New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Clark Sisters, Donnie McClurkin,
James Fortune, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise,
Travis Greene, Maranda Curtis,
William Murphy, Zacardi Cortez, Kierra Sheard, The
Walls Group and Pastor Mike Jr. Are Among Performers Set to Take the Stage at the 35th Anniversary
Stellar Gospel
Music Awards
Renowned Annual Salute to Gospel
Music Set to Tape at Las
Vegas Orleans
Arena On Friday, March 27, 2020; Tickets Available to The Public Now on Ticketmaster.Com
Stellar Awards Premieres on Bet Networks April 5, 2020 And in
National Syndication This Spring
Celebrating its milestone 35th Anniversary of the
Stellar Gospel
Music Awards, Central City Productions announces an awe-inspiring line-up of performers for the "Greatest Night in Gospel Music." Returning to the Las
Vegas Orleans
Arena on Friday, March 27, 2020, this year's milestone
Stellar Awards telecast promises to honor the best of three-and-a-half decades of Gospel music tradition with performances from the genre's most celebrated acts. Performers include Donnie McClurkin,
James Fortune, J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise,
Travis Greene, Maranda Curtis,
William Murphy, Zacardi Cortez, Pastor Mike Jr., Kierra Sheard, The
Walls Group, and Doe, with more to be announced. The show will premiere on BET Networks (simulcast on BET HER) on April 5 at 8 p.m. ET with an encore at 10 p.m. ET, and air in broadcast syndication in more than 216 markets around the country from April 11 - May 17, 2020.
Taking the reigns for the first time as co-hosts this year are two of Gospel's breakthrough artists who have established themselves as part of the 'new guard' shaping contemporary Gospel music --
Koryn Hawthorne and Jonathan McReynolds.
"Words can't describe my excitement for this moment! I'm honored that the Stellars chose me to do this next to Jonathan McReynolds, who I love dearly," said Hawthorne. We're going to bring a fresh vibe to the stage and it's gonna be lit!"
"I still remember sitting in the upper deck looking in awe down at a stage I never thought I'd sing on, never thought I'd play on, never thought I'd win on," shared McReynolds. "7 years later I'm hosting. Mind blown!"
"I'm grateful to be on the Stellars stage where, every year, music,
Black and Kingdom history is made," he continued. "I might be biased, but I think this will be the best Stellars ever."
An important tradition at the
Stellar Awards, Founder Don Jackson will bestow special recognition upon Gospel greats who have elevated the genre. This year's
James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award will honor none other than the iconic Clark Sisters --
Karen Clark Sheard, Dorinda Clark Cole, Twinkie Clark and Jacky Clark Chisholm -- who hold a collective fifteen
Stellar Awards, in addition to the
Thomas Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award (2007). The legendary Clark Sisters will raise the roof with a rousing set featuring some of their most notable hits. The one and only Lady Tramaine Hawkins will be presented with the
Aretha Franklin Icon Award, adding to her collection of honors including the
James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award (2008) and induction into the
Stellar Honors Hall of Fame (2016). The illustrious Pastor Shirley Caesar, multiple
Stellar Award winner (14), and recipient of the
Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award (1986); the
James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award (2004); and inducted into the
Stellar Honors Hall of Fame (2015), is being recognized with the Ambassador Dr.
Bobby Jones
Legends Award. Dr. Leonard Scott, founder of Tyscot Records, and inductee into the
Stellar Honors Hall of Fame (2017), will receive the
Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award.
The
Stellar Awards show taping on Friday, March 27, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. PT is open to the public, with ticket prices ranging from $50 - $200 at https://www.ticketmaster.com. The week's activities begin with the first-ever
Stellar 'Laugh Out Loud' comedy show, held on Wednesday, March 25, featuring clean comedians - Griff, Marcus D. Wiley, Akintunde and more. The
Stellar Gospel
Radio Awards & Showcase, hosted by
VaShawn Mitchell and Bri Babineaux, held on Thursday, March 26, honors top radio stations and announcers serving urban gospel music audiences. Later in the day, the 2020
Stellar Gospel
Music Awards Pre-Show, hosted by Kierra Sheard and Todd Dulaney, will celebrate the non-televised award category winners. Each event will feature rousing performances by a roster of Gospel music greats. Public tickets for each event are on sale at https://www.ticketmaster.com. For a complete list of
Stellar Awards official activities, please visit https://www.thestellarawards.com.
As previously announced, veteran Gospel collective,
Donald Lawrence Presents The Tri-City Singers leads the field of nominees this year with nine nominations. Other top nominees include Gospel icon and
Stellar Awards Host emeritus, Kirk
Franklin and powerhouse singer, producer and performer
Tasha Cobbs Leonard with eight nominations each; JJ Hairston (7 Nominations), Bishop Paul S.
Morton (6 Nominations), John P. Kee (5 Nominations), Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr Singers (4 Nominations),
William Murphy (4 Nominations), Pastor Mike, Jr. (4 Nominations), Maranda Curtis (3 Nominations), and
Fresh Start Worship (3 Nominations) round out the field of top nominated artists. For the complete list of the 35th Anniversary
Stellar Gospel
Music Awards, please visit https://www.thestellarawards.com.
More of the biggest names in Gospel and a few additional surprises are being added to the growing list of top performers appearing in this year's show. Stay tuned for future announcements and follow @thestellars for the latest news and updates about the Greatest Night in Gospel Music.
The
Stellar Gospel
Music Awards show is Executive Produced by Don Jackson, with Jennifer J. Jackson serving as Executive in Charge of Production. Michael A. Johnson will produce and direct this year's award show.
BET Networks, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc., 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 is in nearly 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading
Internet destination for
Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET
Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET Networks around the globe.
