Many know Mathew Knowles as the father of mega-star Beyonce and manager of the sensational girl group Destiny’s Child. However, Knowles is also the President and CEO of Music World Gospel, the largest owned and operated African American Gospel Label in the world.
Founded in 2002 by Knowles, Music World Gospel is celebrating it’s10th Anniversary this year.
In 2001, as the ladies of Destiny's Child transitioned into their solo careers, one of Michelle Williams' dreams was to record gospel and inspirational music. Knowles decided to establish a faith-based label for Williams' recordings, as well as other projects in that genre, and the next year, established the Spirit Rising Music label, now known as Music World Gospel. In March of that year, Williams released her first gospel recording, the GRAMMY-winning Hearts to Yours, which debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart. Hearts to Yours eventually became 2002's biggest selling album of that genre in the U.S., selling over 210,000 copies. Williams also landed in Billboard magazine's year-end issue as the #5 Top Gospel Albums Artist, and the CD, Hearts to Yours, was #6 on the Top Gospel Albums chart. Williams' follow-up album, Do You Know, was released in 2004 and debuted at #2 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart.
In 2009, Knowles' interest and focus shifted primarily to Music World Gospel, and he released the inaugural CD of gospel newcomer Brian Courtney Wilson, who was touted as one of gospel music's contemporary break-through artists of 2010, and was one of Music World Gospel's great success stories of that year. The three-time Gospel Music Association Dove Award nominee's CD, Just Love, entered at #2 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart and #6 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart. The CD remained at #1 on Christian Music Trade Association's Inspirational Albums chart for 52 weeks. Since its release in June 2009, the CD has held steady in the Top 20 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart for over 90 weeks—longer than any other CD title on Billboard's Top 50 that year [2010].
In Billboard magazine's 2010 year-end issue, Music World Gospel held Top 5 and Top 10 positions on the gospel charts, and the label ranked on nine of the 11 charts. Music World Gospel was #4 on the Hot Gospel Songs Imprint chart, ranked #6 as the Hot Gospel Songs Label and was #9 on the Top Gospel Albums Labels chart.
Knowles also signed some of the Gospel world’s top artists such as Juanita Bynum and Micah Stampley, and Vanessa Bell Armstrong.
More recently through a partnership with BET, Music World Gospel released two highly anticipated debut projects: Johnson's The Awakening of Le'Andria Johnson and Bullock's Thank You. The Awakening of Le'Andria Johnson debuted at #1 on multiple music charts, including both the Billboard Top Gospel Albums and the Top Christian/Gospel Albums charts. The CD also debuted at #1 on the Christian Music Trade Association's Current Gospel Overall chart. It spent nine weeks at #1 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart, and remains in the Top 5 for over 15 weeks. Le'Andria also received her first GRAMMY nomination for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music performance for her debut single, "Jesus." Amber Bullock's Thank You also debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Gospel Album chart.
Determined to set the standard in the industry and stay on top, Music World Gospel will be expanding the labels release schedule in 2012 which will include 45 new releases.
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