The Grace Thrillers is a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

group. The group was founded in 1971 by Noel Willis. Although the members have changed over the years, the group remains one of the most internationally recognized Jamaican gospel groups and has performed in many countries including the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Current membership includes founder Noel Willis Jr. Alrick O' Connor, Mary Lewis, Shalli Burchell, Natalie Foster, Cadian Brown, Althea Hemmings and Larry Snow. They have performed with some of the biggest gospel acts, including the Hawkins Family, the Commissions, the Richard Smallwood Singers,

Candi Staton Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's " Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper "Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...

Shirley Caesar Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American gospel singer whose career has spanned seven decades. She has won 11 Grammys in addition to Dove Awards and Stellar Awards; Caesar is kno ...

Jesse Dixon Jesse Dixon (born 20 June 1992) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He is best known for completing the 2012 Bathurst 1000 in the ''Shannons Supercar Showdown'' wildcard. Career results Supercars Championship results Bathu ...

and

The Williams Brothers The Williams Brothers featuring Andy Williams were a singing quartet formed in the mid 1930s. They initially entertained on radio stations and later appeared in four musical films in the 1940s. After recording with Bing Crosby led to a nightc ...

History

In 1984, the group represented the Caribbean in the World Gospel Festival in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In 1986 they were awarded the Rainbow Production Awards for most consistent gospel group and best gospel album, as well as the Tibby's Auto Supplies Award for Spiritual Ministry through Music and Song. In 1987 they won the Rockers Award for Best Gospel Album. They won the Jamaica Music Industry Award (JAMIA) for Best Performing Gospel Group in 1988, and again in 1992, as well as a Gospel Celebrations Award, in 1991, awarded for their contribution and pioneering role in gospel music. In 1991 groups from across Jamaica paid tribute to The Grace Thrillers at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in Kingston. That same year the Mayor of

Opa-Locka, Florida Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss. Developed based on a ''One Thousand and One Nights'' theme, Op ...

proclaimed July 1 as "Grace Thrillers Day".

References

Musical groups established in 1971 Jamaican gospel singers {{Caribbean-band-stub