Dave Hollister Makes Transition From R&B To Gospel
If there is any artist that can testify to both the triumph and the treachery of the music industry, it is singer/songwriter Dave Hollister. Over a career that started in the late ‘80s, he has worked with some of the biggest artists in gospel, contributed to a number of film soundtracks, and recorded hit solo CDs. But he has too often been done dirty by the sharks that infest the “music biz.”
After taking a hard look at his life, his calling and his blessing as an artist who can truly affect people with the things he sings and writes, Hollister is embarking upon a profound shift in the music he makes. This “new beginning” is marked by his fifth project, The Book of David: Transition. For those not acquainted with Hollister as an artist or a man, much of what you need to know about this album is right there in the title. Book of David means that the album, like his previous ones, is largely autobiographical, reflecting things he’s lived, felt, seen and deems pertinent to light life’s path for others. Transition means that this is a work from a man at a crossroads.
The roots of Hollister’s life turn and subsequent CD came after a New Year’s 2004 show he did in Dallas. “The whole hotel was sold out and we were playing in the main ballroom. But after the show, the promoter ran off with the money. I had to go home to my family with not a penny to show for why I wasn’t home that holiday. This wasn’t the first time this kind of thing had happened to me and I couldn’t take it no more. I got on my knees and asked God to deliver me from this situation.”
Hollister’s whole life began changing before his eyes. He dropped his management company and asked for a release from his secular recording contract. Sadly, his divorce from his wife was also finalized. In June, he moved from L.A. back to his mother’s house in Chicago where he began mending his relationship with God.
“My brother-in-law, Jesse Wright, was instrumental in bringing me back to church,” Hollister witnesses. “When we weren’t in church, we were in my sister’s basement just writing. Songs were coming to me in 15 minutes! I knew that was nothing but God.”
Among his outpouring of new songs are the heartbreakingly detailed “Divorce” and “Courtroom,” which take the listener through the rollercoaster of emotions at hand when a couple decides they can no longer live as one. Other highlighted songs from The Book of David: Transition address issues that recent and/or recommitted Christians deal with as they strive hard to take a closer walk with God. As always, Hollister does not sugarcoat the process. “I’m a new Christian,” he explained, “and still struggling with some things.” Perhaps strongest of all is the Warryn Campbell-produced ‘Lord Help Me.’ That’s the song I want to be the first single…one of the most real songs on the CD,” affirms Hollister.
One substantial sacrifice Hollister will have to make now that he is “born again” is giving up performing all of his R&B hits, songs that are still loved by fans to this day. “That’s a little tough because those songs made me who I am,” Hollister laments. “But I’m a minister now…and I will not go back on my word to God.
“I’ve never had as much fun making an album as I did The Book of David: Transition,” Hollister concludes. “Finally, I was free. And there’s nothing like being at peace.”

Renowned Artist Shows The World Who She Is
With one of the most remarkable voices in modern music, multi-platinum selling artist Kelly Price pays homage to her faith with the release Oct. 24 of This Is Who I Am. The CD was recorded live with the help of special guest vocalists in front of a 1,500 person congregation in Price’s former church in Long Island, N.Y.
Born and raised in Queens, Price’s musical talent showed itself at an early age. Many nights the household was awakened to the sound of Kelly singing out from her crib. She wrote her first song when she was seven years old, and sang on her first recording at nine. By 18, she was recording and touring the world with pop diva Mariah Carey.
In the years to come, Price would share her musical gifts with an A-list of legendary artists including George Michael, Aretha Franklin, LL Cool J, and Ronald Isley among others.
It was her connection with Isley that resulted in her debut solo effort, Soul of a Woman. That 1998 CD delivered the #1 smash hit, “Friend of Mine,” written by Price. She followed with the platinum-selling Mirror Mirror in 2000. Price broke chart records by reaching Billboard’s top spot twice with the same song, all without the benefit of a music video.
A plethora of albums later, this award-winning singer has only began to show what she is capable of. With the release of her first gospel CD, This Is Who I Am, Price expands her reach once again.
Written, arranged, and produced by Price, the CD merges soul, R&B and even a dash of rock into an exciting, seamless recording. “This Is Who I Am is a tribute to the strength, joy, and direction I receive everyday from my relationship with God,” said Price.
Price’s voice is indeed a celestial gift, hand waving in its potency and deep-rooted passion.

Fred Hammond Releases 25th Anniversary CD: Free to Worship
For more than 25 years, gospel listeners around the world have known Fred Hammond as a talented songwriter, bassist and vocalist. Throughout that time, he has been known in the music industry as a gifted musical arranger and producer. His work with Face to Face Productions Corporation, a company he founded, earned him the title, the “Babyface” of gospel.
As a solo artist and member of the group Commissioned, he sold nearly two million albums. Since retiring from that group, his work with Radical for Christ has made him a mainstay on Billboard’s Gospel Chart Top 10. His new group has headlined thousands of concert dates, in addition to numerous TV appearances. Hammond is the architect behind the new phenomenon in gospel music–Urban Praise and Worship.
Throughout his professional life, Hammond has maintained a reputation for excellence. The tradition continues on his latest release, Free to Worship, an outpouring of the heart and soul of this beloved artist that ushers in a spirit of praise that is at once reverent, celebratory, and impassioned. “I wrote it so that everybody can sing to it,” said Hammond. “…while they’re doing dishes, while they’re in the car…and they will get joy out of these songs. The album really has that ‘Spirit of David’ feel. We did music that can go everywhere and that people will enjoy everywhere. It’s the kind of unique gospel music that I grew up with.”
It’s evident on Free to Worship that Hammond poured out not only true emotion but pure delight into every component of this project. All in all, Free to Worship is a triumphant Fred Hammond production that once again raises the bar for contemporary gospel music.