Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 04/02/25
Uncharted territory? I don’t know if Pat Boone is the oldest musical artist ever to score a hit on the music charts but my guess is that the 90-year-old entertainment icon, six-time Grammy nominee, Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee, movie star and philanthropist is in the top five. His latest success is One – Voices For Tanzania which just debuted at No. 28 on the A/C Adult Contemporary Chart.
The accomplishment is not only a testament to Boone’s lasting influence in the music industry but also his unwavering commitment to humanitarian efforts. As he told me in our recent conversation, the multi-artist recording of the song (which he wrote) is a call to action with proceeds going toward the funding of clean water initiatives and essential services such as food, health care, and education for the people of Tanzania. As a result, significant strides have already been made regarding the financing of a solar-powered well which will provide a sustainable water resource for a village of 2,000 to 5,000 people.
Besides Pat, other artists lending their talents to the recording include Alabama, Deborah Allen, Billy Dean, Larry Gatlin, Vince Gill, Aaron Goodvin, Lee Greenwood, David B. Hooten, Jet Jurgensmeyer, MARK209, Wendy Moten, Pam Tillis, and Due West. The track also features Nashville’s Legacy Mission Village Singers—which includes refugees from Tanzania and Congo and Tanzanian gospel artist Sebastian Silas who recorded the song in Swahili. The project came together with help and vision from producer-arranger Jimmy Nichols and renowned songwriter Frank Myers at Starstruck Entertainment and Blackbird Studio in Nashville.
The song is now available across all streaming platforms. Donations can be made here. All contributions will be matched by WorldServe, doubling the impact of each donation.
In 2010, Boone and his now late wife Shirley established the Pat Boone Family Life Center in Loiborsoit, Tanzania in cooperation with WorldServe and God TV. Through Pat Boone World Missions the couple provided foundational funding for a deep water well, a school and the Shirley Boone Vegetable Garden which continues to feed multiple villages. Their contributions have also helped develop a community center offering critical health services to families in surrounding areas.
According to WorldServe, 319 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live without access to reliable drinking water and 79 percent of rural households are without running water. Every day women and children walk an average of three miles to the nearest water source to collect rationed, contaminated water for drinking, cooking, washing, and bathing.
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Halleujah! The Gospel Music Association has organized the first-ever Christian Music Month. Created to be an annual event, CMM is intended to encourage fans everywhere to listen, engage, and share the power of Christian music. To celebrate, throughout April the Gospel Music Association is partnering with the Grammy Awards’ Recording Academy to launch four exclusive gospel and contemporary Christian music performances via their Positive Vibes Only series featuring Tauren Wells (4/7), Josiah Queen (4/14), Jekalyn Carr (4/21), and Adrienne Bailon & New Breed (4/28).
Christian Music Month has been fully embraced across the industry with Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, and TBN+ all creating official CMM destinations on their platforms. Christian radio is also in support through Christian Music Broadcasters (CMB) and partnerships involving CMM branding on major tours headlined by stars like Forrest Frank, MercyMe, Winter Jam and others.
John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.
Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
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