Yolanda Adams
With Yolanda Adams performing on the maiden voyage of The Gospel Music Cruise, audiences can expect nothing short of a spiritual renaissance from one of the most popular voices in the genre. With joy at its core, Yolanda’s uplifting and universally appealing music is the result of a childhood singing in the church choir and exposure to a variety artists studied by her mother, including gospel legends James Cleveland and the Edwin Hawkins Singers, jazz icon Nancy Wilson and pop/R&B great Stevie Wonder. Since making her recording debut in 1987, Yolanda’s amassed an exhaustive list of accolades, including but not limited to Grammy® Awards, American Music Award, Stellar Awards and Soul Train Music Awards. Her 2000 release, the gold-certified “Mountain High … Valley Low,” gave rise to the successful “Sisters in the Spirit” tour. Discovered while working as an elementary school teacher in her hometown of Houston, Texas, Yolanda still devotes much of her time to children through her Voice Of An Angel Foundation, which focuses on mentoring high school students nationwide in order to help them find a career in education, as well as the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that kids in low-income areas receive immunizations.
Tye Tribbett
Coined “The Elvis of Gospel,” Tye Tribbett is at the forefront of efforts to bring gospel music into the mainstream, but he’ll take it to the high seas first as part of the stellar lineup of The Gospel Music Cruise 2016. Glorifying God through music, the energetic performer’s most recent album, “Greater Than,” rose to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Gospel chart and earned two Grammy® Awards in 2014. Over the course of his career, he’s won an additional two Stellar Awards and one Dove Award. The son of a pastor and minister, Tye got his start as Tye Tribbett & G.A. (short for Greater Annointing). The charismatic group recorded four albums; sang background for Gloria Estefan, LeAnn Rimes, Elton John, Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder; and collaborated with notables including Faith Hill, Sting, Justin Timberlake, India Arie, Common, Will Smith and Mary J. Blige. Though G.A. disbanded in 2009, Tye continues to break ground in contemporary gospel music.
Take 6
With a fan base boasting the likes of Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson and the late Whitney Houston, a cappella torchbearers Take 6 will undoubtedly bring Guests to their feet on The Gospel Music Cruise 2016. Since securing two Grammy® Awards and Top 10 spots on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz and Contemporary Christian charts with their self-titled debut CD in 1988, the group’s spent nearly three decades wowing audiences with impressive renditions of gospel, jazz, R&B and pop songs. Their innovative arrangements include crystal clear harmonies, syncopated rhythms and funky grooves that have set the standard for a cappella performance and earned them more awards than any other vocal group in music history – 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards and a Soul Train Award among them. Originated in 1980 among classmates at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama, Take 6 consists of Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley.
Take 6 - People Get Ready