AUDITION FRIDAY for McDonald’s Inspiration Gospel Tour!

RCA Inspiration & McDonald's Black & Positively Golden Join Forces to Kick Off 1st-Ever Talent Showcases + Master Classes During 13th Annual Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour...

Hello World,

RCA Inspiration (RCAI) joins forces with the 13th Annual McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour and Dr Pepper® this year to spotlight undiscovered talent and empower local communities with celebratory Golden Voice Talent Showcases and in-depth Master Classes in select cities. Local talent in each city will audition for a chance to perform at Golden Voice Talent Showcases in Atlanta and Tallahassee, where they will have the opportunity to win the night’s top prize. The Master Classes will be two-hour sessions delivering an inside look of the music industry from McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour talent, with classes being held in Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Tallahassee. The Golden Voice Talent Showcases, Master Classes, and McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour are an extension of the McDonald’s Black & Positively Golden campaign, an initiative that shines a brilliant light on Black excellence through the areas of empowerment, education and entrepreneurship.

The undeniable influence of Gospel music will continue to be celebrated and uplift communities when McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour arrives in Atlanta, home to a vast array of musical talent. Running June 21-22, the full slate of daytime and evening activities in Atlanta include a Golden Voice Pop-Up Talent Showcase, Master Class, and the Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour concert. The beloved, long-running Gospel music tour is free to the public, with tickets available for download now at http://blackandpositivelygolden.com.

Golden Voice Talent Showcase Pop-Up Event

Holding the first-ever Golden Voice Talent Showcase Pop-Up in Atlanta, aspiring, undiscovered talent will have the opportunity to rock the stage in front of a live audience and gospel music industry vets Friday, June 21 at 7 p.m. at the Riverside EpiCenter (135 Riverside Parkway, Austell, GA).

Contestants will face a judging panel featuring McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour talent and musical trailblazers, Donald LawrenceKierra Sheard, and Sir the Baptist, who will narrow down the finalists and crown the top three winners of the Atlanta showcase.

Competitors will perform for the chance to win the Black & Positively Golden grand prize – which includes an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform at the McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour concert pre-show in Atlanta on June 22 and $1,000 cash prize, among other items. Second Place and Third Place winners will also take home special prizes.

Registration is now open and spots are limited. Those ages 18 and over in Metro Atlanta are encouraged to sign up to audition at http://blackandpositivelygolden.com.

“Up-and-coming singers, we want to see your talent,” said gospel music powerhouse Kierra Sheard. “We want to spotlight your excellence and empower you to use your gift to uplift your community, which is what the Black & Positively Golden campaign is all about. On behalf of all the judges, we encourage you to take a chance on yourself. Warm up your vocal chords and register to audition for the talent showcase now!”

McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour Master Classes

Donald Lawrence, Kierra Sheard, Sir the Baptist and an RCAI executive will share their vast career knowledge with those who aspire to break into the music industry, during a free Master Class, moderated by tour host and media personality Lonnie Hunter. The Atlanta session will take place on Saturday, June 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church (6400 Woodrow Rd, Lithonia, GA). To sign up for the Master Class, visithttp://blackandpositivelygolden.com.

The next Master Class will be held in Washington, D.C. on July 27, and the Tallahassee Golden Voice Talent Showcase and Master Class will take place October 4-5.

These additions to the Inspiration Celebration Gospel tour are just some of the ways McDonald’s continues to change for the better and demonstrates its ongoing commitment to the community. For more information on the tour and the Black & Positively Golden ongoing movement, follow @WeAreGolden on Instagram.

You can also celebrate the journey by following @RCAInspiration on Instagram and tag hashtags #wearegolden #blackmusicmonth #blackculture #blackmusic.

Any thoughts?

GRAMMY Award-Winning Worship Artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard to Launch Brunch Event Featuring Yolanda Adams, ‘Greenleaf’s’ Deborah Joy Winans & More…

Hello World,

GRAMMY Award-winning worship artist Tasha Cobbs Leonard is set to launch CANDID, a series of empowering and ground-breaking events for women. Taking the ‘girls brunch’ concept to a new level, Cobbs Leonard will host the first CANDID, an exciting brunch event on Saturday, June 15, 2019, in Atlanta, GA!

Cobbs Leonard aims to offer an inviting, and open forum to inspire and encourage women to understand their potential, and live their best lives! Whether it’s launching a new business, or pursuing a passion, Cobbs Leonard wants women to tap into the possibilities, and understand that now is their time to reach for their dream. The CANDID brunch series brings together the best from entrepreneurs and creatives to philanthropists and influencers to share their stories and strategies in an intimate and fun setting.

“I wanted to take the true meaning of the African proverb ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and support the ‘village’ in that statement — women represent the village in our communities,” Cobbs Leonard said. “We [women] support our husband, raise our children, create our own business, mentor future generations – that often times we miss the opportunity to inspire ourselves and show up for US. I wanted to create a safe space where we can do just that.”

Like every good brunch, there will be good food, great conversation and lots of laughs. Tasha invited her personal village of amazing women to join her at the inaugural CANDID brunch. The incredible line up of speakers includes legendary GRAMMY Award-winner Yolanda Adams; social influencer, TV Star Marlo Hampton (Who knew that Marlo Hampton and Tasha Cobbs Leonard are friends?); Gospel music icon and favorite Kierra Sheard; actress Deborah Joy Winans from OWN’s “Greenleaf” and social media CEO Ivy McGregor.

Tickets are available now by visiting: https://ticketlocity.com/event/view/CANDID.

Any thoughts?

OWN ‘Greenleaf’ Actress LeToya Luckett aka Rochelle Cross Shows Off Baby Bump at 2018 Black Music Honors! (PHOTOS)

Hello World,

The clock still has a few 24-hour segments before Season 3 of OWN’s ‘Greenleaf’ premieres on Tuesday, August 28 and Wednesday, August 29, but thankfully the stars of the show are out and about leading up until then!

Last night, comedian and radio show host Rickey Smiley and singer and OWN “Greenleaf” actress LeToya Luckett ( aka Rochelle Cross, Lady’s Mae’s lady-in-waiting and or archenemy), who debuted her baby bump,  co-hosted the 2018 Black Music Honors! The annual two-hour television special honors artists and musicians who have influenced and made significant contributions to American music. This year’s honorees were Bobby Brown, Faith Evans, Bebe & Cece Winans, Whodini, Stephanie Mills and Dallas Austin. Also, the 2018 Black Music Honors recognized the legacy of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul who passed away yesterday. (Condolences to her family and friends. She will certainly be missed the world over.)

The night included performances by Bell Biv Devoe, Next, Jade Novah, Kierra Sheard, Tasha Page-Lockhart, V. Bozeman, Demetria McKinney, DJ Mell Starr, Sammie, Donnie McClurkin, Sammie, Yo-Yo, Koryn Hawthorne, Rhyon Brown, Raheem DeVaughn, Regina Belle, Paris Bennett, Syleena Johnson, Angela Winbush, Jonathan McReynolds, Monie Love, Ruben Studdard and Doug E. Fresh. Additional VIP’s in attendance included Shiggy, Kyla Jade, Stevie J and more.

Proceeds from the 2018 Black Music Honors will benefit the 2019 opening of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville. NMAAM’s mission is to educate the world, preserve the legacy, and celebrate the central role African Americans play in creating the American soundtrack. Event sponsors include AT&T, McDonald’s, Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, Chevrolet and State Farm as title sponsor. 

See photos of the evening below:

LeToya Luckett and Rickey Smiley

Paris Bennett, Angela Winbush, Regina Bella perform for Aretha Franklin’s tribute.

LeToya Luckett and Rickey Smiley open the show.

Charity Greenleaf aka Deborah Joy Winans’ Auntie & Uncle CeCe and BeBe Winans

Koryn  “Won’t He Do It” Hawthorne. Remember when Koryn and Isaiah better known to me as Gospel Chris Brown or Christian Breezy sang the song on an a “Greenleaf” episode?

Kierra Sheard and Donnie McClurkin sing.

The Tankards

Regina Belle performs.

Ruben Studdard sings.

Darlene McCoy

Tasha Page-Lockhart

Jonathan McReynolds and Tasha Page-Lockhart sing.

James Shaw, the Waffle House shoot-out “shutdowner”

Tommicus Walker and LeToya Luckett. Tommicus is her hubby! Congratulations to the expecting couple 🙂

Again, Season 3 of OWN’s “Greenleaf” is almost HERE!!

Any thoughts?