BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) will hold its 22nd Annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards at Flourish Atlanta on March 30th where it will honor three legendary entertainers who have made an impact on the genre and beyond. The private event will recognize Gospel superstars Tamela and David Mann, Dr. Bobby Jones, and the songwriters and publishers behind the best in Gospel music.
The ceremony will be hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President, Creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton. “BMI is thrilled to be back in Atlanta celebrating the best in Gospel music,” said Brewton. “We’re extremely proud to honor powerhouse couple Tamela and David Mann for their incredible contributions to the Gospel community, the enduring legacy of Dr. Bobby Jones, and the songwriter and publishers behind the top Gospel songs of the previous year.”
During the ceremony, BMI will also acknowledge the songwriters, producers, and music publishers of the past year’s 25 most-performed Gospel songs in the United States. The BMI Gospel Song, Songwriter, and Publisher of the Year will also be named.
Tamela and David Mann have become staples in the Gospel community and have flourished across radio, television, film, and stages worldwide. The iconic couple began their professional music careers in the ‘90s after joining the Gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family and touring the globe.
They went on to develop successful solo careers and joint ventures as a couple in music and beyond, creating Tillymann Entertainment in 2005, a home for all of their many projects in entertainment.
In 2018, David and Tamela released Us Against the World, their first collaborative album as a duo. The companion book of that album won an NAACP Image® Award for Outstanding Literary Work, and the album’s singles have topped the charts, including the Urban AC track “Ups & Downs.” The Manns also embarked on the acclaimed “Overcomer Family Tour,” a mixture of music and comedy, featuring their son David Jr. and their daughters La’Tia and Tiffany Mann.
Tamela has released six studio albums and has received a GRAMMY Award, BET Award, Billboard Music Award, and multiple NAACP Image, Stellar Gospel Music, and GMA Dove Awards. She was the first Gospel lead artist in Billboard Gospel radio chart history to score three consecutive No.1 singles from her album Best Days. Beyond music, The Manns have appeared in numerous Tyler Perry plays, films and television shows, including I Can Do Bad All By Myself, Meet the Browns, and Madea Goes to Jail, among others, and the pair also starred in their own sitcom, Mann & Wife, and the docuseries, It’s a Mann’s World.
Dr. Bobby Jones, an esteemed singer, TV host, and radio broadcaster will also be celebrated during the ceremony. Jones has had an illustrious career spanning more than 40 years and is credited for giving Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, and many others their first national exposure on television. For more than 35 years, he was the host of Bobby Jones Gospel on BET, which was the highest-rated show on the network and the longest-running original cable show in history.
An established Gospel singer and songwriter, Jones received a GRAMMY Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group in 1984 for “I’m So Glad I’m Standing Here Today” with Barbara Mandrell. He has also received a Dove Award, three Stellar Awards, and a presidential commendation from President George W. Bush, among several other awards and accolades. Jones currently serves as a UNICE
