Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 2-8-19

Feature
Youth And Young Adult Choir To Honor The Florida Mass Choir In Tribute Concert
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
The Florida Mass Choir had its beginning here in Tampa. Because of that, the Tampa Bay Youth and Young Adult Mass Choir (TBYYA) will host an event this week- end to honor many of those who were a part of this series of Gospel Music.
The tribute concert will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2019, 6 p. m. at New Mt. Zion M. B. Church, 2511 E. Colum- bus Dr., Tampa (33605). Rev. Larry L. Roundtree, II, is the Pastor.
Minister Larenz John- son, President and Director of TBYYA, said “the tribute concert will pay homage to one of the premier choirs of
REV. DR. ARTHUR T. JONES ...Founder/Director, Florida Mass Choir
the 1970s and 80s, as well as several legendary members of the choir including: Rev. Milton Biggham (Pro- ducer), Bishop Earl Mason (Director), Pastor Deloris James Cain (Lead Soloist),
MINISTER LARENZ JOHNSON, center, President, and members of the Tampa Bay Youth and Young Adult Mass Choir.
Herbert Jacobs (Pro- ducer), and the late Rev. Arthur T. Jones Founder), just to name a few.”
Some others who played a role in the success of the
Florida Mass Choir produc- tions and will also be honored are: Evangelist Janice Nunn Nelson, Rudine Williams, Lead Soloists; and Sandra Jones, Carlton Burgess, and Jeffery A. Lavalley, Musicians.
“We, the Tampa Bay Youth & Young Adult Mass Choir, are so grateful that God has allowed us to be a catalyst in bridging the gap between legendary gospel singers and the next genera- tion of gospel music, in Tampa,” Johnson said.
“As the founder of TBYYA, I have been person- ally blessed by the music of Florida Mass Choir all of my
life and I am so excited that I have been given the opportu- nity and platform to pay hom- age to a group of people that have blessed my life with their music,” he stated.
Founded under the direc- tion Rev. Dr. Jones, the Florida Mass Choir recorded its first 3 albums at New Mt. Zion, where they held many rehearsals. The choir was made up of singers from the Tampa Bay area.
The group's debut album, Come Let's Reason Together, was released in 1979 on Savoy Records. Listed as its final album was Fill Us, Lift Us, that was re- leased in 1998.
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