Star-Studded Gospel Celebration Kicks Off Super Bowl LI
CBN Sports Reporter Shawn Brown spoke with some of Gospel's biggest names. Click play to watch.
Super Bowl LI is set to kick off on Sunday, February 5, but NFL players joined together to take part in the organization's Super Bowl Gospel Celebration.
Click play to watch the player's performance on "Fox and Friends."
The 18th annual music celebration held at Lakewood Church in Houston featured gospel singer and songwriter Tamela Mann, rapper Lecrae, Houston native Yolanda Adams, and Grammy award-winning artist CeCe Winans.
For the first time since its inception the gospel event will be televised. It is set to air on BET at 11 a.m.
"All of us, the majority of the world, loves sports. If we don't come together for nothing else it's for sports and I think it is so great for BET and for us all to put the faith in it. You know the gospel music thing in there together," recording artist Jekalyn Carr.
Melanie Few-Harrison, Creator & Executive Producer of Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, started the celebration in 1999 when she noticed that Super Bowl festivities were missing an event focused on worship.
"I said, 'Where's the gospel event," Harrison said.
Since 1999 a total of 17 celebrations has occurred and featured guest such as Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Natalie Grant, Mary Mary, Fantasia, Donnie McClurkin, Anthony Hamilton, Kirk Franklin, Jacquie Velasquez, Israel Houghton and Marvin Sapp, among many others.
"We founded this event to bring even more inspiration and celebration to one of the biggest events of the year – the Super Bowl," said Few-Harrison, "Each year we aim to touch lives in a meaningful way and make the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration bigger than the last with artists and special guests. We look forward to kicking off Super Bowl 51 in Houston and making our mark as the best most uplifting event we've had in our 18-year history!"
The Players Choir has grown to be a highlight of the Super Bowl festivity.
It features current and former players who can sing and play instruments.
The choir, directed by Grammy Award-winning artist Myron Butler, sang on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" Friday morning.
Former Carolina Panthers' player Michael Gaines, Cleveland Browns' Stephen Pierce, Oreck Johnson of the New England Patriots, Terrance Stevens with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Cam Newton and Brian Scott, who were both with Atlanta Falcons serenaded viewers with a melodic rendition of 'A Lovely Day.'
