By Leilani Roberts Ott
The Gloryland Pastor’s Choir will be making its national debut on “The Bobby Jones Gospel Show” on BET on April 4, but you can hear them here first on Sunday.
Pastor Cedric Hayes is bringing his choir from Little Rock, Ark., to Muskogee for the Dr. Martin Luther King Gospel Fest.
The event, planned to coincide with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, will be at 4 p.m. Sunday at Muskogee Civic Center.
“They are young gospel singers loving God, serving humanity and having fun doing it,” Hayes said.
Cassandra Gaines, civic center director, is excited about the group’s return to Muskogee. The Pastor’s Choir performed traditional and contemporary Christian songs last summer at The Roxy theater.
“They are awesome,” Gaines said.
The concert is the third event Gaines has planned for the Civic Center this weekend. The Soul Food Cook-off Cook’s Party is at 7 p.m. today featuring Wanda Watson and Starr Fisher and their bands. Cost is $10 for that show. The cookoff is from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday and costs $7 to taste different dishes.
The gospel fest Sunday is free. Gaines said she hopes a lot of youth will come to hear The Gloryland Pastor’s Choir.
“I’ve seen them perform twice in Tulsa and here at The Roxy,” said Vanessa Fisher, a volunteer at the civic center and mother of entertainer Starr Fisher. “They are very charismatic. Their sound blends. They are uniformed. It’s a sensational group of young people.”
Hayes said he is bringing about 50 students.
“We are extremely excited,” he said. “When I told the choir we were coming back to Muskogee, they cheered. We were told some churches are canceling evening services to be there.”
The choir is comprised of youth from various churches and even some who hadn’t really attended church until they became a part of this choir. They come from various cities. Hayes is pastor of the Gloryland Family Fellowship Church with three locations in Arkansas. They have performed in Texas, Louisiana, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Washington.
“This is the beginning of our season of traveling,” Hayes said. “This is our first city. Last year we did about 30 cities from Houston to Tulsa to St. Louis.”
Becoming a part of this choir has had a positive effect on them in many ways, even academically. Hayes works with the parents and teachers of the youth.
The musicians are as young as 10. They don’t just sing, they also have other arts as part of the performance — dance, sign language, pantomime and puppet shows.
They have shared the stage with artists such as Darius Brooks and The Tommies Reunion Choir, Ricky Dillard, Jimmy Hicks, James Fortune, Ben Tankard, Kirk Franklin, Kurt Carr and opened for Vickie Winans and Dottie Peoples.
They have performed at the Alltel Arena as part of the Harlem Globetrotters World Tour. They have won three major choir competitions in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma.
“This choir is doing so much to enhance the overall betterment of young people today, and to let youth all over our country know that there are many youth who are living saved today,” Hayes said.
Reach Leilani Roberts Ott at 684-2908 or lott@muskogeephoenix.com.
If you go
WHAT: Dr. Martin Luther King Gospel Fest.
SPECIAL GUESTS: The Gloryland Pastor’s Choir from Little Rock, Ark.; Timothy Baptist Choir; Total Praise Choir; Faith Deliverance Choir; New Testament Gospel Choir; and Bacone College Choir.
WHEN: 4 p.m. Sunday.
WHERE: Muskogee Civic Center
INFORMATION: 684-6363 or www.myspace.com/glorylandpastorschoir.
MLK weekend events
• SOUL FOOD COOK-OFF COOK’S PARTY, 7 p.m. Friday, Muskogee Civic Center. Cost: $10 per person and includes a catfish or barbecue dinner. Live music provided by Wanda Watson, Star Fisher and Phase III. Information: 684-6363.
• DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING SOUL FOOD COOK-OFF, 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Muskogee Civic Center. Sample everything from homemade yeast rolls to collard greens and black-eyed peas. Admission: $8. Information: Cassandra Gaines, 684-6363.
• DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING GOSPEL FEST, 4 p.m. Sunday, Muskogee Civic Center. It’s free. Special guests: The Gloryland Pastor’s Choir from Little Rock, Ark.; Timothy Baptist Choir; Total Praise Choir; Faith Deliverance Choir; and New Testament Gospel Choir. Information: 684-6363.
• MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY PARADE, hosted by the Muskogee NAACP Branch, 2 p.m. Monday. Line up starts at 1 p.m. Parade route will proceed up Martin Luther King Street from North 11th Street to North Sixth Street and will end at the Loving Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 622 N. Sixth St. Parade theme: “Making King Day Count.” Grand marshal will be Herman Barrett, longtime educator, church leader and 20-year officer with the Muskogee NAACP Branch. There is no entry fee. There also will be car show with trophies awarded. Information or to register: The Rev. Roscoe Beasley, 360-2869; the Rev. Lester Beasley, 816-0901; or Derrick A. Reed, 856-1683.
