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
Today, Kirk Franklin released a blockbuster short film revealing the dark truth of his paternity entitled, “Father’s Day: A Kirk Franklin Story. In the film, Franklin is not a top selling, platinum certified arena filling artist. He’s a man in search of himself. “Where did I come from?” and “Who am I?” are questions that bring men to their an early end when unanswered. Kirk Franklin, the man accused of not only taking gospel music “too far but further than ever imagined lays bare the soul shattering pain of an unresolved paternity search.
Simultaneously, the film chronicles his journey of completing his 13th album while also coming to terms with the painful truth of his identity and paternity. At one point, the search for truth preempts recording as he traces the whispers from Riverside to nearby in Arlington to find the man he can safely call his father. Through a series of fateful events, Kirk Franklin discovers that the man he knew as his father was not and that there may be some truth to the rumors circulating throughout Fort Worth and the “Riverside” community. These rumors asserted that the man we would all come to later know as Rick Hubbard may be his father.
Mr. Hubbard proactively took a paternity test and sent the results to Franklin who then took a paternity test to match against Hubbard’s. The test confirmed paternity but brought more questions than closure. Franklin then discovered another barrier to understanding was trying to resolve his strained relationship with his mother. She was in no mood to make the situation better and remained defiant in denial of the results.
Kirk Franklin has been very transparent about his paternity journey and this short film takes us the deepest into the heart and mind of one of the world’s most electrifying entertainers in any genre. With “Losing My Religion,” Franklin revisited his catalog and journey through “Twenty Years in One Night” and an unmatched amalgam of world-class talent. With “Father’s Day” Franklin’s 13th album, he punctuates the parasitical identity crisis that has been a part of his 30 year journey, woven into each lyric, phase and phrase.
“Father’s Day” as an album and short film both matter because sonship matters to Kirk Franklin and it always has. Unlike many men who have compartmentalized the existential crisis created by paternal absenteeism, Kirk’s transparency reveals the innate desire of sons for their fathers and the deep pain experienced because the desire never truly goes away. Not even when you have spiritual fathers who fill in the gap like Dr. Tony Evans. I’ll never forget watching Kirk literally sitting at Dr. Evans’ feet asking questions and inquiring about subjects later addressed in “Losing My Religion.”
Kirk Franklin performs in Dallas during his “Twenty Years in One Night” concert. Franklin combined 20 years of hits in one concert tour, performing with an incredible lineup of singers and musicians. Photo Credit: Fred Willis, SoulProsper Media Group
Reflecting on the aftermath of meeting his father, Kirk says, “He didn’t even know he had a son and I didn’t even know I had a father.” He went on to say, “I was that close to having a daddy. I wanted a daddy so bad!” Franklin discovered that his father lives close to his studio and that his youngest son played with one of his neighbors at a nearby house.
This ordeal wouldn’t be complete without meeting with his mother, so through his aunt Sandra, he met with his estranged mother, Debra for the first time in 23 years. Unfortunately, closure wasn’t gained and he made a painful decision in the wake of their second meeting which included both his mother and father. The harsh reality of Kirk Franklin’s story is that he spent majority of his life without either parent, though both of them were alive and never truly far from him, at all. He said of this endeavor, “I don’t want anybody being able to have a conversation about this except for me.” If you’ve ever been the subject of questionable paternity, you know exactly what he means by that.
Regardless of your station in life, you’re never more than the reduction of an illegitimate child when you’re the topic of those clandestine conversations. Knowing this, it’s no wonder that you become as he stated, “...indoctrinated in trauma that you become institutionalized in your trauma.“
While closing one chapter, there was yet another to bring closure to. Franklin’s strained relationship with his oldest son, Kerrion was also brought to a resolution in this short film. After two years, the two men not only loved on each other but relished the revelation that changed everything about their relationship. Tearfully, Kerrion confessed that “this is the only thing that I need that’s been missing from my life. There’s nothing I ask God for every single day I wake up. I have everything I want except you and my grandfather.”
Father’s Day on the calendar has passed, but October 6, 2023 is a day many will be looking forward to as Kirk Franklin tackles sonship from a new, possibly healed perspective. After watching “Father’s Day: A Kirk Franklin Story,” what are your thoughts? Do you think this will convince men and women to reach out to their estranged fathers and mothers or for them to finally accept the children they’ve denied for years?Watch and share your feedback with us.
AT&T Dream in Black’s signature program, Black Future Makers, has returned with the unveiling of its 2022 inductees and a month-long program highlighting their continued commitment to economic empowerment in the Black community. Now in its fourth year, this celebration recognizes future-forward Black luminaries, including powerhouse musicians John Legend and Kirk Franklin, who are shaping culture, advocating for equity and creating pathways for the next generation of Black achievers. Throughout the month, AT&T is also shining a national spotlight on emerging artists and others to help them attain their wildest dreams.
“At AT&T, we believe that access opens the door to opportunities that help create equality for all,” says Corey Anthony, SVP, Chief Diversity and Development Officer, AT&T. “That is why we will continue to invest in programs like Black Future Makers, that honor and elevate this community to support them in reaching their full potential.”
Central to the campaign is a free, public art exhibition that opened on February 1st at the AT&T Showcase in Dallas, featuring the visionary work of muralist and Black Future Maker Artist in Residence Georgie Nakima. Also featured this month will be the work of others in the Black small business community, including LA-based visionary filmmakers Chris and Bevin Scholar, and award-winning fashion entrepreneur Damien Lloyd. Their inspirational celebrity video portraits will be on display in AT&T retail stores across the country.
Featured in video portraits inspired by Nakima’s art are 2022 honorees such as award-winning actress and author Meagan Good, musicians Tobe Nwigwe and VINCINT along with Youtuber Terrell Grice. AT&T has and will continue to reveal inspiring static and video portraits of several Black Future Makers every week in February on AT&T’s IG and att.com/dreaminblack.
In keeping with AT&T’s commitment to champion the ideals of economic empowerment and access to opportunity, Nakima’s commissioned work consists of original portraits capturing the campaign’s Black Future Makers in her organic, afro-futuristic style. The solo exhibition, Georgie Nakima: “To the Constellations of Ancestors in Our Bones, Thank You,” presents recent works by the artist in mixed media. It will be on display until March 31, 2022.
“The gravity of collaborating with AT&T as a Black Future Maker has been deeply humbling and empowering,” said Nakima. “As an artist, I’ve committed my career to championing and uplifting voices of the diaspora with colorful and restorative imagery. I’m incredibly grateful to AT&T for using its platform to continue bringing this work to light. It is an honor and dream to host this retrospective exhibit of my life’s work while celebrating the beauty and growth of our community and generation.”
Earlier this week, Kirk Franklin officially announced his intention to boycott the Gospel Music Association and the Trinity Broadcast Network “until tangible plans are put in place to protect and champion diversity, especially where people of color have contributed their gifts, talents and finances to help build the viability of these institutions.“ This comes on the heels of a portion of his speech being edited out for the Dove Awards telecast. While support is pouring in for one of gospel music’s most decorated artists, there are many who oppose the boycott and wish to proceed without any interruption of fellowship.
Truthfully, we all want to
continue without disruption of fellowship, but we also cannot disregard the gift
of disruption when sent from God Himself. What is this disruption? It is the
shining of a light on one of the darkest segmentations of the body of Christ,
racists. Not every racial offense is bred from hatred. Sometimes the culprit is
cognitive dissonance, and other times it’s unconscious bias. However, when willful
acts are committed, immediate redress must be given. Many seeking to dismiss
Franklin’s boycott as an overreaction or misunderstanding of simple editing for
television don’t understand the depth of the issue Franklin and so many others take
issue with.
While the gospel and contemporary Christian music communities seek to find a resolution, First Baptist Church in Naples, Florida is grappling with its own lack of racial dexterity. In a letter to the congregation, the Pastoral Staff lamented that “through social media, texting, phone calls, and emails, racial prejudice was introduced into our voting process.” In the aftermath of this rancor caused by racism, the church must decide how to proceed, albeit without a new Pastor. The vote for Pastor Marcus Hayes’ appointment to the Naples church was all but a formality, until certain members initiated a campaign to block him. The percentage needed was 85%, but the vote fell short at 81%.
What this shows us is that racial disparity is still prevalent in our church. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that “it is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is 11 o’clock on Sunday morning” and that remains true. In its expanded form, 8 am, 9am, 9:30 am, 10 am, 10:30, and noon on Sundays also fit that narrative. These segregated Sundays and services become segregated radio station, television stations, political parties and even award shows. Though the church and bride of Christ are established, and the gates of hell won’t prevail against it, there is much to be said about a segregated bride. As Jesus said in response to those that called him the devil, a kingdom divided against itself won’t stand. There is no way to serve a segregated savior and to think that it pleases the Lord to have His people divided is falls way short of any scriptural interpretation.
The Southern Baptist Convention has long grappled with race issues and many of its stalwart leaders were stern segregationists, promulgating the curse of Ham and were the last to acquiesce to integration and civil rights for blacks in America. The residue remains though in a 1995 resolution the convention denounced racism, in all its forms, as deplorable sin.
This didn’t stop the practices from flowing in the undercurrent of American Baptists, and in 2017 when Pastor Dwight McKissic introduced a resolution to denounce white supremacy, it was met with consternation and shifted the meeting into utter chaos. The concession? A revised statement against the alt-right, seemingly bolstered by rhetoric from President Donald Trump.
Whether sitting at church or
at Lipscomb University at the Dove Awards, the tension is there, though it may
not be as pronounced as in other places. Racial tension is embedded in the
fabric of the identity of the United States of America. While the freedom
fighters fought for their freedom from British rule, they did so with the help of
their captive, enslaved laborers. The war of 1812 was won due to the force and
ingenuity of enslaved Africans. The constitutional right that guaranteed freedom
and liberty excluded the abductees, their families and for centuries, any semblance
of their heritage throughout the country they worked to build.
So, what now? We’ve enjoyed
freedoms and even unbridled fellowship with other races in America, what’s
keeping God’s children in America from achieving the level of fellowship
outlined in the bible? What are we to do when our brother needs to be corrected?
I take this example from the Apostle Paul that I want to share with you. In
Galatians Chapter 2, Paul recounts his face to face rebuke of the Apostle
Peter. Peter was not in fellowship with the grace that had been made available
to he, Paul and other believers and at that moment, Paul took immediate issue
with him.
In Galatians 2:18 Paul says
to Peter: “For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a
transgressor.”
For each step toward racial
reconciliation taken, there are multiple steps taken backward. We can’t
continue this vacillation and expect to achieve racial harmony. As we work toward
racial reconciliation, there must be and will be difficult conversations ahead.
The sin of slavery is not one Christians should shy away from. The Apostle Paul
begs the question in Romans 6:21 “what fruit had ye in those things whereof
ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.” Either white American
Christians are yet partaking in the fruit of slavery or they are not yet fully ashamed.
Either way, we are assured that “the wages of sin (even the sin of slavery
and racism) is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Whether achieved through a
boycott, disfellowship of members causing dissension or a miracle of biblical
proportion, the time is now to get serious about racial reconciliation. As I
close, I want to remind you that in the Kingdom of God, “There is neither Jew
nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for
ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
Last Sunday, the Dove Awards aired on TBN and at one of the most poignant moments of the broadcast, the gospel community realized that something was awry. When Kirk Franklin graced the stage to accept his award for Gospel Artist of the Year, a portion of his acceptance speech was edited out. Franklin called again for reconciliation and prayers for the family of Fort Worth resident Atatiana Jefferson and Aaron Dean, the former Fort Worth Police Officer who killed her, now facing charges in her death. The omission in the broadcast rankled many viewers, local supporters and the gospel community at large, namely Phil Thornton, SVP of RCA Inspiration, the label Franklin records on.
Franklin’s announcement of a boycott is right out of the playbook of the civil rights movement. Not until black dollars and participation were lost, did many of these companies championing the oppressive Jim Crow laws and lifestyle realize just how much they depended on the black community they regarded as second class customers and citizens. Using the full heft of his influence, Franklin is a hometown hero-calling into accountability the long-standing practices of unconscious bias in Christian institutions like the Gospel Music Association and the world’s largest Christian television network, the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
The Dove Awards added the speech in its entirety later last week on its YouTube channel. According the Gospel Music Association, all acceptance speeches were cut short and Franklin’s was no different. As Thornton said, the edit was not the issue, the content was. When artists at the zenith of the spectrum speak truth to power, it is then incumbent upon the hearers to respond. Whether the response is for or against action is never promised, however the onus remains. In the wake of this fallout, Franklin has decided to boycott both the Trinity Broadcasting Network and the Gospel Music Association until “tangible plans are put in place to protect and champion diversity, especially where people of color have contributed their gifts, talents and finances to help build the viability of these institutions.“
The Dove Awards has done a much better job to include the black gospel community with even a new gospel worship category, this year. The Dove Awards I hasn’t shunned political action because one of their sponsors is My Faith Votes. Why was Kirk Franklin’s speech edited? It couldn’t be that it was political. I think that the call for justice falls into the category of white noise (static), bolstered by cognitive dissonance. This problem persists because we have remained in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ who have not been touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
I am aware that the word “boycott” often has a negative connotation and finality to it, but my goal will forever be reconciliation as well as accountability. It is important for those in charge to be informed; not only did they edit my speech, they edited the African-American experience. I’m not asking those in the gospel community to follow my decision. No, this is my personal choice to take a stand and hold responsible those in a position of power to acknowledge the issues in our separate communities that have existed from colonialism to Jim Crow. To many of the issues facing us today I pray that there will be a significant change from this hurtful experience. I look with anticipation for that day of healing and I’m committed to contributing to that process. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
You can watch it here. Additionally, all of our winners have received their full acceptance speeches to post and share on their platforms as desired. In recent years, we have worked hard to ensure that The Dove Awards stage is a platform that promotes unity and celebrates God’s diverse Kingdom.
