“Alone In His Presents”
was CeCe Winans'
first platinum certified album of her
career as a solo artist.
career as a solo artist.
Kevin Bond was
appointed VP of A&R at Gospo Centric, a major black record producer and top studio musician responsible for many of Kirk Franklin’s gold and platinum
records and other top selling black
gospel artists. In 1997 we
witnessed CeCe’s album “Alone In His Present” achieving certified gold for week
ending 5th July 1997 and finally certified platinum by 17th
December 2001 for over million copies sold in America .
“God’s Property” album reached number one
This was the first gold
certification by a black female artist since Kirk’s recording projects and “The
Preacher’s Wife” featuring Whitney Houston on the soundtrack. “The Preacher’s
Wife” soundtrack was certified double platinum by that time. “The Preacher’s
Wife” is the only gospel soundtrack to be certified platinum in Europe for one
million copies sold according to The International Federation of the Phonographic
Industry (IFPI) with international office based in London
England.
In addition gospel tracks were beginning to have increase present on
secular soundtracks participating gold and platinum albums certifications. For
example CeCe Winans teamed up with Whitney Houston for a duet titled “Count On
Me” on the “Waiting To Exhale” soundtrack mainly produced Babyface on his
LaFace Records label (black record label) and distributed by Arista Records.
The album sold seven million copies in America
and over one million copies in Europe . On
television, Shirley Caesar became the first gospel artist featured QVC Home
Shopping Network in the month February 1996 an arrangement between Word
Records’ parent company Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Artist such as Fred Hammond also achieved major success during that
period with his studio album entitled “The Spirit of David” (Radical for Christ), released on 20th
August 1996 and which become a gold certified album in 19th
September 2002 according to RIAA.
Fred Hammond’s first studio
album of his career
to receive gold certification
in America.
The late Jheryl Busby, former President and CEO of Motown Records
once quoted by saying, “Vicky Mack Latailade is the Berry Gordy of gospel
music. Before anyone else, she had the vision to take gospel music into the
mainstream, and her (Gospo Centric) company’s phenomenal success has led the
way for an entire industry.”
She is indeed one of the most outstanding
entrepreneurial black women in the music industry internationally. The
recording artist Kirk Franklin who she signed in the early 1990s has become the
second best-selling gospel recording artist with 20 million units sold
internationally behind Amy Grant ahead with 25 million units according to
Gospel Music Association (GMA) based in Nashville, America. With this
remarkable and phenomenal growth has helped the America gospel industry to
experience a 41% growth from $381 million in 1995 to gross earning in excess of
$538 million by 1996 in North America! No other music industry sector had
experienced such tremendous growth in such a short time.
The soundtrack was certified platinum in Europe according to IFPI ( International Federation of Phonographic Industry) for over one million copies sold. The soundtrack was recorded and released LaFace Records
Written,researched and compiled
by Kevin Tomlin Music Historian
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