CCM has described an effort to take urban worship into the African-American church

IN WHAT CCM Update describe as "an unprecedented effort to take urban praise and worship music directly to the African-American church," Myrrh's Black Music Division (home to Winans Phase 2, Marvin Sapp, etc) has joined with UMI Music to revive the Rejoice! label. In the '80s the label, a black gospel subsidiary to Word Music, released albums by such acts as Shirley Caesar and the Mighty Clouds Of Joy. The reactivated Rejoice! is slated to release four to six new live worship service recordings in the next 12 months including Lu Vonia Whittley & The Corinthian Temple Radio Choir and Mary Tiller and Nashville's Living Word Bible Church. UMI is a 30-year-old Chicago-based print company, which specialises in resources for the African-American Church. Said UMI's Jeff Wright, "The Christian music industry is still not effectively serving the market for the African-American. We believe that there is a phenomenal explosion of praise and worship going on in the African-American churches around the country, and we want to capture that." CR

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