The award winning Mississippi Mass Choir will add yet another honor to their illustrious resume, when on Jan. 16, 2010, they will receive the Thomas A. Dorsey Notable
Achievement Award at the 25th Annual Stellar Gospel Music
Awards.
The award is named in honor of the “Father of Gospel Music,” Thomas A. Dorsey. It recognizes individuals doing outstanding work in the gospel music community.
They are just the second recipient to receive this award.
The Stellar Awards is the first and only Gospel Music Award Show in the country honoring gospel music artist and industry professional for their contributions
to the gospel music industry.
It was at the 4th Annual Stellar Awards in 1989 that they made their national debut, receiving four awards – Choir of the Year, Artist of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Gospel Music Video.
For twenty-one years, gospel fans have been touched by the
awesome talent of the Mississippi Mass Choir. Some faces have changed, but the choir’s mission remains the same; “evangelizing the world in song.”
Reaching down to the root of this gospel powerhouse, one finds a very humble beginning. Frank Williams, founder of the group, began singing gospel music in churches as a child, spending his evenings immersed in the sounds and ways of the gospel under his father, Leon. Frank performed with his siblings, the acclaimed Williams Brothers, and later joined his brother Huey Williams with the legendary Jackson Southernaires.
After many years of touring as an artist, Frank had a vision that the great and soulful voices of Mississippi needed to be captured in a choir. For nine years, this
idea grew in his mind until he could contain it no longer. He approached his gospel-writing friend, David Curry, with his ambitions and the rest is history!
On Oct. 29, 1988, five months after their first rehearsal, the 150 voice aggregation recorded its first album and video. It can truly be said that they were an
overnight success. The album entitled “Mississippi Mass Choir Live” remained in the No. 1 slot atop the Billboard Magazine Top Gospel Charts for 45 consecutive weeks – setting a record for a debut recording of any genre.
Their next three recordings “God Gets the Glory,” “It
Remains to be Seen,” “Rev. James Moore Live with
Mississippi Mass, and “Rev. James Moore Live with
Mississippi Mass at Jackson State University” all reached the No. 1 position.
Their first album after the untimely passing of Frank
Williams in 1993, “I’ll See You in the Rapture” reached the No. 2 slot on the Billboard Chart; second only to Kirk Franklin’s recording-setting release.
All of their subsequent recording reached the top ten or top twenty positions. They have either won or been nominated numerous times for every music industry award, including the Stellar, Grammy, Soul Train, Dove, National Association of Record Merchandisers, 3M Visionary, Mississippi Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and a host of others.
They were recognized by Billboard Magazine on several
occasions as “Gospel Artist of the Year.”
They have ministered in song in over 40 states within the USA, including Alaska. They have been fortunate enough to travel to international stages in countries such as Japan, Italy, Spain, Bahamas, and Greece; becoming the first gospel group to perform at the Acropolis. While attending the famed Umbria Jazz Gospel and Soul Easter Festival in Terni, Italy, the choir was unexpectedly invited to sing for Pope John Paul II at his summer residence.
They recently completed a 13 city tour of Spain to commemorated two decade of music excellence. They have received an invitation to perform with the 90 piece Tenerife Symphonic Orchestra on a live telecast in the
Canary Islands and Spain, on Christmas Day 2010.
Their tenure in the gospel music industry has already
reached legendary status and continues to grow. Jerry Mannery, executive director of the choir, stated, “We are all about our Father’s business. We are not entertainers, we are ministers for Christ. Our mission remains constant:
to serve the Lord and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
In preparation for their ninth recording, the choir held their first new member audition in over five years. One hundred new voices from throughout Mississippi were added to the roster to increase the membership to 250.
According to Minister of Music Jerry Smith, “New members
are the lifeblood of a choir.” The historic recording took place at First Baptist Church of Jackson on June 19, 2009 – Juneteenth – to let those who are yet enslaved in
sin know that they have been set free by the blood of Jesus.
Anyone fortunate enough to find themselves in the audience
of a Mississippi Mass Choir “service” will soon become a participant in an unforgettable musical/ spiritual journey.
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