Erica CampbellThis Sunday the praise won’t end when morning church services do. In the evening, the 14th annual GospelFest on City Hall Plaza will turn the concrete and brick expanse into a full-blown revival meeting. Grammy-winning headliner Erica Campbell of “Mary Mary” fame will attract the throngs, but several Dorchester vocalists will share the spotlight and provide much of the song and spirit.
The program begins at 5 p.m. with a set by Anointed Biblical Scripture, a quartet of female vocalists from Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church on Norfolk Street in Dorchester.
Dot residents Mary Blake and Dixie Buford, along with Roslindale’s Edna Wilkie and Pat Moore, have opened several past editions of Gospelfest and appeared at such city events as the City Council’s Black History Month ceremonies and the 93rd Birthday of the Strand Theatre. Every third Sunday, the members of this singing ministry visit the Bostonian Nursing Home to fellowship with the residents.
Another Dot-based ensemble on the program brings the unique sound from Jubilee Church on Blue Hill Ave. “It all started when we were younger,” says lead vocalist Phil Thompson, “when our father [Bishop Gideon Thompson] decided to make the congregation the choir.”
The Jubilee Worship group is prepping for the release of its album “Light the Way” this fall. Four of the vocalists (Deborah Bullock, Wil Bullock, April Mytora, and Phil Thompson) are veterans of Dorchester’s own Ashmont Hill gospel group whose past releases charted on Billboard at No. 16 and No. 10.
Also on the bill is the GospelFest Community Choir (GCC). Last year Mayor Martin Walsh proposed assembling a GCC from citywide auditions rather than pulling them from one particular church or another. Now making their sophomore appearance is this group of talented vocalists, comprised of residents from Dorchester and other parts of the city who rehearse weekly under the direction of Berklee College of Music’s Inna Dudukina.
As for the main attraction, Erica Campbell is perhaps best known as half of the urban contemporary gospel sister act “Mary Mary” with her sister Trecina or Tina. The duo scored big with pioneering hit “Shackles (Praise You)” on their “Mary Mary” album in 2000, which, according to press material, has earned Stellar Music & Dove Awards, four Grammy Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, two American Music Awards, a Soul Train Award, and a BET Award.”’
The fourth season of BET’s television series “Mary Mary,” based on the sisters’ marital tribulations and charting successes, premiered on the black entertainment network in March of this year.
Erica released her debut solo album “Help” in 2014. It held the No. 1 slot on the Billboard Gospel chart for seven weeks, in addition to peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Erica is a recipient of three Grammy Award nominations, two NAACP Image Award nominations, and 10 Stellar Award nominations for her solo debut as well as an ASCAP Award and Dove Award for her single, “A Little More Jesus.” She has also received the 2014 Soul Train Award for Best Inspirational/Gospel Song.
