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From Rolling Stones-influencers to Chicago greats, here's the not-to-miss crowd.

Sunday Jun 05, 2005.     By Venita Griffin

Music Feed

If you think you have an idea of what Gospel music is, think again. Sure, it's the soul stirring, mesmerizing voices of Mahalia Jackson and Shirley Cesear. But it's also the get up and dance feeling inspired by Kirk Franklin. Gospel music is quiet and prayerful. It's also loud and joyful. It can be traditional and it can be contemporary. It is a music that, regardless of its form, provides a healthy release for the spirit.

Whatever your beliefs or background, Gospel music has something for you. Not familiar with the music? Don't let that stop you. Start with these must-see acts at Chicago's 2005 Gospel Fest, which runs June 3-5 at Millennium Park, and grow your experience from there.

Angela Spivey and the Voices of Victory
June 3; 6 p.m.; Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage
Hailed as the "Princess of Gospel," Angela Spivey possesses powerful vocals and an elegant stage presence rooted in Gospel tradition. Spivey grew up on the west side of Chicago and attended Lucy Flowers High School. After graduation, she worked as a hair stylist but remained active at the First Corinthian Baptist Church where her father was a minister. In 1974 she organized The Voices of Victory, a young adult choir at the church. Angie and the original nine members of Voices immediately began to attract attention and fielded invitations to perform at other churches in the area.

As the choir grew, so did its performance schedule. In 1995, Angela and the Voices released its first record, "Victorious Praise" and went on to win and "Excellence Award" for Best New Traditional Artist of the Year. The project also received a Stellar Award nomination in the Traditional Choir of the Year category. Subsequent releases were also well-received and Spivey and the Voices were on the fast track to Gospel stardom. In 2003, Spivey swept the Excellence Awards, winning Female Vocalist Of The Year Traditional, Album Traditional, Song Traditional, Best Video and the coveted Artist of the Year Award. That same year, Spivey was nominated for a Soul Train "Lady of Soul Award" in the Best Gospel CD Category.

The Williams Brothers
June 3; 8:30 p.m.; Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage
Founded in 1960 and originally known as The Little Williams Brothers, the group recorded its first album in 1973. In the 20-plus years since, they have produced 18 top-ten and three No. 1 records and garnered three Grammy nominations. In April 1991 the Williams Brothers started Blackberry Records, the first black-owned and operated record label with major distribution in Mississippi. The label's first release, "This is Your Night," climbed to the fourth spot on Billboard Magazine's Gospel chart. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Soul Gospel Album, Traditional, in 1991 and won the Stellar Award for Best Performance Group or Duo, Traditional, that same year.

In January 1995, The Brothers released "In This Place," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Soul Gospel Album, Traditional category. Its 1997 release, "Still Standing," featured the incomparable Stevie Wonder, remained on the Billboard Gospel charts for 12 months and received three Stellar Awards.

Fortitude
June 4; 3:55 p.m.; Day Stage
Jamie Simond, Cinque Cullar, Leon "Rock" Guyton and Teddy Jackson once sang together at a special event in a small church on the city's South Side. Despite receiving an energetic round of applause from the congregation, the men went back to their daily lives as youth minister, college student and songwriters, respectively. When Guyton and Jackson, the writers of the group, were approached by an independent about developing a gospel project, they rang up their friends. One short year later the group, using the moniker NuWave, released "So Grateful To You" and received a 1999 Stellar Award nomination for Best New Artist. Now going by the name Fortitude, the quartet serves up its own blend of traditional and contemporary gospel music, infusing their sound with pop, R& B and funk.

Solomon Burke
June 4; 7:30 p.m.; Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage
Solomon Burke never charted on any of Billboards Top 20 lists, but he was nonetheless a key contributor to the 1960s soul music scene. Recording for Atlantic Records, Burke blended country and R&B sounds with the rich, emotionally charged lyrics of his Gospel youth and used state of the art production skills to give it all a smooth, packaged sound. It was this marriage of organic styles and technology that gave birth to early soul music.

Burke was an influence on such groups as the Rolling Stones, who covered his songs "Cry to Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" on early albums. Burke began ministering at his Philadelphia church and hosted his own gospel radio show before he'd reached his teens and started his recording career, performing gospel and R&B, in the mid- to late '50s. Though his singles hit on the R&B charts, he was unable to expand beyond the R&B market and never truly reached the pop crowd. In the '80s and '90s, Burke continued to tour and record, all the while staying true to his gospel roots. Critics called his 2002 release, "Don't Give Up on Me, which featured, among others, songwriter Elvis Costello, a "marvelous comeback." In 2005 Burke released "Make Do With What You Got," a modernized take on his early groundbreaking style.

Rance ALLEN group
June 4; 8:30 p.m.; Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage
Known as the "Fathers of Contemporary Gospel," the Rance ALLEN group started in Detroit in the 1960s. Trained in the traditional style, the group was among the first to incorporate soul, jazz and even rock into its sound. Their experimentation paved the way for such acts as Amy Grant and the Winans. Rance ALLEN"s music attracted soul fans and, in 1979, the group had a Top 30 R&B hit on its hands with the release of "I Belong To You." The group released the album "Miracle Worker" in 2000 and, in 2002, found itself once again on the Billboard Chart when "All The Way" hit the market.

Pierre Walker
June 5; 3:15 p.m.; Day Stage
Pierre Walker began his music career at Philadelphia's 19th Street Baptist Church, where his father, Reverend Charles Walker, is pastor. An accomplished songwriter and musician, Walker received a Stellar Award nomination as a member of the Inspirational Jazz group MASQUE and was nominated for a Grammy in 1993 for "He'll Make A Way," a song he composed for Tyrone Block and the Christ Tabernacle Church Combined Choirs. Walker has performed across the United States and in Europe, including a performance at Teatro al La Scala in Milan. Currently an organist at Fellowship Baptist Church in Chicago, Walker is also on the music staff at St.Sabina Catholic Church.

Mary Mary
June 5; 7:45 p.m.; Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage
In 2000, sisters Erica and Tina Atkins-Campbell, better known as Mary Mary, took the Gospel, R&B and pop music worlds by storm with the release of their platinum debut album, "Thankful." The album's hit single, "Shackles," continued the trend of "hip" accessible Gospel music that younger listeners could dance to while also lifting their voices in praise. After winning a Grammy for "Thankful," the sisters released "Incredible" in 2002. The sophomore album landed in the Top 20 on the pop charts, a rare accomplishment for a Gospel album.

The middle daughters of an Evangelical minister, Gospel music was the only music allowed in their home. They began singing in the church choir as young children and learned about other styles of Gospel music by listening to groups such as the Winans. Though the sister's looked to the Bible when deciding on a name for their duo: Their name pays tribute to Mary, the Virgin mother, and the mysterious Mary Magdalen. Their stage performances and image read more funky than they do traditional. Sporting the latest in hair styles, including fire engine read colors and afros, and urban fashion, the sisters are the cutting edge of music and culture. Performing as part of the "Power In Praise Experience" Tour with Tye Tribbett & GA, J. Moss and Israel & New Breed.