Bursting onto the Gospel music scene is Singer-Songwriter sensation, Tomell Brown. His smooth and soulful vocals are soothing and captivating listeners everywhere. Tomell was born on May 18, 1976 in Syracuse, New York. He now resides in Decatur, GA. Tomell is also an Elder at Refreshing Church of God in Christ. As early as 2 years of age, Tomell has been singing. At the age of 9 he began writing songs. Tomell discovered he had a unique gift after singing a solo in church at age 5. The anointing of God upon his voice moved many people to tears, leaving the church congregation astounded, standing on their feet and applauding. That performance sparked invitations to sing at churches, talent shows, and other events locally in his hometown of Syracuse, New York. Tomell has continued this trend of encore performances and has become one of the most sought after Gospel vocalists in the metropolitan Atlanta area and his demand is continually growing nationally and worldwide.
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Some of Tomell’s major music achievements were winning the 1997 best soloist award at the Southern Georgia Church of God in Christ Music Convention. As a student at Morris Brown College, Tomell has won the Student Support Services Performing Arts Award during the 1998-1999 school year and the 1999-2000 school year. Tomell has received a Certificate of Achievement Award in 1998 from the Billboard Song Contest for the song he wrote, “I’m Lost Without Your Love.” Tomell was a performer at the 2003 Holy Hip Hop Awards and Artist Showcase and has appeared many times on local and national Christian television stations and broadcasts. Tomell was one of the 20 Finalists in the 2003 Praise Discovery Talent Showcase at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Artists such as Commissioned, The Winans, Dawkins & Dawkins, New Edition, Boyz II Men, Jodeci, R. Kelly, Brian McKnight, and Joe, has influenced the fresh, innovative sound of Tomell’s music. The sultry style of Tomell’s vocals are reminiscent of an R&B singer serenading the most sensitive lady, but his lyrics are true to the Word of God, testifying of God’s love, grace, and deliverance through personal life experiences. Tomell’s main goal as a
Singer-Songwriter is to encourage the youth to establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He endeavors to reach those people who don’t have knowledge of God and who are not in the body of Christ. However, at the same time he wants to encourage the saints of God who are in the church, young and old, to continue living holy and to be strong in this journey of life.

With the release of his debut album, appropriately titled, “Soul Winner,” Tomell should succeed in winning him many souls for Jesus Christ, as well as national and international mass appeal. Finally, Gospel music has been blessed by a sorely needed breath of fresh air, the gifted and talented, Tomell Brown.

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) Feb. 20, 2007—Celebrated Word Records’ recording artist Building 429 returns with its third and most compelling full-length release to date, Iris to Iris, in stores May 1. Filled with vertical rock worship songs that point straight to the Creator, Iris to Iris encourages listeners to be drawn in closer, in awe and wonder at the beauty of our God.

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New York, NY - February 12, 2007 – NAACP Image Award nominee Inspired
by…The Bible Experience is not only the #1 selling audio Bible in
history selling close to ¼ million copies in a few short months, but if
you’ve watched the recent airing of BET’s Celebration of Gospel ’07, you saw
celebrity participants of Inspired by…The Bible Experience reading as
well as singing the Holy scriptures. A-list participants, namely, Blair
Underwood read John 11:25-26, Derek Luke read Psalms 139:13-14,
Malinda Williams read “The Lord’s Prayer, and Loretta Devine captivated the
audience of 2000 attendees by singing “The Lord’s Prayer”.
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Personally, invited by BET executives, the creators of Inspired by…The
Bible Experience; Inspired By Media Group, which consists of
executives, Ron Belk, Lou “Buster” Brown, Robi Reed and Kyle Bowser graciously
recognized this invitation as a divine honor and were elated to offer
both the Gospel and mainstream audience the added element of God’s Word
being read during a traditionally musical show.

Scoring a 2.1 average rating which translates to 2.5 million viewers
(1.7million households) who watched the inspirational affair, according
to Nielsen Media Research, the Celebration of Gospel was catapulted to
the rank of number 1 Religious/Gospel Program in television history. In
addition, CELEBRATION OF GOSPEL ‘07 holds the number 1 position for a
weekend telecast in BET history and also ranks among BET’s Top 25
telecasts of all time. Furthermore, the special is the number 2 telecast of
the entire 2006-2007 BET season behind the inaugural HIP HOP AWARDS.

BEC Recordings artist, MANAFEST, has been nominated for a Juno Award for “Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year” for his sophomore album, Glory.

The Canadian equivalent of the GRAMMY, Juno nominees are selected based on a combination of sales and votes from members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). Joining Manafest in this category are Hawk Nelson, Downhere, Carolyn Arends and Starfield. This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Nelly Furtado on April 1 at Saskatoon ’s Credit Union Centre and broadcast live on CTV.
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Apparently, many consumers had the same idea for Valentine’s Day; buy a ‘Love’ CD.Blackberry Records, owned and operated by Melvin and Doug Williams of The Williams Brothers, has a history of making records and not just the vinyl kind, either. As the first independently owned gospel label in the state of Mississippi to gain national distribution, the Williams Brothers have been recognized and respected on every level in the music industry for outstanding performances, producing, songwriting, and for running an A-list record label.
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Dallas, TX-Carolyn Traylor’s 2006 release, There’s A Story Behind My Praise, raises the question, “What’s the story?”

As the title track heats up airwaves across the nation, Traylor is spending her time not only talking to radio programmers and talk show hosts, but . What she hears is a dream come true. And a new story to tell.

Years ago, Traylor prayed that people would be so moved by her music that listeners would be compelled to pull over if they were driving; so overcome by the emotional moment and the spirit of connection and healing that they needed to stop. Traylor decided she would use this as her marker that at last she was really where God wanted her to be.
Traylor is not shy with God. She asks him for exactly what she wants and, knowing that every little thing matters to Him, that nothing is insignificant, he will deliver to her, her hearts’ desire within His will.

Recently, she was speaking with a radio host for Heaven 97, (Antonio Johnson and Warren Brooks) who has the single, “There’s A Story Behind My Praise” in heavy rotation. A listener had recently called in to relate that she was so blessed by “There’s A Story Behind My Praise,” so moved, in fact, that she had to pull over and cry. That was in Dallas .

In Beaumont , Texas , the single is the most requested song for the station and is heard by inmates in the local prison. One gentleman, who is living out a sixty year sentence, wrote home to say ‘thank-you’ for this song, it has really helped him through his difficulties.

Winston-Salem North Carolina, same thing. “Oh my God, I had to pull over to the side of the road when this song came on…”

A simple prayer, answered. Now there’s a story because of her praise. Traylor says about being in the music business, “It’s not about money. I want to bless people. I want my music to stand a long time as a source of comfort, healing, and a blessing for others.”

From New Jersey to Alabama , North Carolina, and Texas , listeners are feeling the blessings. Traylor thanks God for answering her prayer from so long ago and looks forward to adding more stories to be praised.

Maybe your city can be added to the list of Praise Reports!

Kosmos Records, a new imprint directed by Barry Landis, President
and CEO of Landis Entertainment & Media Partners, will release three to
four new projects each year and will be based in Nashville.

Barry Landis is responsible for some of the world’s greatest
Christian, Gospel and Country music, and has been involved in the
careers of some of the biggest names in the genre, from triple platinum
selling P.O.D. and 143/David Foster’s Plus One while he was General
Manager at Atlantic’s Christian unit, to early successes with Donnie
McClurkin, Take 6 and The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir while at Warner
Alliance.

Before he formed his own company, Landis was President of Word
Records, one of the three largest Christian music companies in the
world. While at Word, he grew the company in profitability each year,
signed the 2004 New Artist of the Year (Building 429) and was
responsible for the resurrection of the career of country music
superstar, Randy Travis, with the hit, “Three Wooden Crosses,” which in
2003 won the award for Song of the Year from both the Country Music
Association as well as the Academy of Country Music. He has more than
50 #1 songs to his credit and his marketing plans have been responsible
for the sale of more than 60 million records. Worship Leader Magazine and
Christian Radio/Retail Weekly Magazine list him as one of the most
influential voices in Christian music.

KOCH’s Bob Frank states, “Barry is the perfect partner for us as
we enter this market. His track record can’t be beat, and we expect to
come out swinging at the Goliaths!”

Landis adds, “I am very excited to be partnering with Bob Frank
and his great team at KOCH. Today’s music landscape is being shaped by
independent thinking, and Bob and the folks at KOCH are the leaders in
independent strategy and tactics. I also want to thank my dear friend
Don Perry at Greenberg Traurig for putting Bob and me together”.

The name Kosmos is taken from the Greek word “world” in the New
Testament scriptures. “The word is literally the same one used in John
3:16, ‘For God so loved the World�’” said Landis. “I want it to be a
reminder of God’s love for all of mankind and that our music should be
made to appeal to everyone.”

Landis is the Secretary of the Nashville board of NARAS (Grammys)
and holds a Masters Degree from Western Kentucky University, where in
2002 he received the Alumnus of the Year Award. He is a general partner
in Collective I.Q., a merchant banking firm, produces Entertainment and
Media Summits in various cities around the country and is the Founder
and Executive Director of the Briner Institute, an entertainment
industry non profit think-tank.

Portland, Oregon-based online retailer and digital distributor CD
Baby, the largest online retailer of independent music, and a leader
in the distribution of digital content, will be throwing a huge party
at South by Southwest for their clients, customers, fans, and music
lovers alike.

Empowering the independent musician, a handful of bands that were in
Austin, Texas already for South by Southwest have been invited to
play CD Baby’s party.

The party, happening March 16, 2007, will be free to the public and
will be held at Austin’s beloved tiki bar Headhunter’s, located at
720 Red River Street. The show will start at noon and run until 6pm.

The line-up is:

12-12:30 - Jets Overhead
12:50-1:20 - Telephone
1:40 - 2:10 - The Village Green
2:30 - 3:00 - Michael Dean Damron and Thee Loyal Bastards
3:20 - 3:50 - Kleveland
4:10 - 4:40 - Jim Bianco
5:10 - 6pm - Presidents of the United States of America

CD Baby, known for looking out for the independent artists and making
deals to help level the playing field and narrowing the gap between
independent and major recording artists, decided to throw the party
as a way to showcase some great bands that, while they may be under
the radar (sans CD Baby favorites Presidents of the United States of
America, who, despite having a multi-platinum record, were later
dropped by their label, decided to go the self-release route, and are
happy to call CD Baby home), they still are quite talented and rival
any platinum-selling, major label artist in their genre.

About CD Baby
CD Baby sells and distributes music online for independent artists
and labels. Founder and musician Derek Sivers was selling his own CD
online in 1997, and he eventually asked a few friends if they’d like
to sell their CDs there, too. Friends told friends and now over
161,000 artists sell their music through CD Baby. CD Baby has sold
nearly three million CDs to customers worldwide, and paid over $38
million dollars to musicians. CD Baby’s Digital Distribution program
has deals with all major digital outlets such as Apple iTunes,
Verizon Wireless’ V CAST MUSIC, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Napster, and
Sony Connect, making CD Baby one of the leading digital
distributors. For more information visit www.cdbaby.com http://
www.cdbaby.net, or http://www.cdbaby.net/dd for information on the
digital distribution program.
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New York , NY – February 12, 2007 – Inglewood , California based Lilly Mack Publishing already has had “stellar” success this year. With writers receiving nominations in 20 categories between the Stellar’s, Grammy’s, and Image Awards, shows that Lilly Mack Publishing is certainly the powerhouse in Gospel music publishing.

The Lilly Mack writers have not only garnered nods in the gospel community, but are also being recognized in mainstream arenas as well. Last night’s 49th Annual Grammy Awards that aired on CBS recognized Kirk Franklin who won in the Best Song category (“Imagine Me”) and the Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for Hero. Also getting a nomination in that category was Myron Butler for Set Me Free.In the Best Traditional Gospel Album category Byron Cage was nominated for his album An Invitation to Worship.

During the recent Stellar Awards, The Lilly Mack Publishing writers that were Stellar winners included multiple award winning artist Myron Butler, Kirk Franklin, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Hezekiah Walker. With a sweeping total of seven acknowledgements, it displays the caliber of writers that Lilly Mack Publishing represents. This successful showing at the Stellar and Grammy Awards, walking away with statues in nine categories is just the beginning of what promises to be a stellar year for this publishing house.

Kirk Franklin has also been nominated for an Image Award this year in the Outstanding Gospel Artist – Traditional or Contemporary category. The Image Awards will be airing on March 2nd.

Lilly Mack Publishing has spent the last 15 years serving hit songs to top artists in the music, film and television worlds. Its writers range from Grammy Award winning, Platinum and Gold artists like Kirk Franklin, Kurt Carr, and Hezekiah Walker to upcoming writer/producer artist like Myron Butler, and Carnell Murrell.

The fruit of Lilly Mack’s Gospel song success has crossed over into the mainstream market. In addition to numerous BMI performance awards, Lilly Mack Publishing writers have had several #1 songs on the Billboard charts. Another history making moment from the Lilly Mack’s catalogue was the song “Lean On Me” which was up for “Song of the Year” at the 1998 Grammy Awards against the Titanic them song. It was the first time in Grammy history that a Gospel song was nominated in that category.

Lilly Mack Publishing has had 30 or more songs on the Billboard charts at all times for three years straight proving it to be a powerhouse publishing company.Their songs are distributed world-wide reaching the masses in the entertainment world. Not only have they had success in the music world but also with songs being placed on major motion pictures and on TV. Some of these include the Kirk Franklin song “Revolution” featured in the Warner Bros. movie Any Given Sunday starring Al Pacino and Jamie Foxx; several songs featured in The Gospel Movie and soundtrack and in the show Inhale on the Oxygen network.

Wright, Hatter, Bradley and Wonder were all honored by the mayor at the John Ferraro City Council Chambers at Los Angeles City Hall on Friday February 9, 2007 for the kickoff of the city of Los Angeles official commemoration of African American Heritage Month. The honorees received proclamations heralding their career achievements signed by the mayor and the entire City Council.