Hosted by gospel singer and television personality, Lexi Allen, Mowtown Gospel artists brought a powerful spirit into the event. Gospel phenom Tasha Cobb-Leonard brought the audience to tears with performances of her new songs “River to the Lord” and “Forever” from her upcoming album Heart, Passion & Pursuit. Brian Courtney Wilson spoke about the tragedies of death at the hands of police before performing his single “Heal (Find A Way).” Singer VaShawn Mitchell, performed the song “Joy” and Gene Moore performed his single “All For Me.”
Both Tasha Cobb-Leonard and VaShawn Mitchell were surprised by the presentation of plaques for the song “Break Every Chain” by Ken Pennell, President, Gospel Music, Capitol Music Group for achieving RIAA-certified gold record status for the hit #1 single. Mitchell later said that he was a little overwhelmed by the fast that the song went gold. “You create and perform the songs and they do well locally and in the US, but wow, the fact that it went gold and was going around the world is something else.” Mitchell served as producer of the song.
“It was great to partner with Motown Gospel again this year for the ASCAP Morning Glory Breakfast,” says Nicole George-Middleton, ASCAP’s Senior Vice President, Membership. “When we launched this event eight years ago, our vision was to provide a pre-show gathering to celebrate the culture of gospel music and honor all of the Stellar Award nominees as winners! I’m excited each year for this event because the spirit in the room is so inspiring.”
“We were thrilled to partner with ASCAP for another year, hosting the ASCAP/Motown Gospel Stellar Awards Morning Glory Breakfast,” says EJ Gaines, Vice President, Marketing, Motown Gospel. “We share the same heart for serving songwriters and artists, and we were able to recognize some major musical accomplishments, while showcasing some must-hear new music from the Motown Gospel roster.”
