By Carmen M. Woodson-Wray, Gary Crusader
Ever since New Friendship Missionary Baptist Church’s Anointed Voices Choir recorded its CD “Longtime Coming, Legacy Fulfilled,” choir members have been traveling and performing with some of the legendary gospel artists in the country. Now they have received another pertinent recognition, winning the “Best CD of the Year” at the Texas Gospel Music Excellence Awards.
The choir, under Director of Music Antoinette Gaines, released the CD in December 2015. Since then they have performed throughout the Chicagoland area. They have appeared in Indianapolis as well, for Dr. Bobby Jones, as a new artist on his Nashville, Tennessee television show, “The Bobby Jones Hour.”
According to Gaines the sale of the CD is doing quite well locally as well as digitally. She said, “We’ve done very good on sales of the CD.” The 60-voice choir’s lead song on the CD is “Just Like You” which is also performed as a single.
The choir is presently preparing to travel to Las Vegas to sing for the Gospel Stellar Awards, March 23-24. They will also be a part of the Pre-Stellar Awards Weekend at the “All White Welcoming Party.” They will also perform at the “Empowerment Breakfast.”
Gaines said, “We’ve done well for our church. The Stellar Awards is a big deal because we get to promote our CD in front of producers, radio announcers and record labels. You don’t know who you are performing in front of when you are at these types of events.”
The choir is also preparing for the church’s annual choir concert entitled “Burning the Midnight Oil.” It will be held June 2 at 10 a.m.
The choir’s organist Anthony Gaines, the choir’s organist won the “Musician of the Year” award during the 19th Annual Texas Gospel Music Excellence Awards.
The pastor of New Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Gary, Indiana, is Reverend Royce F. Thompson, Sr.
