Norful, Point of Grace, Jernigan get call to Hall
MUSKOGEE — Contemporary Christian artists Smokie Norful, Point of Grace and Dennis Jernigan have been selected for induction in the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Since 1997, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame has been honoring Oklahomans for their lifetime achievements in music, organizing an annual induction ceremony as well as other events.
The 2018 class will be honored July 28 at the first genre-specific induction in the Muskogee-based organization’s history, said Jermaine Mondaine, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame’s new executive director.
“Part of my reasoning and/or thinking as new director is I wanted to try some different things, so we wanted to try genre-specific. That’s not to say that that’s something that we’re going to be do going forward. It’s something that we wanted to do with this induction in particular,” he said.
“In times past whenever we had inductions and we had Christian artists, it could get a little weird … inducting a Christian artist with a secular artist.”
Smokie Norful
A Muskogee native now based in Chicago, Smokie Norful is an internationally known musician, composer, singer and pastor. His 2002 debut release, “I Need You Now,” brought him worldwide recognition. Norful is a multiple Recording Industry Association of America-certified platinum-selling artist and was named Billboard’s Gospel Artist of the Year in 2003 and 2004.
In 2005, Norful received the Grammy Award for Contemporary Soul Gospel Album of the Year for his chart-topping release “Nothing Without You.” Norful in 2015 garnered his second golden gramophone for Best Song/Performance of the Year for “No Greater Love.”
He also has won Dove and Stellar awards and garnered Soul Train and NAACP Image award nominations. He serves as senior pastor of Victory Cathedral Worship Center in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
Point of Grace
With faith-filled and fervent lyrics, memorable melodies and soaring harmonies, the women of Point of Grace have inspired audiences for more than two decades.
The vocal group, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2017, started when Denise Masters (later Denise Jones), Heather Floyd and Terry Lang, who sang together while attending high school in Norman, were all music students at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where Shelley Phillips (later Shelley Breen) was Masters’ roommate.
For the past 10 years, Denise Jones, Shelley Breen and Leigh Cappillino have made up Point of Grace.
The group has sold more than 8 million recordings, earned three Grammy nominations and won multiple Dove Awards and many other accolades. Point of Grace and its story continues to draw fans old and new.
Dennis Jernigan
Based in Muskogee, Dennis Jernigan has penned songs that are sung in churches and at worship gatherings worldwide, including “You Are My All in All,” “Thank You,” “Who Can Satisfy My Soul (There Is a Fountain), “I Belong to Jesus,” “We Will Worship the Lamb of Glory” and many more.
The Boynton native is a worship leader, “song receiver” and author who has released more than 20 full-length CDs, compiled multiple songbooks and folios and authored at least five books.
Gospel Fest
All three honorees are expected to perform at their induction ceremony at 6 p.m. July 28 at the Muskogee Civic Center, 425 Boston St.
The induction concert is set for the second day of a two-day event called Gospel Fest, part of the summer concert series the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame launched this year. The series, which replaced the more elaborate and expensive G Fest Music Festival, started in May with Latin Fest, followed by Soul Fest earlier this month.
“We’re in the Bible Belt, and one of the genres that we have done a notso-good job of covering, which is prominent around here, is gospel or Christian music. So, we decided to do a Gospel Fest,” Mondaine said.
Gospel Fest will start with free family-friendly festivities, including waterslides, food vendors and live music, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 27 outside the Muskogee Civic Center.
The July 28 induction ceremony and concert inside the venue will be a ticketed event. Tickets cost $25 and are available at www.eventbrite. com.
For more information, call 918687-0800 or go to www.omhof. com.