Gospel Music Channel (GMC) will celebrate Black History Month this February with 29 days of music and artists that have inspired the world including: the world premiere of Super Bowl Gospel Celebration from Phoenix, AZ the site of Super Bowl XLII; the GMC premiere of Faith Unscripted: Bobby Jones; a new look at the life and career of Smokie Norful; and a mix of other special programming featuring the likes of Ray Charles, The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Clark Sisters, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Yolanda Adams, Mahalia Jackson and many others.

Allstate, Kraft, Sunny D and Walgreens are sponsors of GMC's Black History Month programming. Among the premieres for the month-long celebration:

Faith Unscripted: Bobby Jones premieres Saturday, Feb. 2 at 9:00 p.m. (ET) – Tye Tribbett, Karen Clark Sheard, Micah Stampley, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, and other top Gospel artists join the Ambassador of Gospel Music, Dr. Bobby Jones, for an old-fashioned church sing, performing such great songs as “Oh How I Love Jesus,”  “I Can Go To God in Prayer,” “Something's Got A Hold On Me,” “Amazing Grace” and “You Brought the Sunshine.”
Super Bowl Gospel Celebration 2008, world premieres Saturday, Feb. 9 at 9:00 p.m. (ET) – Patti LaBelle, CeCe Winans, Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Winans, Martha Munizzi and top NFL players will gather for an evening of uplifting and soul stirring music at The Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix, AZ.  The show is the only gospel event sanctioned by the National Football League for Super Bowl Weekend.

The Dixie Hummingbirds: 80 Years Young world television premieres on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 8:00 p.m. (ET) – Stevie Wonder claimed that “No other group has been more important in the history of African American music” and this powerful documentary tells the story of the legendary Dixie Hummingbirds, who have been a major influence to generations of sacred and secular singers ranging from Wonder, B.B. King, and James Brown to Paul Simon and Take 6.  The Dixie Hummingbirds: 80 Years Young features the newest edition of The ‘birds’ (some in their early twenties but still led by 80+ year-old Ira Tucker) performing, rehearsing, and reminiscing at theaters, clubs, and churches in San Francisco, Washington D.C., Hawaii, and back home in Philadelphia.

Faith & Fame: Smokie Norful world premieres on Weds. Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) – This insightful biography takes a look at one of today’s leading men in gospel music.  Norful, along with family and friends, shares how he balances recording his GRAMMY Award-winning music and his ministry with his local church.

All premiere specials will be seen throughout the month.  In addition to these new shows, other GMC Black History Month highlights include:

The Gospel According to Al Green on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 9:30 p.m. (ET); on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 7:00 p.m. (ET); Mahalia Jackson, Give God The Glory on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 10:00 p.m. (ET) and Ben Harper & The Blind Boys of Alabama Live at the Apollo on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 8:00 p.m. (ET).

Gospel Music Channel will also showcase popular episodes of its Faith & Fame series in February, with episodes featuring Shirley Caesar, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Walter Hawkins and Yolanda Adams as well as a special Front Row Live concert by The Clark Sisters.

For complete television listings, visit www.gospelmusicchannel.com.

Gospel Music Channel (www.gospelmusicchannel.com) is the nation’s first and only 24/7 all music television network devoted to the uplifting, inspiring and diverse music that is gospel/Christian music.  It is one of the fastest-growing cable channels in television today; the network has more-than-doubled availability in 2007 alone and is now carried in all ten of the top ten markets and 23 of the top 25. Gospel Music Channel can be seen on various cable systems around the country.