NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/ Vector Recordings) - EMI Music/Vector Recordings is set to release the highly anticipated recording Oh Happy Day: An All-Star
Music Celebration on March 31. The album features performances by 3
Doors Down, Al Green, Patty Griffin, Heather Headley, Jon Bon Jovi, Jonny Lang,
Queen Latifah,
Joss Stone with Buick Audra and many more (see below for full track listing). For the project, these world-renowned musicians collaborated with Gospel artists and several of today's top Gospel Choirs to record renditions of some of the most loved and recognizable inspirational songs. It's been said you don't just hear gospel music you feel it. It's woven through the fabric of the American spirit and history and its influence can be felt and heard around the world today and in the background of many of today's most talented artists and musicians.
The album's concept resulted from a close partnership between EMI Gospel and Vector Recordings and was produced by Ken Levitan, Bill Hearn, Jack Rovner, Ken Pennell, Drew & Shannon, Johnny K, Sanchez Harley, Obie O'Brien, Keith Thomas, Tommy Sims, Cedric Thompson, Simon Climie, Michael McDonald, Joss Stone and Buick Audra. Of the project, Bill Hearn, CEO of EMI Christian Music Group comments, 'We wanted to create an album that honored the legacy of gospel music-it's the backbone of the American spirit-but also create unique artist pairings that fans could find no where else.' Vector's Ken Levitan adds, 'Gospel music has always been not only spiritually and musically uplifting but also a great American art form. With this project we've taken artists who have been successful in other genres and combined them with this great art form to create new powerful music.'
While recording the record at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville, Jonny Lang notes, '(Gospel music) is really all I've been listening to for the last few years...it's my favorite form of music�at least for now...' Lang goes on to say, 'it's such an honor to record with the legendary Fisk Jubilee Singers, their very first take on the song just blew me away. They're such pros�quite an honor...' Additionally, Heather Headley comments, 'It's not everyday that you get the opportunity to revisit a classic song like 'People Get Ready,' record it with a great producer like Keith Thomas, and sing alongside a legend such as Rev. Al Green. It really was a pleasure, and I had a great time doing it.'
