Elder Goldwire McLendon spent seven decades ministering to people in song and words before he had the opportunity to minister on a world-wide stage as a contestant on Season 3 of BET’s Sunday Best, the world’s leading gospel competition television show. The spirited and charismatic 79-year-old gained a large and devoted group of fans as he made his way toward the show’s finale, where he was first-runner-up to Le’Andria Johnson. Now, at age 81, he has a recording contract with Mathew Knowles’ Music World Gospel, which will release his first solo CD, The Best of Elder Goldwire McLendon. The CD, which features new recordings of songs he performed on Sunday Best, will be available online and in stores on April 24, 2012.
On the CD, Elder McLendon puts a contemporary spin on traditional and classic gospel songs, which were all produced by Stanley Brown. McLendon offers a hand-clapping, foot-stomping rendition of “He’s All Over Me.” Written by Alvin Darling, this song gained international exposure when it was performed by Whitney Houston and Shirley Caesar in the movie The Preacher’s Wife. He says the song has a special meaning to him. “It expresses how I really feel because I know that the spirit of the Lord is all over me and it’s keeping me alive—literally.” He performs a soulful rendition of “The Battle Is The Lord’s,” putting his own stamp on a signature song of gospel great Yolanda Adams, which was written by V. Michael McKay. McLendon’s contemplative and worshipful version of the classic, “How Great Thou Art,” written by Carl Boberg and Max Morris, is followed by a lively take on Edwin Hawkins’ gospel treasure, “Oh Happy Day.” His performance of “I Know It Was The Blood,” written by Chester D.T. Baldwin, takes him back to the church songs of his youth, and he takes the listener along for the ride. “The song has been a part of my nature ever since I first heard it as a kid,” he says. “I wanted to bring some of that old-time gospel to my version of the song.” He rounds out the CD with an upbeat rendition of Sam Cooke’s “Jesus Be A Fence Around Me,” and a soulful take on the Staple Singers’ classic (written by Alvertis Isbell), “I’ll Take You There,” which McLendon performed with Le’Andria Johnson on Sunday’s Best. “It was really something,” he says of that duet.
read full story
article courtesy of TekoaGospelMusicNews.com
