BeBe and CeCe Winans, Mark Lowry, Roland Lundy and Twila Paris will be among the second class of inductees into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame, the GMA has announced.

The GMA has set May 5 as the date for its second annual GMA Honors at Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena. The GMA Honors event celebrates gospel music trailblazers being inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame and gives honor to individuals and organizations that are impacting our culture globally, both past and present. Performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks. 

In addition, the GMA will honor Founding Bishop of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, Bishop Paul S. Morton, The Bridge founded by Candy Christmas, Passion founded by Louie and Shelley Giglio and Porter’s Call founded by Al Andrews.

“Last year’s inaugural event was an amazing evening of firsts for our industry,” said John Huie, CAA and Co-Chair of GMA Honors. We have been encouraged by the many comments surrounding the ceremony and are thrilled to honor this year’s recipients.” 

“The GMA Foundation is charged with observing our gospel music history and its trailblazers,” says Jackie Patillo, president of the GMA Foundation. “With the ongoing support from our music community, we can fulfill the mission to foster an appreciation for our heritage and its impact for generations to come. We, as always, thank all of those involved in helping make these special celebrations possible.”

The following is a short bio of the GMA Hall of Fame inductees:

BeBe & CeCe Winans have been recording music together for more than 25 years. The brother/sister duo, part of the gospel singing Winans family and one of the most successful gospel artists of all time, have had 12-charting R&B singles, and numerous No. 1 singles on Christian, AC and CHR radio. Their accolades include numerous gold and platinum releases, plus a plethora of Dove, Grammy, Stellar, Soul Train and NAACP Image Awards.

Mark Lowry is a singer, storyteller, humorist, author and songwriter whose is a loved and trusted voice in the realm of gospel music and beyond. He had 20-plus years as the baritone singer on the Grammy and Dove award-winning Gaither Vocal Band and now serves as the comedic sidekick on tour. He also tours as a solo act with many DVD projects to his credit and has had over 400 artists record his lyric to “Mary Did You Know?”

Roland Lundy starting making noise in the industry in the early 1970s that lead to an 11-year run as president and CEO of Word Entertainment, one of the world’s leading Christian music companies.  He was responsible for the Thomas Nelson and Word consolidation that grew Word revenues to over $100 million in 1993. He later managed the sale of Word to Gaylord Entertainment. His leadership navigated the entertainment company’s very diverse roster and attracted top artistic and creative talent. He currently serves on the board of the Gospel Music Trust Fund and is Chairman of the Board for American Red Cross, Nashville Chapter.

Twila Paris is a pioneer of today’s praise and worship music movement that has lead to the informal style of worship. She has released 22 albums, amassed 33 No. 1 singles and has been named the GMA Dove Awards “Female Vocalist of the Year” three times as well as several awards in the song and album of the year categories. The accomplished singer/songwriter is not only known for creating timeless worship songs but has also written books and recorded children’s music.   

Founded in 1964, the Gospel Music Association serves as the face and voice for the Gospel/Christian music community and is dedicated to exposing, promoting and celebrating the Gospel through music of all styles including Pop, Rock, Praise & Worship, Urban Gospel, R&B, Hip Hop, Southern Gospel, Bluegrass, Country and more.

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