The Super Bowl Soulful Celebration, a one-hour music special, in partnership with the NFL, tapes Wednesday, Feb. 7, at Pearl Theater, Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, in advance of Super Bowl LVIII, airing Sunday, Feb. 11 on CBS. Tickets on Sale Now at Tickmaster.com.
The Super Bowl Soulful Celebration will celebrate 25 wonderful years as the only event of its kind during Super Week when it tapes its annual special at the Pearl Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Through the years, the celebration has brought together athletes and gospel artists during the biggest week in sports. Many times, it is the kickoff to Super Week and gives concertgoers a chance to see marquee athletes’ faith in action!
CBS today announced performances and player honorees for THE SUPER BOWL SOULFUL CELEBRATION 25thANNIVERSARY, (previously known as the “Super Bowl Gospel Celebration”), airing Saturday, Feb. 10 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand on Pluto TV and CBS.com the day after the special airs)*. Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold of CBS’ THE NEIGHBORHOOD will host.
The Super Bowl Soulful Celebration is marking its 25th anniversary this year — and our very own @NateBurleson will receive the Lifetime of Inspiration Award.
Also announced today on CBS MORNINGS, co-host, Nate Burleson, will be honored on the special with the “Lifetime of Inspiration” Award. The honor will celebrate Burleson’s substantial impact on the NFL and people of faith, as well as recognize his contributions to media, sports, philanthropy, and business. This accolade has been bestowed six times in the event’s 25-year history, recognizing truly exceptional individuals in football who embody excellence, resilience, gratitude, and inspiration, both on and off the field. Previous recipients include Tony Dungy (2009), Ray Lewis (2013), Tim Brown (2015), Troy Vincent (2017), and Deion Sanders (2022).
Additionally, the special will feature an electrifying performance lineup led by Earth, Wind & Fire, Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary and Robin Thicke. Also, the telecast will feature a performance by The Players Choir. This all-player ensemble has become a staple of Super Bowl weekend festivities, captivating audiences with its powerful harmonies and unique blend of NFL talent for 16 seasons. Additional performers will be announced at a later date.
The show will also pay tribute to outstanding NFL players for their remarkable contributions on and off the field. The following players will be honored for their exceptional achievements:
Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills (S), will be presented with the New Beginnings Award, recognizing his dedication, resilience, and inspiring journey in overcoming obstacles to achieve success.
Markquese Bell, Dallas Cowboys (LB), will be honored as the HBCU Player of the Year, celebrating his remarkable achievements and impact while representing Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
For a quarter-century THE SUPER BOWL SOULFUL CELEBRATION 25thANNIVERSARY has captured the hearts of millions through the shared love of music, faith and the exhilaration of football. Bridging cultures and igniting inspiration, the Super Bowl LVIII sanctioned special brings together NFL players with award-winning artists and acclaimed musicians from diverse genres onto a single stage. The result is an unforgettable evening that transcends boundaries and remains the sole multicultural and inspirational program sanctioned by the NFL during the electrifying Super Bowl week.
Tickets for THE SUPER BOWL SOULFUL CELEBRATION 25th ANNIVERSARY are on sale now and available to the public via Ticketmaster.com. Additionally, to mark this special occasion, exclusive commemorative 25th Anniversary limited-edition merchandise is available via the event’s official website SuperBowlSoulful.com, or on-site at the special taping in Las Vegas, allowing attendees to take home a piece of this historic celebration.
THE SUPER BOWL SOULFUL CELEBRATION 25thANNIVERSARY is executive produced by Melanie Few, with Valarie Benning Thompson serving as producer. Veteran television creative Leon Knoles serves as Director, with Grammy-nominated artist Adam Blackstone serving as music director.
*Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live but will have access to on-demand on Pluto TV and CBS.com the day after the special airs.
For nearly sixteen years, the all-NFL Players Choir has delivered one of the most highly-anticipated musical performances during the biggest weekend in sports, the annual Super Bowl Weekend. Making its debut in 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona during the 9th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration (now Super Bowl Soulful Celebration), the choir launched with more than 40 active and former NFL players under the direction of Grammy Award-Winning artist, Donnie McClurkin.
Developed by Super Bowl Soulful Celebration Founder and Executive Producer Melanie Few with a core group of NFL players who wanted to share their faith through song, last season the group delivered two fan-favorite performances on the highest-rated television variety competition show “America’s Got Talent,” (AGT) – the classic Bill Withers anthem “Lean on Me” and Justin Timberlake’s chart-topping “Can’t Stop The Feeling.”
To stay up to date with the latest Players Choir news and activities, please follow them on social @PlayersChoir.
EARTH, WIND & FIRE, KIRK FRANKLIN, ROBIN THICKE, MARY MARY, AND THE NFL PLAYERS CHOIR TO PERFORM AT SUPER BOWL SOULFUL CELEBRATION 25TH ANNIVERSARY AIRING ON CBS
Get ready for a soul-stirring musical journey just in time for the holidays as the “Best of Super Bowl Gospel Celebration,” Presented by P&G which premiered in national syndication on November 18, airing through January 28. Hosted by former NFL wide receiver and co-host of CBS Mornings, Nate Burleson, the “Best of Super Bowl Gospel Celebration” pays tribute to the iconic moments that have shaped this community-event-turned-television-special over the past twenty-four years. It’s a one-hour celebration of inspiration, a showcase of extraordinary talent, and a testament to the power of unity. Read more about the special, HERE.
All images courtesy of Super Bowl Soulful Celebration/Front Page Firm
Christmas this year is bound to sound a lot better with release of never before heard recordings and alternate takes of The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” A few weeks ago, news broke that the iconic Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas Charlie Brown specials wouldn’t be airing on network television, this year. Instead, you can watch them exclusively on Apple TV+. Still, with the release of this Super Deluxe Edition of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” music lovers have a chance to go inside the creative process that netted one of the most iconic Christmas AND jazz albums of our time. Now, music lovers everywhere can celebrate this album with 80 tracks of Guaraldi genius on LP’s, CD’s or digital downloads.
The iconic recording has influenced numerous covers, none more popular than the enduring Christmas carol, “Christmas Time Is Here.” Cyrus Chestnut’s 2000 replication of the album lionized the album and contemporized much of the flavor and flare of Vince Guaraldi’s incredible stylings. Each holiday season, the sounds of this album fill the air in some way, whether as background music in an ad, or to herald the season and command warm feelings with “Christmas Time Is Here.” Read more about once in a lifetime release in the press release provided by Craft Recordings.
“Consider this a ringside seat—a place of honor, watching and listening from the recording engineer’s booth—as the individual songs for this historic album were fine-tuned and ultimately laid down.”
Derrick Bang
CRAFT RECORDINGS ANNOUNCES DEFINITIVE, SUPER DELUXE EDITION OFA CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS FEATURING HOURS OF NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD RECORDINGS FROM THE VINCE GUARALDI TRIO
Recently certified 5x platinum by the RIAA, the newly mixed holiday classic will be available in a variety of special editions, while the original mix gets an annual refresh of colorful vinyl exclusivesSuper Deluxe 80-track digital collection and Deluxe Edition 2-LP set available now.
Deluxe Edition CD to release on November 4th with Super Deluxe 4-CD/1-Blu-ray audio box set coming December 2nd.
Craft Recordings proudly announces a definitive, bonus-filled edition of Vince Guaraldi’s timeless score from the beloved, 1965 animated PEANUTS® special, A Charlie Brown Christmas,from Charles Schulz and Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez. While the album has remained a holiday staple for nearly 60 years (not to mention the best-selling jazz album of all time, alongside Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, after earning 5x platinum certification by the RIAA in May), this latest edition showcases Guaraldi’s creative process like never before, thanks to hours of newly unearthed session tapes from Fantasy Records’ vaults. Now, fans can experience cues like “Christmas Time Is Here,” “O Tannenbaum,” and “Skating” as they take shape in the studio through dozens of previously unreleased alternate tracks.
In addition, the original 11-track album has been upgraded with a new stereo mix from the original two- and three-track sources by the GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer, Paul Blakemore. Both the new mix and original mix can be found along with hours of unreleased material on the Super Deluxe Edition(available as a 4-CD/1-Blu-ray Audio collection box set or as an 80-track digital release). The new stereo mix will also be available alongside a selection of thirteen studio outtakes on a Deluxe Edition2-LP or CD. The Super Deluxe 80-track digital collection and Deluxe Edition 2-LP are now available. The Deluxe Edition CD hits stores on November 4th with theSuper Deluxe 4-CD/1-Blu-ray audio box set coming December 2nd.
For those who prefer the classic mix, the perennial 1965 version of the album will come housed in a striking, embossed gold foil jacket for 2022, while a variety of collectible colored vinyl variants can be found exclusively at select retailers. Plus, a limited edition LP (750 copies), pressed on “Skating Pond” wax, is available exclusively at CraftRecordings.com. All gold foil versions are available now.
The Super Deluxe Edition offers fans an unparalleled deep dive into all aspects of A Charlie Brown Christmas—placing listeners in the studio as the musicians work through their arrangements. Disc one features the new stereo mix of the album, plus the original remastered 1965 mix, while disc two through four offer more than 50 never-before-heard outtakes from five recording sessions, as Guaraldi and his bandmates craft cues like “Christmas Is Coming” and “Skating.” Disc five delivers the new stereo mix in hi-resolution audio, as well as Dolby Atmos® on Blu-ray audio.
Housed in a hardcover book, the collection guides fans through the entire recording process, thanks to new, in-depth liner notes by Derrick Bang—a PEANUTS® historian and author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano (McFarland & Company). Rounding out the package is a special message from the family of Lee Mendelson, the late Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning producer and co-creator of the PEANUTS® animated specials. Condensed liner notes are also included in the CD and 2-LPDeluxe Editions, which feature the 2022 stereo mix of the album, plus 13 highlights from the outtakes (see track lists below).
When A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired on December 9, 1965, no one expected just how monumental the half-hour animated special would be. While based on Charles M. Schulz’s immensely popular PEANUTS® comic strip, TV executives were wary of the unconventional format, which featured the voices of child actors, a jazz score, and no laugh track—all unprecedented for the era. Their worries, however, proved to be unfounded. Not only did the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning special capture nearly half of America’s TV audience that night, but it would quickly become an essential holiday classic and launch one of the 20th century’s most popular franchises.
It all began in 1964, when producer Lee Mendelson set out to make a TV documentary titled A Boy Named Charlie Brown about Charles Schulz and his beloved comic strip. To score the film, he hired Vince Guaraldi—a fast-rising Bay Area jazz artist—best known at the time for his GRAMMY®-winning instrumental crossover hit, “Cast Your Fate to the Wind.” Although the documentary never made it to the airwaves, Mendelson was struck by Guaraldi’s sophisticated work. When A Charlie Brown Christmas was greenlit one year later, he sought out the musician once again, marking the beginning of a long and successful creative partnership.
Yet, while many fans of Guaraldi and PEANUTS® are well acquainted with the history of the special, the story of how the music was actually made has never been told, until now. Thanks to the dialogue captured on these session tapes, Guaraldi’s creative process—as he worked alongside Mendelson and director Bill Melendez to craft the festive score—finally comes to light.
“The wealth of music captured in these half-dozen sessions is—in a word—amazing,” marvels Derrick Bang in his liner notes. “It’s also fascinating to observe how a given tune evolves, over the course of the six weeks these sessions took place, from September 17 through October 28, 1965…. Along the way, you’ll hear all manner of false starts, initially terrific takes that collapse when Guaraldi fluffs a few notes, and outré experiments that sound almost nothing like what we know today.” He continues, “Consider this a ringside seat—a place of honor, watching and listening from the recording engineer’s booth—as the individual songs for this historic album were fine-tuned and ultimately laid down.”
The five sessions featured in the Super Deluxe box set (captured at the Bay Area’s Fantasy Studios and Studio 16, as well as Southern California’s Whitney Recording Studio) are presented in their entirety, including blown takes and cross-chatter between the members of Guaraldi’s trio (bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Colin Bailey for many of them, as well as bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli for others).
Among the highlights are 18 takes of “Christmas Is Coming,” a lively, bossa nova-influenced tune that took longer than others to take shape, as Guaraldi struggled to find a conclusion to the song and experimented with instrumentation and stylistic choices. Another selection, “Skating,” transforms over ten takes. The trio can be heard playing around with a series of energetic keyboard and drum bridges, which, Bang writes, are “marvelous from a jazz standpoint, but definitely too aggressive for the scene this tune is intended to back.”
Listeners will also hear Guaraldi putting his own touch on traditional fare, like “Greensleeves” and “O Tannenbaum.” Bang points out that one of the latter song’s outtakes actually appeared in the animated special, “immediately after Linus tells us ‘what Christmas is all about,’ as Charlie Brown exits the school theater carrying his forlorn little tree.” An outtake of “Linus and Lucy,” which became the instantly recognizable PEANUTS® theme, finds Guaraldi taking a fresh approach with the tune, which was first released in 1964 on Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown. It was this earlier version, however, that ultimately appeared on A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Another favorite is “Christmas Time Is Here” which is presented on the original album in both instrumental and vocal versions. Initially, the song was written as an instrumental cue. But when Mendelson saw the opening sequence paired with the music, it seemed like something was missing. “I felt we should get some lyrics, and some voices,” Mendelson told Bang. “We couldn’t find anybody to write the lyrics, and I called all my Hollywood friends who were songwriters. But nobody took the assignment, so I sat down, and in about 10 minutes wrote the words to ‘Christmas Time Is Here’ on an envelope.”
Guaraldi enlisted young singers from San Rafael’s St. Paul’s Church Choir to perform the song (the children also served as stand-ins for the PEANUTS® gang as they sang “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.”) Several of these singers shared their memories with Bang, including Dan Bernhard. “Vince and Lee wanted kids who sounded like kids,” he explained. “They used a version of ‘Hark, the Herald Angels Sing’ that was slightly out of tune, and [St. Paul’s Choir director Barry Mineah] threw a fit. But Vince and Lee used that one on purpose; we did a whole bunch of takes that were perfect, but they didn’t want those.”
Of course, it’s all of these imperfections that make the score to A Charlie Brown Christmas so…perfect. More than half a century later, new generations continue to fall in love with the holiday special and its enduring music, while year over year, the album remains one of the top-selling holiday and jazz albums. Remarkably, in 2021, A Charlie Brown Christmas reached its highest spot ever on the Billboard 200, landing at No. 6—56 years after its release. Among other honors, the multi-platinum soundtrack has been inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame and was added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.
Musician extraordinaire, pioneering mind in the multimedia, and CEO of The CDUB Brand, Carlton Whitfield, proudly announces the acquisition of two major apps for musicians. Created by Thomas Hanes, Piano ClubHouse and Organ Clubhouse teach aspiring musicians organ and piano proficiency through app based learning. When asked what motivated this purchase, Whitfield states “it’s a huge part of who I am.” He praised the respective learning platforms as “one of the first platforms where I got my start as an instructor.” Whitfield has contributed numerous lessons to the library of the nearly 500 instructional videos available. “It fits perfectly into the plan of where I’m taking my CDUB Brand.” Under the CDUB Brand, Whitfield leads the industry in offering modern ministries the full worship experience, without the need of a full 7-piece band. Loops By CDUB puts fully backed performances of the industry’s most-performed worship songs at users’ fingertips. The ease of use has made the app a favorite among most and a necessity for many, alleviating the strain regularly faced by many smaller ministries. The apps are available through the IOS and Google Play app stores. The CDUB brand is synonymous with solution based app programming. With the explosions of “Whoop Triggers” pastors who regularly closed their sermons with the backing of a band found help and hallelujah with the app that allows users to experience the accompany of percussive hits that help punctuate the celebration section of a sermon.
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With its latest acquisition, the CDUB brand is quickly becoming a leader in the mobile learning market. Though Gospel music appeals to many demographics, learning platforms of the genre and its nuanced playing styles remain scarce. The CDUB brand looks to change that by adding Piano Clubhouse and Gospel Clubhouse to its cadre of music technology solutions.
The cover of Bernard Wright’s 1981 debut album, ‘Nard
There are some people whose presence in the world makes it a better place. The sun shines brighter, we breathe easier, and pleasantries are easier to come by. Though we may be unaware of their whereabouts, knowing that these people are yet with us makes life a little easier. Then as with everyone we love, eternity comes calling for them leaving only memories and feelings. With the passing of great people, we’re left with the influence of their art, their words, music, and ingenuity. You don’t have to have known Bernard Wright to know the scope of his influence. The sounds of Jazz, gospel, Neo-Soul, R&B, and Pop have all been influenced by the magic of Mr. Wright.
The industry may have relegated him to a bygone era of music only as good as its latest sample clearance or that Roberta Flack is his godmother, but he was much more than that. With the passing of Bernard Wright, the world is left with his mark of indelible, unparalleled genius. I never met the wunderkind, but I know hundreds, nay thousands of men and women inspired by his unmatched greatness. There are many more whose music has become the soundtrack of my life.
Over the years, I heard my friends describe him as quirky and heady. There was always some talk of him being out of this world musically and otherwise, but to have known Bernard Wright and to answer the question posed in his 1985 smash, “Who Do You Love?”, musicians, singers, music lovers, and everyday people loved the man, the musician, the muse, and the mystery known to the world as Bernard Wright and to friends, family and those under his influence as ‘Nard.
Please keep the Wright family in your prayers as they process the untimely death of a husband, father, friend and so much more. We will share service details as they are made available.
Soul music boasts a number of world class singers and songwriters. In a way, the architects of the current sound are nothing like the superstars of the past, but the swagger, style and sophistication remains. Newcomer Brad Keaton seeks to add his own signature to the influx of new voices in the genre with his new release, “Anomaly“, this Friday. From his lyrics to his style, and singing, Keaton is out to prove he’s no anomaly but belongs in conversations about the future of soul.
Keaton has shared a bevy of Soul and R&B covers on Youtube, but seeks to make his own way and chart his own course with his new music. The Indianapolis native now lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina and touches all the sonic textures between. His comfort belting out a powerful country ballad is equalled by smooth soulful tones and his range was celebrated in the release of “Wrong Way” from his 2019 EP, “Full Circle“. The single debuted #4 on Billboard “Heatseekers – South Atlantic” Charts. Keaton hopes to build on the increase in airplay and notoriety with his new release and shares that it’s a heartfelt message he wants to share with the world.
My Upcoming Single “Anomaly” when one day I realized that in our culture, relationships that last for a lifetime are extremely rare. I really wanted to celebrate how impressive it is when couples can stick it out through it all and stay together. My wife and I got married with the expectation of being together for life and, we just celebrated 15 years of marriage in June. This is a mental space that I often write from, as I feel that marriage is meant to be for life, and can be.
My wife Shemila is my everything, including my sounding board and first audience for all my songs. I bounce all of my songs off her before moving forward with them. This particular song started with a guitar lick that a producer friend sent me because he thought it sounded like something I could do something with. The song was near completion when I sang it for my wife. She told me that it was too vague and needed better storytelling. So, I went back to the drawing board and dug deep enough to craft the story and write a single to write a single that I’m proud of and very excited to share with the world. This is somewhat a newer sound for me, but I think it will be well received so I’m anticipating the response from listeners.
Keaton’s release “Anomaly” will be available on all digital outlets when it releases this Friday, August 13th.
HBCU Marching Bands & Historic Speeches By Martin Luther King & Barack Obama Featured on Powerful Music Video for “Can You Feel It – The Jacksons X MLK” Remix
Epic Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, announce the release today of the powerful music video featuring footage of HBCU marching bands together with images of noted black leaders set to an edited version of the recently released “Can You Feel It – The Jacksons X MLK” remix which features a roaring drum line and excerpts of speeches by the late Martin Luther King and Barack Obama’s first inauguration speech.
Photo Credit: Allan Olley
Also dropping today is a “Can You Feel It” Remix EP featuring a brand new remix by GRAMMY® award-winning musician Robert Glasper. The EP will also include the edited version of “Can You Feel It – The Jacksons X MLK,” the soundtrack to the music video out today, and an edited version of the Kirk Franklin Remix featuring Tamela Mann, the soundtrack to the music video for that track released simultanteously with the Triumph reissue last month.
The third single from the Triumph album, “Can You Feel It” hit #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Charts following its release in March 1981. Written and arranged by Michael Jackson and Jackie Jackson, the track was produced by The Jacksons and features lead vocals by Michael and Randy Jackson accompanied by gospel choirs.
The new “Can You Feel It – The Jacksons X MLK” remix music video and the “Can You Feel It” remix EP follow the recent re-release of the entire Jacksons catalog. The Triumph re-release debuted three new remixes of The Jacksons’ “Can You Feel It”: The Jacksons X MLK, Kirk Franklin Remix featuring Tamela Mann and The Island Remix featuring David Sanborn.
A 2 LP 12″ vinyl edition of The Jacksons Live! (recorded during their 1981 North American Triumph Tour) was released on Friday, March 26. American writer and music journalist Alan Light penned a new Jacksons essay featured on Medium here.
