Mary Mary and BeBe and CeCe Winans Celebrated at BMI Trailblazers.

Gospel musics legends and Atlanta’s finest came out to honor BeBe & CeCe Winans and Mary Mary, at the Broadcast Music, Inc. ® (BMI®) Trailblazers of Gospel Music Honors program at the Rialto Center for the Arts last night in Atlanta, GA. Yolanda Adams, a previous Trailblazer recipient and renowned gospel singer-songwriter, was the host for the event. The inspirational ceremony will air nationwide on TV One on February 19th at 8 PM ET.The invitation-only event featured awe-inspiring performances and worship by some of the brightest young stars and iconic figures in Gospel music today. In addition to honoring BeBe & CeCe Winans and Mary Mary, BMI’s Most Performed Gospel Song of the Year, “Amazing” by Ricky Dillard & New G featuring Tiff Joy, was also recognized. The Grammy-nominated single spent an astounding 30 weeks at #1 on Billboard Magazine's Gospel Airplay chart and catapulted Tiff Joy into the spotlight. BMI also recognized the Ten Most Performed Songs of the Year for 2015. The ceremony began with a video of several artists performing the top Gospel songs of the year. One standout performance was the acoustic guitar version of the Kirk Franklin song Smile by Avery Wilson. Next up was a performance by Donald Lawrence of last year’s Song of the Year, “The Gift,” which opened up the program. Grammy–nominated singers Bryon Cage and Anita Wilson introduced the first Trailblazers of Gospel Music honorees, Mary Mary. KeKe Wyatt’s then delivered an fiery rendition of the duo’s “God in Me.” The tributes continued with uplifting performances by Y’Anna Crawley (“Heaven”), Tasha Cobbs and Kierra Sheard (“Can’t Give Up”), Tasha Page-Lockhart and Lisa Page-Brooks (“Go Get It”) and Tamela Mann (“Yesterday”) who all paid homage to the iconic sister act. After giving their acceptance speeches, Mary Mary rounded out the first half of the awards ceremony with an amazing performance of their pioneering debut hit single, “Shackles (Praise You),” to close out their tribute segment.
Actress Kim Fields mentioned to me on the red carpet that she was very excited to see BeBe and CeCe Winans. Well she was the one that introduced the legendary sibling duo as the next Trailblazers of Gospel Music recipients. BeBe & CeCe’s tribute segment featured soulful performances by Tamia and Jonathan McReynolds (“Heaven/ It’s Ok”), Yolanda Adams and Brian Courtney Wilson (“Addictive Love”), Kelly Price (“In Return”), siblings Marvin and Debbie Winans (“Lost Without You”), and Deborah Cox and Fred Hammond (“Hold Up The Light”). BeBe & CeCe closed out their powerful tribute segment with a mesmerizing performance of their hit-single “Up Where We Belong” from their 1984 LP, Lord Lift Us Up.
Check out the ceremony on TV One on February 19th at 8 PM ET.