Gospel

WASHINGTON - Addressing a sea of thousands who gathered for a concert yesterday that officially opened his inaugural festivities, President-elect Barack Obama kept it brief. He let the music do the talking. "Welcome to the celebration of American renewal," Obama said, succinctly summing up the energy behind the performances on the National Mall by some of the top names in pop music. The music was interspersed with historical passages read by Hollywood's brightest: Denzel Washington, Queen Latifah and Jamie Foxx among others.

As she sang about sleeping with somebody else's husband, Shirley Murdock's heart was in the church. In 1986, the roof-raising soul singer scored her biggest hit with "As We Lay," a tormented, passion-drenched ballad that flew into the Top 10 on the R&B charts and pushed sales of her self-titled debut to gold. "There was so much controversy about that song," Murdock says 21 years later. "It didn't celebrate infidelity. That song was about two people making a bad decision, dealing with the regret.

In September, Habakkuk Music, a Christian gospel label, was launched with the release of its first artist, Jessica Greene of Baltimore. Her CD, 4 the World, includes lyrics that make you think and have your head bobbing at the same time. Her contemporary gospel-music album deals with weighty issues such as premarital pregnancy, molestation and the promises of God. For example, one of the tracks on the CD is "Searching," which is about looking for love, but in all the wrong places. "It's about dealing with issues as they are. I know that God is good.

Baltimore's African-American symphony orchestra, Soulful Symphony, performs its holiday showcase, A Great Joy, this Saturday at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The 75-person ensemble of musicians and vocalists is known for blending jazz and gospel with rhythm and blues. This performance will feature traditional holiday music with a gospel twist as well as featured soloists and choral performances. The holiday showcase is at 8 p.m. Saturday at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. Tickets are $18-$58.

Fred Hammond, who is performing at a youth seminar in Upper Marlboro next week, is not the only artist coming to the area with praise. Here is the summer line up for other gospel concerts.July 18: Ayeesha, an up-and-coming star of gospel is headlining a concert that caps a youth conference at Jericho City of Praise. Joining her will be the Kenoly Brothers, who recently released "All the Way," and the Winans, Phase II, whose first compact disc "We Got Next" is to be released in August. The concert is free at Jericho City of Praise, 8501 Spectrum Drive, Landover.

Pauline Wells Lewis, known to thousands of Baltimore-area gospel music fans as Aunt Pauline or the Godmother of Gospel during a career as a radio-show host and gospel singer, died Tuesday of heart failure at Mercy Medical Center.For more than 50 years, Mrs. Wells, 87, of West Baltimore sang and was host of gospel music radio shows in Baltimore and nationwide."She worked her own style, and it was such a great delivery she had," said Su Wood, station manager for WBGR-AM, Mrs. Lewis' last radio station, where she worked until health problems forced her to resign this year.

Across from the first page of his gospel is the picture of St. John. He sits writing the gospel with a red pen in red ink. He's dressed in robes of bright blue, yellow and red, a red and yellow halo encircles his head, and his huge black eyes stare out of the page with a penetrating gaze.It's a bold image that makes an indelible impression and typical of the rare Ethiopian Gospel Book from which it comes. This latest acquisition of the Walters Art Gallery will go on view for the first time during the Walters' First Thursday hours this week.

When staff members at Baltimore's Heaven 600, the country's No. 1 gospel station, began to plan their "For Sisters Only" festival this year, they ran into a snag.Because Heaven 600 is being sold by CBS Radio, which holds the rights to "For Sisters Only," the station found it couldn't use the concept.So station staff decided to expand the idea by staging Praise Fest '98, which drew more than 10,000 WCAO-AM Heaven 600 listeners Saturday to the Higher Dimensions Christian Center, a church and hall in a building that formerly housed the Palladium catering hall on Liberty Heights Avenue in Northwest Baltimore.

Gudrun Katrin Thorbergsdottir,64, the wife of Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, died Monday, officials of a Seattle cancer hospital confirmed yesterday.Raymond A. Myles,41, a popular gospel singer recently praised by Billboard magazine as being on the brink of mainstream success, was found dead Sunday of multiple gunshot wounds in New Orleans.Mr. Myles started his gospel career as a child, recording a single called "Prayer From a 12-year-old Boy." Among his recordings was last year's live album, "Heaven is the Place."

Vernetta Westry, a gospel singer who performed in a deep, rich voice at revivals and church galas throughout Baltimore and along the East Coast, died Tuesday of heart failure in Atlantic City, N.J., where she had lived for the past two years.Mrs. Westry, 81, lived in West Baltimore for most of her life and operated a day care center out of her home for many years. She was an effective teacher, friends said, who promised parents that preschool-age youngsters who attended her school would "do more than just nap and play 'Duck Duck Goose' " before they left.

Ronnie Brooks, Yanna Foster and Victoria Coleman make up the gospel group Immeasurable. As of last week, they are also the owners of a new soul food restaurant, Immeasurable Chicken & Waffle (1700 W. Pratt St., 888-801-2863). I asked the group's assistant, Michelle Guess, why a gospel group would open a restaurant. "They wanted a place the community could have a good, nonalcoholic time," she said. "They wanted to bring back something positive to Baltimore." Chicken and waffles are a good place to start, but the menu doesn't stop there.

Julia A. Hall-Kenton, who sang with area gospel choirs for more than 60 years, died June 26 of sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease, at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. She was 73. Julia Ann Johnson was born in Baltimore and raised there and in Towson. She was a graduate of Dunbar High School and worked as a seamstress. Mrs. Hall-Kenton, an alto, was a youngster when she began singing with her siblings and an uncle, who were known as the Johnson Family Singers. "They toured throughout the state and the Mid-Atlantic region," said a daughter, Bonnie McClellan of Baltimore.

Senior sprinter Aaron Williams was surrounded by outstanding talent at Meade in past years, including 2008 grad and Clemson freshman Justin Murdock. This season has been Williams' time in the spotlight. On Jan. 31, Williams led the Mustangs to their fourth straight Anne Arundel County championship, taking home gold medals in the 55 and 300 meters, along with the 800- and 1600-meter relays. His first county title was in the 55, when he came across in 35.6 seconds to edge South River's Lamar Rogers by one one-hundredth of a second.

WASHINGTON - Addressing a sea of thousands who gathered for a concert yesterday that officially opened his inaugural festivities, President-elect Barack Obama kept it brief. He let the music do the talking. "Welcome to the celebration of American renewal," Obama said, succinctly summing up the energy behind the performances on the National Mall by some of the top names in pop music. The music was interspersed with historical passages read by Hollywood's brightest: Denzel Washington, Queen Latifah and Jamie Foxx among others.

Parton, others join gospel music hall of fame Dolly Parton, Michael W. Smith, Dr. Bobby Jones, the Dixie Hummingbirds and producer Lari Goss will be inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame on Feb. 2 in Nashville, Tenn. Parton is known for her country and pop hits, but she's also released gospel records and mainstream songs with Christian themes. Smith is one of the best-known artists in Christian music with 18 albums and many hits, including some pop crossovers. Jones is a singer and host of the long-running Bobby Jones Gospel program on the BET cable network.

Ralph Otis Fisher, a versatile drummer who performed at jazz clubs and did studio work with 1970s pop artists, died of cancer Saturday at his Randallstown home. He was 61. Over the past five decades, he played rhythm and blues, jazz and gospel at numerous clubs and private parties and was one of Baltimore's best-known drummers. "He had the right timing. He had the right touch. He had the right feel," said singer Ethel Ennis. "Speaking as a vocalist, he was a take-care-of-you drummer." Born and raised in Frederick, he first showed an interest in percussion when, as a child, he would hammer out musical rhythms on his family's kitchen chairs.

On October 9, 2008, BEAETTA RICHEY-YOUNG; loving and devoted wife of Gerald T. Young. On Monday, friends may call Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Services (East), 4905 York Road, where the family will receive friends from 3 to 8 P.M. On Tuesday, services will be held at True Gospel Apostolic Faith Church, 2715 Grindon Avenue, where the family will receive fiends 6:30 to 7 P.M with services to follow. Inquiries to (410) 433-7500.

Author to talk on 'Gospel of Evolution' The Rev. Michael Dowd, author of Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life, will give two presentations at the Towson Unitarian Universalist Church next week. He will give the sermon at 10:30 a.m. Sunday and a 90-minute presentation on "The Gospel of Evolution" at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The church is at 1710 Dulaney Valley Road. Information: 410-825-6045.Dowd will also hold a book signing at 7 p.m. Monday at Barnes & Noble, 8123 Honeygo Blvd.

Ernestine Shepherd, 72, a certified personal trainer and aerobics instructor, continues to build on her fabulous-at-any-age image. She was featured in the February edition of UniSun. Shepherd won several awards this summer at the 15th annual 2008 Kina Elyassi NPC Natural East Coast Tournament of Champions Bodybuilding & Figure Championships held in Washington. With an already-lean body, Shepherd shrunk by 12 pounds to about 118 pounds to compete. And she didn't do it without sacrifice.

Young Mya Montgomery is a patient, calm and obedient child. She has a conspicuous adultlike maturity when she opens the door for guests at her parents' modest home in Northeast Baltimore. Her almond eyes and petite frame peek from just above and behind the doorknob. She smiles slightly but doesn't speak. Mya gets permission to open the door from her father, Gavin Montgomery, who uses a joystick-operated, motorized wheelchair as the result of Parkinson's disease, the degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills, speech and other functions of the body.