Le’Andria Johnson.
In addition, multi-award-winning artists Dr. Bobby Jones, Kurt Carr, Donnie McClurkin and Rance Allen will lead the way in a high-energy, all-star tribute to the undisputed “King of Gospel Music,” Reverend James Cleveland. Each gospel great scheduled to appear was inspired not only by Reverend Cleveland’s music, but also by his charity, vision and ability to mesmerize audiences with his riveting live performances.
“CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL” tapes at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 16, 2013 and airs on BET on Sunday, April 7, 2013. Tickets to attend the taping are free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis by submitting a request via email to cogrsvp@bet.net. Media outlets interested in obtaining media credentials should contact mediacredentials@bet.net for further details.
“CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL” is a BET Networks production. Stephen Hill, BET’s President of Music Programming & Specials along with Lynne Harris Taylor, BET’s Vice President of Specials & Music Production, and Geovanni Brewer are Executive Producers.
For more information on “CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL” visit www.bet.com/celebrationofgospel. Viewers can also find updates on Facebook by liking the fan pages at http://www.facebook.com/BETGospel or following @BET_PR on Twitter. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information including releases and photographs, visit BET’s press web site at www.betpressroom.com.
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks – BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
