Photo by: TV One
Over the weekend, we celebrated excellence in gospel music at the 37th Stellar Gospel Music Awards!
As part of a prestigious weekend of festivities that included a special announcement regarding the impending debut of the Stellar TV Network, the Stellar Awards returned to Atlanta for the live-taped ceremony on Saturday, July 16th at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
“Gospel music has encouraged millions of people through more than two unrelenting years of the pandemic, and the Stellar Awards will, again, deliver in bringing the praise and recognizing the artists who bless us with their inspirational sounds,” said Don Jackson, Chairman, and CEO of Central City Productions.
He continued: “Those who love Black, faith, and family-centric programs can look forward to both the Stellar Awards and to all that our Stellar TV Network has to offer when it premieres in September.”
Thursday night was the kickoff of the weekend, and Bear Tag Entertainment collaborated with the Stellar Awards to produce and host the official Sanctioned Stellar Celebrity Basketball Game at the sold out Epicenter.
Bishop Marvin Sapp and Pastor Jamal Bryant faced off as coaches of Team Stellar West (Red) and Team Stellar East (Grey), filled with Gospel artists, personalities, and more!
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The game was in support of a worldwide epidemic called mental health. Bringing awareness to this illness that has highly affected our community. Atlanta definitely came out and showed support for the cause.
Pastor Jamal and Stellar East (Grey) took home the trophy and won the game, however, Bishop Sapp was still celebrated in a big way by his beloved Gospel community.
To start the game, Pastor E. Dewey Smith, Jr. sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and went into Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It,” which was a surprise for his longtime friend.
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Sapp’s biopic “Never Would Have Made It: The Marvin Sapp Story” premieres August 21st at 9/8c only on TV One. Tune in to learn more about the journey of the man behind the music, the love behind the legend.
This year, the 37th Stellar Annual Gospel Music Awards was co-hosted by award-winning artists Jekalyn Carr and Kierra Sheard.
Tye Tribbett, Marvin Sapp, Maranda Curtis, Ricky Dillard, Kelontae Gavin, Rudy Currence, Chrisette Michele, DOE, James Fortune, Jason Nelson, Travis Greene, Darrel Walls, and Jor’Dan Armstrong and Lamont Sanders, artist, and (CEO) of Bear Tag Entertainment all performed at this year’s award ceremony.
Legendary gospel musician CeCe Winans, widely regarded as the best-selling female gospel performer of all time, was nominated for the most awards this year.
Winans has received nine nominations overall for her critically praised album “Believe for It,” including those for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year.
The Producer of the Year, Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year awards were all given to Pastor Mike, Jr., the 2021 Stellar Award winner for Artist of the Year.
These awards were related to “I Got It: Single’s Ministry Vol 1.” Tamela Mann, who won the 2018 James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award, Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music, and Todd Dulaney each had six nominations, and Mali Music also received a mention for a feature on a different project.
Kelontae Gavin was nominated five times. Maverick City Music, Israel Houghton, Ricky Dillard, E. Dewey Smith, and Jason Clayborn were some other artists up for multiple Stellar Awards this year; they each garnered four nominations.
Let us know what you are most excited to see when the 37th Stellar Gospel Music Awards airs on television in the fall!
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