Al Green, Kirk Franklin, Clark Sisters, Bobby Jones, Cece Winans, Blind Boys of Alabama, Yolanda Adams and Many Other Music Legends & Today's Hit Makers Part of GMC's Black History Month Celebration in February

Contact: Jim Weiss, Gospel Music Channel, 770-692-4579, jim@gospelmusicchannel.com

ATLANTA, Jan. 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- Gospel Music Channel (GMC) (http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com) will celebrate Black History Month this February with 28 days of music and artists that have inspired the world.

Highlights of GMC's Black History Month Celebration include:

-- The world premiere of the 2009 BMI Trailblazers Awards Tribute to Twinkie Clark, Donald Laurence & CeCe Winans (Sun. Feb. 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET.) The all-star special -- recorded Jan. 16 in Nashville as part of The Stellar Awards -- includes appearances and inspired live performances from a selection of contemporary stars and gospel powerhouses including Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Bebe Winans, Karen Clark-Sheard, Kim Burrell, DeWayne Woods, Crystal Lewis and Lejune Thompson. For Black History Month, GMC will also present the BMI Trailblazers Awards Tributes from 2007 on Feb. 1 (Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, Coko, Israel Houghton, Albertina Walker and The Caravans) and 2008 on Feb. 8 (Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Mighty Clouds of Joy, J. Moss, Kelly Price, Smokie Norful, Keith "Wonderboy" Johnson, Rance Allen, Marvin "Coconut" Winans, Jr., Dorinda Clark Cole.)

-- The acclaimed documentaries The Dixie Hummingbirds: 80 Years Young (Feb. 1, 16), The Gospel According to Al Green (Feb 2); Say Amen Somebody (Feb. 8);

-- Select episodes of GMC's popular biography series Faith & Fame featuring Shirley Caesar (Feb. 1), Kirk Franklin (Feb. 2), The Blind Boys of Alabama (Feb. 8), Bishop Paul Morton (Feb. 8), Yolanda Adams (Feb. 9), Fred Hammond (Feb. 9), Walter Hawkins (Feb. 15);

-- Special Front Row Live concert performances by Kirk Franklin (Feb. 2), Mary Mary (Feb. 4), Calvin Cooke & Friends with Robert Randolph (Feb. 6), Fred Hammond (Feb. 9), The Clark Sisters (Feb. 11), Rance Allen Group (Feb. 12), Myron Butler (Feb. 16), Smokie Norful (Feb. 18);

-- The next wave of gospel greats featured in the GMC Original series Bobby Jones: Next Generation (Sunday nights.)

GMC will also present special vignettes throughout the month. Gospel music legends Mahalia Jackson, The Staples Singers, Andre Crouch and Albertina Walker are featured in a series of short-form pieces hosted by a Gospel music legend himself, Dr. Bobby Jones. Another series of vignettes feature current artists including Byron Cage, Canton Jones, Ricky Dillard and Angella Christie reflecting on the events and historical figures in the Black Community that have shaped their lives personally and professionally. For complete GMC's Black History Month schedule visit http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com/schedule.

Gospel Music Channel is the nation's first and only 24/7 television network devoted to Gospel/Christian music and can be seen in more than 40 million homes on various cable systems and nationwide on DIRECTV on channel 338.