African-American Church Inaugural Ball

The Performers

Guests of The African-American Inaugural Ball were entertained by a varity of music provided by the performers below.

Miss Jessye Norman

Jessye Norman is one of the most celebrated artists of our century. She is also among the most distinguished in a long line of American sopranos who refused to believe in limits, a shining member of an artistic pantheon that has included Rosa Ponselle, Maria Callas, Leontyne Price and now this daughter of Augusta, Georgia. "Pigeonholing," said Norman, "is only interesting to pigeons." Norman’s dreams are limitless, and she has turned many of them into realities in a dazzling career that has been one of the most satisfying musical spectacles of our time.

She has been equally at home in American spirituals, French chansons or German Lieder. In opera, she has made her own Wagner’s Sieglinde and Elisabeth but also Gluck’s Alceste, Mozart’s Countess Almaviva, Strauss’ Ariadne and Stravinsky’s Jocasta. She has conquered centuries of musical styles, bringing to life not only Purcell’s Dido but the Dido of Berlioz, Beethoven’s Leonore and also Bizet’s Carmen. She has been an earthy temptress in the opera Parsifal, an unfortunate bride in Bluebeard’s Castle and a wise old nun in Dialogues of the Carmelites. From Haydn to Mahler to Schoenberg and Berg, from Satie and Poulenc to Gershwin and Bernstein, the range of Norman’s musical reach has been and continues to be breathtaking. No matter what the language, she makes every word matter, every note tell. She is a diva in the truest sense , in that there is something of the divine in the music she makes.






Mr. Wintley Phipps

Wintley Phipps is a world-renowned vocal artist, pastor, motivational speaker, and education activist. He is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Dream Academy, Inc., a non-profit, national after-school program that provides mentoring and tutoring around the country to children of incarcerated parents and children falling behind in school.Â
Mr. Phipps has been the featured speaker and performer for many notable occasions around the world. He has sung for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush at the annual National Presidential Prayer Breakfast events and other distinguished celebrations. Wintley was selected by Oprah Winfrey to offer musical interpretations for her week-long coverage of the “9/11� tragedy and was asked to pen a special prayer for her to deliver in tribute to the lives lost. He met President Nelson Mandela of South Africa; performed for the 2005 inaugural swearing-in ceremony of President George Bush; the 1984 and 1988 National Democratic Conventions; Mother Teresa of Calcutta; the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. television special; Dr. Robert Schuller’s Hour of Power Telecast; the National Urban League; the Billy Graham Crusades; the Vatican; the Rosa Parks Birthday Celebration; Loma Linda University Centennial Celebration; and special guest soloist at Diana Ross’ wedding ceremony in Switzerland. He has also conducted lectures in Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa and North and South America.
Mr. Phipps has performed on Saturday Night Live as well as Sunday Live and has been the special guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show and CBS Nightwatch. Mr. Phipps was nominated for Grammy Awards in 1988 and 1989. He is the author of The Power of A Dream (1996), founder of Songs of Freedom Publishing Company and Coral Records Recording Company.





Regina Belle (Battle)

Few singers possess the strength, the emotion and the technical skill of this Grammy Award winning singer. Even fewer can profess their salvation and their love for Jesus Christ. Regina Belle Battle, born in Englewood, New Jersey, first considered a career in the music business in her teenage years, after being inspired to sing by the gospel music greats Shirley Caesar and Inez Andrews. During her college years, she fell in love and married the now, Rev. John S. Battle III, a former NBA All Star for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks. Regina is recognized world wide for her hits such as, "Baby Come To Me", "If I Could", "Make It Like It Was", and "Whole New World", but what is most important to this preacher's wife is her relationship with the Lord. She can be found singing any given Sunday with Psalmody or The Voices of Praise at New Shield of Faith Christian Ministries. Under the leadership of Pastor Gerald Bess, Mrs. Battle says she is ready and willing to serve God's people to the best of her ability.













Micah Stampley

Micah Stampley has one of the fastest-rising careers in all of gospel music. Talented? Prodigy? Gifted? Inspired? Driven? Dedicated? Actually, there is no one word that can quite describe Micah Stampley the man, the minister, the husband, the father, the musician, and the community philanthropist. With a multi-octave voice of literally staggering power and sensitivity, and a fluent writer’s hand with both words and music, he has moved from near-total obscurity to one of Gospel’s most talked-about artists in a short time.
In 2003, Micah came to the attention of Dexterity Sounds, Bishop T.D. Jakes record label. Before anything could transpire, Micah won the “2004 Stellar Awards National Star Search,� after competing against thousands of candidates. Shortly thereafter, Micah was invited to Bishop Jakes Potters House as a special musical guest. After service Bishop Jakes called Micah to his office and offered him a record deal instantly. This divine connection led to extensive exposure nationally and abroad both in conjunction with Bishop T.D. Jakes and independently. The rest as they say is history in the making.










Jackie Gouche Farris

Jackie Gouche Farris, one of the most prolific writers in Gospel music is no novice to the profession, but she steps into a freshman position as she pursues a solo career. A minister, psalmist, musician and writer, Farris is Gospel music's best kept secret.  Her rich history in the industry, having sung with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Quincy Jones, Andre Crouch, Yolanda Adams and a host of 20 others served as a career foundation, but becoming a PTL singer moved her into her destiny . In addition to her multiple gifts, Gouche heads up the music ministry for one of the most dynamic and flourishing churches in Inglewood,CA, Bible Enrichment Fellowship Intl Church, where the powerful Apostle Beverly "BAM" Crawford is Sr. Pastor. Farris is best known for writing the classic tune, "My Help, which has been recorded by numerous artists and choirs and transcribed in several different languages.














Shari Addison

Addison's musical recording journey began one year ago when she captured the hearts of millions on BET's "Sunday Best." As the first runner-up on the premiere broadcast of the program, Addison wowed audiences week after week with her powerful, gut-wrenching performances while winning countless fans along the way, and earning a recording contract with Zomba Gospel.


















Daniel Davis

A graduate of the Charleston County School of the Arts where he has held the title of Concert Maste, Davis is A 2005 ‘Summer in the City� Scholarship winner, which included a six week session at Julliard School of Music. Daniel has been playing the violin since he was 12 years old. He has been classically trained in the violin and the guitar. He plays Gospel, Hip-hop, jazz, Contemporary Christian, and R & B. His favorite past-time is playing his violin. He is truly an anointed musician on a mission to inspire the young and old with his violin improvisations.
















SAGE

There comes a time when all the elements of excellence converge under the same domain and produce an incomparable result, never before experienced. SAGE, the all-women’s jazz, blues and contemporary ensemble, has dared to rise to this historic place in music with a sound that transcends time and generation. Part contemporary, part sassy, part nostalgic, these ladies deliver what every music audience is looking for, the best in the art.