SummerStage: Hezekiah Walker and Friends / Vashawn Mitchell / Le�Andria Johnson / James Fortune & F.I.Y.A.

For over 25 years, Bishop Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir have spread the Gospel of Jesus to a variety of audiences, changing the lives of many around the world. They have performed and recorded with several major secular artists, including Celine Dion, Ray Charles, Brian McKnight, Justin Timberlake, Enrique Iglesias, Brandy and Baby Face to name a few. Walker and the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir have received numerous Grammy nominations for their fifteen critically acclaimed albums, including their wins for Live in Atlanta at Morehouse College and for Love is Live. With their nomination for the NAACP Image Award for Best Gospel Artist, Walker and the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir have further cemented themselves as a power player in the Gospel music world.

Chicago native VaShawn Mitchell has made noteworthy contributions to the Gospel music scene that have defined and impacted churches and gospel communities nationwide. A noted songwriter and worship leader, his songs have been recorded by Gospel’s most celebrated artists, including Smokie Norful, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and Bishop Paul Morton. On his Grammy nominated album Triumphant, he incorporates pop and rock sounds with a traditional gospel vibe that has thrilled audiences. Mitchell was inspired after connecting with people who have faced immense hardships, and many of his songs on Triumphant “express empathy as his voice implores, and embodies, optimism,” according to The Chicago Tribune.

Le’Andria Johnson’s voice has taken the gospel music scene by storm since her debut in 2010. Catapulted into the spotlight by winning the third season of BET’s Sunday, this singer/songwriter’s journey has been on an upward spiral to the top. With her debut CD spending eight weeks at #1 on Billboard’s “Top Gospel Albums” chart, Johnson’s influence on the gospel music of today is undeniable. With her passionate vocals, she won her first GRAMMY® in 2011 for “Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music.” Johnson’s live performance stuns audiences, leaving them breathless and begging for more.

Stellar Award winner James Fortune & F.I.Y.A. set the world ablaze with their breakthrough debut album, You Survived and the lead single of the same name hit #2 on the R&B Gospel singles chart. Fortune amassed worldwide recognition in 2009 with the award winning emotionally charged song, “I Trust You” off of the sophomore release, The Transformation. A dynamic songwriter, producer and arranger, Fortune delivers a timeless message, that has earned him two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Awards and several Soul Train and Stellar nominations. His 2012 release, Identity debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Gospel and Christian charts and is a powerful collection of soul-stirring songs of encouragement, hope and healing that speaks into the hearts of the religious and agnostic alike.

Event website: http://www.lovefellowship.com