Marvin Sapp and Shekinah Glory Goes Gold

While recent reports of gospel sales have dropped in the last two quarters, there is still a bit of good news in the music market with the RIAA's recent announcements of Chicago's Shekinah Glory Ministry and Marvin Sapp reaching gold status.

Marvin Sapp was recently featured in USA Today and by the Associated Press about his record-breaking success of the hit single "Never Would Have Made It;" a song that remains perched at number one on the gospel charts to this day and continues to touch the lives of millions with his inspiring message. The song is a crossover success - reaching number one on the urban adult contemporary charts and crossing over to the R&B and pop charts - and has become the longest running number one single in all of Billboard's genre history. The album Thirsty, released last July, has since been certified gold and continues to break records.

Shekinah Glory Ministry, the urban worship magnet of Chicago, also has alot to be thankful for. Their double-CD, Live, was also certified gold by the RIAA this week; becoming their second straight RIAA gold record released. The album, released independently through Kingdom Records and distributed by Universal, featured the radio hit "Yes."

Elder Phil Tarver is the Praise and Worship Leader of Shekinah Glory Ministry: "We are taught that the more God exalts you the more you should humble yourself. We are humbled but honored to know that more than a few folks are enjoying what we do as we continue our mission of creating music that pierces the kingdom of darkness and enlarges the Kingdom of God."

[GOLDEN LINKS]
Marvin Sapp song continues to break records (Associated Press)
Marvin Sapp's gospel hit finds crossover success (USA Today)
Kingdom Records Scores Second RIAA Certified Gold Record (GospelCity.com)
Marvin Sapp (MySpace.com)
Kingdom Records (Official Website)