BMI will as soon as once more have a good time the songwriters and publishers behind the 12 months’s most impactful Gospel music on the 2025 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards. The celebrated occasion, set for Thursday, April 3, at Flourish Atlanta, will convey collectively business leaders and artists for a day devoted to recognizing the most effective in Gospel music.
BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President, Artistic, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton will host the personal ceremony, the place John P. Kee will likely be honored as a Trailblazer of Gospel for his lasting affect on the style.
“John P. Kee’s music has made a profound influence on Gospel for greater than 4 a long time, and his contributions proceed to resonate with audiences worldwide,” stated Brewton. “This occasion is a chance to acknowledge his artistry and dedication, whereas additionally celebrating the songwriters and publishers whose work has formed the Gospel music panorama over the previous 12 months.”
Along with Kee’s recognition, BMI will spotlight the songwriters, producers, and music publishers behind the 25 most-performed Gospel songs in the US. The ceremony will even reveal the winners of BMI Gospel Track, Songwriter, and Writer of the 12 months, acknowledging the creatives who’ve outlined Gospel music over the previous 12 months.
Often called the “Prince of Gospel Music,” John P. Kee has been a driving pressure in modern Gospel for many years. His musical journey started early—by the age of eight, he was enjoying piano and writing songs, impressed by the music he heard in church. Within the mid-Nineteen Eighties, he shaped a group choir in Charlotte, which developed into the famend New Life Group Choir (NLCC), a pivotal a part of his profession.
Over almost 4 a long time, Kee has collaborated with a few of Gospel’s most celebrated artists, together with The Hawkins Household, Daryl Coley, Billy Preston, Dorinda Clark Cole, Rev. James Cleveland, Bishop Rance Allen, Florida Mass Choir, Mississippi Mass Choir, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and plenty of others. His music has been featured in movie, tv, commercials, and even an look on Saturday Night time Stay.
His profession is marked by a powerful 37 GMWA Excellence Awards, 27 Stellar Awards, three BMI Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, a Soul Practice Music Award, and eight GRAMMY nominations. Amongst his many accolades, he was beforehand honored on the BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards in 2001 and 2005, obtained a Trailblazer Award from former President Invoice Clinton, and was inducted into the Worldwide Gospel Corridor of Fame in 2005.
Past his musical accomplishments, Pastor Kee has been deeply dedicated to ministry. Since 1995, he has served because the full-time pastor of New Life Fellowship Heart in Charlotte, NC. By means of a non-traditional strategy to outreach, his management has fostered a thriving congregation, extending his affect past the world of music.
As BMI prepares to honor this Gospel icon, the 2025 Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards guarantees to be an inspiring occasion full of recognition, celebration, and highly effective performances.
