Bishop Rance Allen, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Tamela Mann, michelle williams, aretha franklin and others set for white house performance

You read that right! Gospel music will officially check in at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue tomorrow evening for: "The Gospel Tradition: In Performance at the White House". In a day and age where gospel music sales and influence seem to be waning, the timeless message has an open invitation to the White House.It's an honor to see gospel music showcased in the highest house in the United States; a real testimony to its vibrant swatch in the fabric of American culture. This is the 14th gathering of its kind and in previous musical salutes, the White House has honored musicians, heritage and the lasting sounds they've created. This year, the White House has chosen a stellar group of gospel artists to represent the genre, iconic artists who regularly display classic Christian character along with their unique stage presence. T Bone Burnett will serve as the Executive Music Director and Mr. Bill Maxwell is the evening's music director. Here's the complete list of the evening's performers:

• Bishop Rance Allen
  
• Pastor Shirley Caesar
  
• Tamela Mann
• Michelle Williams
• Rodney Crowell
• Rhiannon Giddens
• Emmylou Harris
• The Morgan State University Choir
• Darlene Love
• Lyle Lovett
• Aretha Franklin

 The celebration caps an eventful day that includes a workshop hosted by the nation's First Lady. Conducting the workshop is Robert Santelli, Executive Director of The GRAMMY Museum® in Los Angeles, who will enlighten the middle, high school and college aged attendees on the origin, artistry and nuance that has made the genre successful and a breeding ground for some of the worlds greatest singers. The students hail from 24 schools across the country: Los Angeles and Oakland, CA; Kahuku and Waipahu, HI; Sandy Spring, MD; Cleveland, MS; Asbury Park and West Long Branch, NJ; Somers, NY; Memphis, TN; Falls Church, VA.


You can catch the performance tomorrow evening, Tuesday April 14,2015 at 7:00 pm EST. It will streamlive and will re-air on broadcast television as a PBS special on Friday, June 29,2015 at 9:00 pm EST. You can read the entire press release from the White House here. 

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Mann and wife are #1...

The premiere of the new Bounce TV Original Series Mann & Wife (Starring David & Tamela Mann) has become the network's most-watched original to date.

The series premiere telecast on Tues. April 7 at 9:00 p.m. (ET)delivered:

• 461K Viewers 2+, nearly doubled vs. the prior 4 weeks*
• 260K Households (+41%)
• 142K Adults 18-49 (+67%)

Across its two premiere night timeslots, Mann & Wife reached nearly 800K viewers 2+ and 540K HHs.

When included among all ad-supported cable television in the time period, Mann & Wife's 9:00 p.m. premiere telecast was the third most-watched program in total African-American viewers and fourth in African-American 18-49 viewership.

Bounce TV's most-watched original previously had been the premiere telecast of Off The Chain: Rodney Perry on1/13/15.

Real-life husband and wife team David Mann (House of Payne,Meet The Browns) and Tamela Mann (Madea's Big Happy Family, Sparkle) star and serve as executive producers of Mann& Wife (Click here to watch premiere episode.) The series follows the newlywed, second-chance sweethearts as they laugh and love their way through the ups and downs of life as a blended family, each with two children from previous marriages.  In addition to the show's popular stars, Mann & Wife features a vibrant supporting cast: Vivica A. Fox, portraying Daniel's ex-wife; Tony Rock, playing Daniel's new partner; JoMarie Payton as Lorraine, Daniel's overbearing mother and Tiny Lister as Daniel's Lieutenant and boss.

New episodes of Mann & Wife premiere Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. CT on Bounce TV.

Bounce TV is the nation's first-ever and fastest-growing broadcast television network designed for African-American audiences.  Itairs on the digital signals of local television stations and features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, documentaries, specials, live sports and more. (Click here to find local channel location.)

The rapidly-expanding Bounce TV is the number two most-watched African-American network on television. It continued its ratings surge in the just-completed first quarter of 2015, setting network records for viewership and the delivery of key targeted demographics audiences.


*Source: Nielsen L+SD | Tues 9p-9:30p | 04/07/15 vs. 03/10/15-03/31/15

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Michelle williams a big winner

The big surprise of the Stellar Gospel Music Awards taping came at the top of the show, when opening act Michelle Williams was joined by former bandmates Beyonce and Kelly Rowland in a show-stopping reunion that brought the audience to its feet singing her song, "Say Yes," a winner for "Best Music Video of the Year."  

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Clap your hands...

Listen to Bishop Rance Allen talk to SoulProsper Radio about the first single from his new album "Celebrate" entitled "A Lil Louder"