2012 JoyFest
Saturday, July 14th
Kings Dominion

Get your group together and make your plans for this all-out Gospel celebration with Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, Martha Munizzi, Lecrae, VaShawn Mitchell, William McDowell, Humble Tip and Comedian Bone Hampton! Indie artist Hallel H.P. is rounding out the lineup.

Early Bird Special expires June 15th

www.joyfest.org

Lecrae: Lecrae is back with his gritty, southern style and versatile delivery that captivated audiences on his debut release Real Talk. Poised to deliver more truth to the world, Lecrae returns with a much-needed message on his sophomore effort After The Music Stops.

From the beginning of his music ministry, Lecraes heart has always been dedicated to broaden the fans view of who God truly is. Now after extensive touring opportunities across the U.S. to large and small venues, from churches to outdoor stages with audiences ranging from the inner-city to the suburbs, Lecrae has gained a first-hand insight of the issues and struggles that people are facing. After having a chance to see how so many music fans, particularly the youth, are infatuated with modern-day rappers and multi-media stardom, Lecrae wants them to instead become infatuated with Jesus Christ.

While some may look at him as a star or famous rapper, Lecraes only goal in After the Music Stops is to urge listeners to glorify God with their lifestyle by pointing them to the person of Jesus Christ. Lecrae has purposed to let them know that God is more concerned about what life looks like after the music stops. "Im all about representing Christ with your whole life whether that's in a crowd or in everyday life," says Lecrae. He desperately wants everyone to understand Gods call is about a complete lifestyle devoted to the Lord, not just about performing at shows.

Introspective songs like "I Did It For You" and crowd-pleasing tracks such as "Run" showcase Lecraes unique ability to mix his distinctive southern style into a versatile sound of authentic Hip Hop. Keeping a tight connection to his listeners while delivering a heart-convicting message with passionate energy, After the Music Stops is sure to be an inspirational tool in the arsenal of those striving to live for the glory of Christ.

Marvin Sapp: Pastor, Lighthouse Full Life Center Church

Fred Hammond: For more than 25 years, music listeners around the world have known Fred Hammond as a talented songwriter, bassist and vocalist. He is also known throughout the music industry as a gifted musical arranger and producer. But, his work with Face to Face Productions Cor poration, the company for which he is both founder and CEO, has earned him the title the "Babyface" of gospel.

Few gospel artists can boast of the consistency of sales, radio airplay and concert appearances that Hammond has achieved over the course of his career. As a solo artist, founder of the pioneering urban group, Commissioned, and his work with Radical for Christ combined, Fred has sold over 7 million albums and these endeavors have made him a mainstay on Billboard’s Gospel Chart top 10, along with frequent appearances on the magazine’s Heatseekers and Music Video Sales charts. In addition, as if that were not enough, Hammond’s work as a producer has landed him in the #1 spot among gospel producers according to the Gospel Music Round-up. Throughout his professional career, Hammond has maintained a reputation for excellence, racking up numerous awards and nominations including the Grammy, BET, N.A.A.C.P. Image, Stellar, Dove, and GMWA Excellence Awards.

Beyond Hammond’s individual success, his achievements as CEO of Face to Face Productions and the FHammond Music Label have placed him in a class by himself. Since their inception, Hammond has served as producer on more than 80 album projects. With that level of productivity, it is not surprising that the Face to Face sound has dominated the gospel marketplace. Their recent success in bringing the praise and worship format to the African-American church has resulted in the development of a new genre of gospel music, Urban Praise & Worship. As the architect behind the new phenomenon in Gospel music, Fred has become one of the most respected names in the industry. His previous release {Pages of Life} Chapters I & II has exceeded Double Platinum status and held the #1 position on the Billboard Gospel Charts for over 15 weeks. His latest release Free To Worship bombarded Billboard’s #1 position on the Gospel Charts, and was hailed as one of the year’s best-selling gospel albums for 2006. Its debut release entitled “In Case You Missed… And Then Some”, featured brand new artists on the F. Hammond Music Label including Joann Rosario, Shea Norman, & The Singletons and has sold well over 200,000 copies.

The pages continue to turn for the platinum recording artist! Hammond has taken his creative savvy to a higher level moving into from the stage to the big screen with the movie, The Gospel. This feature film was both Executive Produced and Inspired by Hammond, and boasted a stellar cast including Boris Kojo, Nona Gaye, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker and Martha Munizzi. In his latest venture Hammond will serve as producer for the soundtrack to the upcoming feature film Mamma I Wanna Sing.

In addition to Hammond’s studio career, he has continued to take his special brand of gospel to audiences around the world, performing an average of 30 weeks per year. Hammond has headlined thousands of concert dates with an average audience attendance of 3,000, in addition to television appearances on the nationally syndicated Stellar Awards, Lou Rawls Parade of Stars, BET’s Celebration of Gospel Music, BET’s Walk of Fame, N.A.A.C.P.’s A Tribute to Stevie Wonder, 106 & Park and TBN’s highly-rated shows The Pat Boone Show, Praise the Lord, and The 700 Club.

Halfway through his third decade in the industry, Hammond shows no signs of slowing down. In 1997, he shared the stage with Kirk Franklin & Yolanda Adams performing before more than 500,000 people on The Tour of Life, the most successful tour in gospel music history! In 1998, he continued to find touring success as the Creative Director and Featured Artist on Walt “Baby” Love’s Power 98 Tour, ALW’s The Living Proof Tour and ALW’s The Shout 2000 Tour.

Hammond continues to take the entertainment industry by storm, writing and directing the smash hit musical drama “Been There, Done That” with America’s favorite TV Judge, Greg Mathis. As for Hammond’s acting career, this production merely rekindled the fire! In addition to his work on the hit play “Only The Strong”, Hammond has debuted in several Daimler-Chrysler commercials. Hammond has now launched an Urban Entertainment Company fHammond Family Entertainment, Inc. which will provide a complete portfolio of integrated entertainment services that collectively addresses the exclusive needs of the urban family market with core offerings including: a film division releasing direct-to-DVD titles; a music and book publishing division; an online multi-media website including radio programming and streaming video content; theatrical presentations; as well as perpetual music production from new and established artists under the famed, F. Hammond Music label. The products released from the FHFE brand will establish a global presence while conveying universal messages that everyone can embrace.

So as you can see, Hammond is truly on a mission to exceed the bounds of mediocrity!