Kierra Sheard’s Bold Right Life

The daughter of one of the founding members of legendary gospel group the Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard, has grown up in powerhouse gospel.

At a very young age, “little Kiki” was joining her mother, Karen Clark-Sheard, on stage to belt out verses.

But that young “Kiki” is now a woman on her own. Adding even more rhythm to her gospel tunes, and subtracting her childhood nickname, Kierra Sheard has released her fourth album, “Bold Right Life.”

“It’s the name of my youth organization, which is a non-profit organization in Detroit,” Sheard said of the album’s title. She explained to EUR’s Lee Bailey that a recent Bold Right Life Youth Conference in Detroit this past summer, she was inspired by the young people attending.

“A lot of young people were blessed and I’m just really aiming for Bold Right Life to be a movement,” she said. So she decided to share the moniker on her latest disc. “With me wanting it to be a movement, I decided to attach it to my album. The record company thought it was a powerful movement. [It] stands for boldly living right.”

The title “Boldly Living Right” refers to the bible verse Colossians 3: 1-6 “We are dead to the things of this world … boldly living right, getting ready for life.” Sheard said that in her travels she’s noticed that young people tend to back down when it comes to representing Christ in their everyday lives.

Listen:

SOURCE: Eurweb.com

Micah Stampley Talks About Being Delivered From Hardship And Suicide

by By Mona Austin / mediamindedpro@yahoo.com

Ahhhh the good life. Micah Stampley is patting nectar from his lips from eating the succulent fruit sitting on the counter when I enter the dressing room.

As he rises to greet me with a hug I’m conscious not to get my made up face near his Clorox clean Ivory-colored jacket.

The setting is the Evening of Stars tribute to Aretha Franklin. The beat of Franklin’s “Rock Steady” is throbbing through the house speakers at the Kodak Theatre as Stampley lets the elite opportunity of being hand-picked to sing for The Queen of Soul sink in. That was 3 years ago and the favor keeps flowing toward this man of deep faith.

Just when Micah thought he’d received the ultimate compliment from Aretha — as the story goes they’d never met; Aretha heard him sing on TV and hunted him down! Even the President of Ghana, Africa personally requested the multi-octave-mounting tenor to come minister in his country.

Stampley hasn’t been far from the spotlight since he won the 2004 Stellar Award Talent Search and released his record breaking first album “The Songbook of Micah” (Dexterity Sounds / EMI Gospel ), which premiered as the second highest male debut in Billboard music history.

His magnetic voice has jolted him from anonymity and seemingly insurmountable odds to become a cross-cultural … all ages favorite. His versatile voice is a paradoxical composite of rock squawking with the tenderness of a soul balladeer.

Words like hit-maker, chart-topper, and phenom all accurately describe the highly acclaimed artist; they all explain why he is in-demand at venues nationally and quickly garnering international attention. But none of them adequately grasp what makes him unique. With his Manager/writing partner/wife Heidi by his side, this conscientious observer sings and writes lyrically poignant music with themes that urge submission and holy living that supernaturally transports listeners from the here and now. Give Micah a mic and a few minutes and he will convert any space into a place of pure worship.

The depth of his passionate performances stems from the belief he has in a God who has seen him through the death of a close relative, homelessness twice (once as a youth and while married) and a suicide attempt. For now, the 37-year-old father of five is rocking steady in his career, but in this interview excerpt he flashes back to the adverse circumstances that speckle the journey that brought him to the good life and talks about his upcoming new release “Ransomed,” an unadulterated worship offering, balanced with hymns recorded live in Atlanta.

Read the full story in the Winter 2008 issue of Precious Times magazine.

Fred Hammond Releases Christmas DVD

Nashville, TN (BlackNews.com) - EMI Gospel and Fred Hammond have partnered in order to release the first DVD of Hammond’s Stage play produced by fHammond Family Entertainment, entitled Christmas…Who Needs It.

“This is a faith based ‘dramedy’ that will surely put us all in the Christmas spirit. The inspiration for this play was based on the early Tyler Perry plays and I just took the idea and kicked it up a notch by shooting it in Panasonic HD with Redrock Panavision,” said Fred Hammond, the Producer and Star of the movie. “The timing is divine and it will hopefully enable people to find some joy during these difficult times in which we presently find ourselves as a nation.”

Christmas…Who Needs It will be released by EMI Gospel and will be available in retail outlets on November 25, 2008.

“This movie is uplifting and as a Christian, this is the type of movie I have wanted in the marketplace for years,” says Roy Campbell, Hammond’s business partner and fHammond Family Entertainment Board Chairman.

Christmas…Who Needs It is presently on sale on-line at www.fredhammondlive.com

“There is definitely a marketplace for this play and the agreement with EMI Gospel will only enhance the visibility of Christmas…Who Needs It,” said Christopher Brown, of Brown & Rosen LLC, legal counsel to Fred Hammond. Ken Pennell, President of EMI Gospel also stated “We have great expectations for the film and look forward to a continued relationship with Fred Hammond.”

CONTACT:
Nurisha Liggins
682-557-9201
Nurisha@fhfent.com

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