Top artists and leading pastors headline Brenda Marsh Mitchell Gospel Stage presented by City National Bank
Spiritual rejuvenation is the aim of artists and pastors headlining the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage presented by City National Bank at the 18th Annual Taste of Soul Family Festival sponsored by Bakewell Media and the L.A. Sentinel.
The highly anticipated free event, held on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., takes place on Crenshaw Blvd., from Barack Obama Blvd. to Stocker Ave., in South Los Angeles. With 300 vendors and multiple music stages, the daylong festival also includes health testing, job opportunities, networking prospects and wide range of cuisines.
Among the many attractions, the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage has always huge crowds and the powerful lineup this year ensures that the tradition will continue. Under the theme, “The Revival,” the program will feature gifted vocalists, choirs and ministers “seeking to uplift spirits and make a joyful noise unto the Lord,” according to Danny J. Bakewell, Sr., Taste of Soul creator/founder.
“We will have church on the ‘Shaw led by gospel music luminaries Bishop Norman Hutchins and Mali Music along with many other artists. I want to thank City National Bank for supporting our mission to make the Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Stage one of the premier annual stages that our people look forward to each and every year,” said Bakewell.
Bishop Hutchins, nominated multiple times for Grammy, Dove and Stellar Awards, has recorded top selling tracks for more than 30 years and released 10 Billboard-charted albums. Mali Music, a singer, songwriter and producer, is a Grammy-winning artist who also received BET, Dove and NAACP Image awards.
Pastor John-Paul Foster of Faithful Central Bible Church and Pastor Ramon Stripling of Phillips Temple CME Church are among the local clergy scheduled to share remarks and meditations during the program. Solo artists performing include Markees Williams, Shari Demby-Ravenell, Lady Zhe, Patrick Bolton and Madelin Mosely-Nueble.
Ensemble selections will be presented by the CME Church Choir, Dr. Fielding Grace Choir, Inner City Mass Choir, Michael Larry Gospel, and J. Kingdom, which is headed by Pastor Michael J.T. Fisher of Greater Zion Church Family. Also, Lil Chosen, Rohn & Reborn, The Woods Sisters, and Smith and Sons of Jericho will perform.
In addition, the program will include a music selection by one of the winners of the Taste of Soul StarQuest Singing Competition. Participants can still enter the competition or vote on StarQuest vocalists by visiting tasteofsoulla.com.
The Brenda Marsh-Mitchell Gospel Stage will be located at the intersection of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
To learn more, visit tasteofsoulla.com.
Digital Editor Niele Anderson contributed to this article.
