The London Community Gospel Choir is Britain's first renowned contemporary "performance touring, inspirational gospel choir band", fusing gospel with multi-genres of music, including pop, soul, jazz, R&B, and classical. It was founded in 1982 and has gone on to provide backing for performers such as

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

, and

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

History

The London Community Gospel Choir was founded in 1982 by the Reverend Bazil Meade, with Lawrence Johnson, Delroy Powell, and John Francis. Francis would later go onto form The Inspirational Choir of the Pentecostal First Born Church of the Living God. Initially, the idea was for a single concert, and this was staged by a 120-strong choir before an audience of more than a thousand people. The one-off event gave rise to a permanent choir, performing internationally for over 25 years. The success of the first event led to enquiries for the choir to appear on television and radio and at various corporate functions across the United Kingdom and Europe. The choir debuted on television with a performance on

Channel Four Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service i ...

's ''

Black on Black ''Black on Black'' is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1982 in music, 1982. Background By 1981, Jennings excessive lifestyle had caught up to him financially. Despite a string of #1 albums and ...

''. In December 2003, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described the choir as "controversial, professional, energetic, inspiring and spirit-filled!" The choir is known for its funk-flavoured gospel, swing-beat,

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

, traditional, and soulful arrangements, with lively choreography and vocal gymnastics.

Notable performances

* 1992: joined

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

's performance of

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

's " Somebody to Love" and "

We Are the Champions "We Are the Champions" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released from the band's sixth album ''News of the World'' (1977). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems.

" finale at

The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was a benefit concert held on Easter Monday, 20 April 1992, at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom for an audience of 72,000. The concert was produced for television by Ray Burdis, d ...

. * 1994: joined

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

's performance of "

Impossible Dream ''Impossible Dream'' is the fourth studio album (fifth album overall) by the American folk musician Patty Griffin, released on April 20, 2004. The album features an unlisted song – Griffin’s mother and father singing “The Impossible Dream ...

" at The Royal Albert Hall

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

on 13 September. * 1996: LCGC performed for the former South African president

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

during his first visit to London in July 1996. The choir sang in August 2007 as a statue of Nelson Mandela was unveiled at a ceremony in

Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and it contai ...

, London. * 2005 backing

Live 8 Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 200 ...

performance of her single " Like a Prayer" in

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

, London. * 2005–2006: LCGC performed "Don't Get Lost In Heaven" and "Demon Days" with

at the

Demon Days Live Demon Days Live was a limited concert tour performed by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, in support of their second studio album ''Demon Days''. Demon Days Live consisted of two residencies, with five shows played at the Man ...

concert tour. * 2009: performed the traditional hymn "

Abide with Me "Abide with Me" is a Christian hymn by Scottish Anglican cleric Henry Francis Lyte. A prayer for God to stay with the speaker throughout life and in death, it was written by Lyte in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis. It is most often sung ...

" at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

to open the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

final between

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and Everton. * 2011: joined

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

at Hyde Park in 2011 on the song "Holy Mother". * 2012: joined

at Hyde Park in 2012 on the song " Wow". * 2012: LCGC joined Blur to perform " Tender" at the 2012

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

. The choir also featured on the original song recording in 1999 and also in the music video. * 2016: performed in front of the Royal family at the Queen's 90th Birthday - Patron's Lunch at the Mall. * 2017: joined

The 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer G ...

at The Brit Awards to perform "The Sound". * 2018: joined

at The Brit Awards to perform " Say Something". * 2019: joined The 1975 at The Brit Awards to perform "

Sincerity Is Scary "Sincerity Is Scary" is a song by the English band The 1975 from their third studio album, ''A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships'' (2018). The song was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel (musician), George Daniel, Adam Hann ...

" and joined

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

to perform "

Just Give Me a Reason "Just Give Me a Reason" is a song recorded by American singer Pink featuring Nate Ruess of the band Fun. The song was chosen as the third single from Pink's sixth studio album, '' The Truth About Love'' (2012). Written alongside producer Jeff Bh ...

". * 2022: auditioned for Britain's Got Talent and reached the semi-finals

Recordings

The choir recorded a version of the OutKast song "

Hey Ya! "Hey Ya!" is a song performed by American hip-hop duo Outkast, specifically group member André 3000, who wrote and produced the song. Along with "The Way You Move", recorded by Outkast's other member Big Boi, "Hey Ya!" was released by Arista ...

" with

Razorlight Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Delemo ...

(the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to their single "

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

"), featured on

Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 Pop Idol (series 1), inaugural series of the ITV (TV network), ITV talent contest ''Pop Idol'', making him the f ...

's debut album ''

From Now On From Now On may refer to: Film * ''From Now On'' (1920 film), an American film of 1920 * ''From Now On'' (film), a 2007 Portuguese film directed by Catarina Ruivo Music Albums * ''From Now On'' (Jaki Graham album) or the title song, 1989 * ''Fro ...

'', and sang on Blur's hit, " Tender". They also provided backing vocals on

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

's 1995 self-titled album, and throughout the

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian rock music, rock band formed in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its care ...

double album '' Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus'' (2005). They also performed on the songs "Don't Get Lost in Heaven" and "Demon Days" on

' ''

Demon Days ''Demon Days'' is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was first released on 11 May 2005 in Japan and on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. Produced by the band, ...

'' album. The choir has also recorded with

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporarily di ...

, Elkie Brooks,

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

Drumsound and Bassline Smith Drumsound & Bassline Smith are a British electronic music production group, consisting of Andy Wright and Ben Wiggett (the duo known as Drumsound) along with Simon 'Bassline' Smith. They met at one of Derby's club nights in the summer of 1998. ...

, Paper Route, Dermot Kennedy, Gregory Porter, The 1975, and Brockhampton. The choir recorded the backing track for "

Circle of Life "Circle of Life" is a song from Disney's 1994 animated film ''The Lion King''. Composed by English musician Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song was performed by Carmen Twillie (the deep female lead vocals) and Lebo M. (opening vocals ...

", as part of the original motion picture soundtrack to ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...

'', which went on to be nominated for the

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the 1995

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. They also made a guest vocal appearance on

Billie Piper Billie Paul Piper (born Leian Paul Piper; 22 September 1982) is an English actress and former singer. She initially gained recognition as a singer after releasing her debut single "Because We Want To" at age 15, which made her the youngest woman ...

's hit song "

Honey to the Bee "Honey to the Bee" is a song by English singer turned actress Billie Piper from her debut studio album, ''Honey to the B'' (1998). It was released on 22 March 1999 and debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, which became its peak positio ...

". The Edge of LCGC, a branch of the choir, released a limited-edition album, ''Keep Moving'', as part of their yearly five-night residency at London's

Jazz Café The Jazz Cafe is a music venue in Camden Town, London. It opened in 1990 on the former premises of a branch of Barclays Bank and has had several owners throughout its history as a music venue. In 2020 the Jazz Cafe celebrates its 30th year, h ...

. The full version was released in Spring 2008. In 2009, the choir recorded a charity single named "

I Got Soul "I Got Soul" is a 2009 charity single by charity group War Child UK, recorded by Young Soul Rebels. It was released on 19 October 2009. It is a cover of The Killers' " All These Things That I've Done". A spokesman for War Child UK said, "We're ...

" for War Child. In October 2009, this single reached #10 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, giving the London Community Gospel Choir its first top ten hit. The choir featured on the Artists for Grenfell charity single " Bridge Over Troubled Water" in 2017.

Discography

* ''Fill My Cup'' (1983) * ''Feel the Spirit'' (1986) * ''Gospel Greats'' (1990) * ''Hush and Listen'' (1992) * ''Live! Inspiration and Power'' (1996) * ''Out of Many, One Voice'' (1998) * ''Joy to the World'' (1999) * ''Force Behind the Power'' (2001) * ''Negro Spirituals and Gospel Songs'' (2002) * ''Live at Abbey Road: 21st Anniversary Concert'' (2003) * ''Keep Moving'' (Limited Edition) (2007) * ''Glorious'' (2010) * ''The Best of LCGC: Celebrating 30 Years'' (2012) * ''Peace This Christmas'' (2014)

Bibliography

* Bazil Meade, with Jan Greenough, ''A Boy, a Journey, a Dream: The Story of Bazil Meade and the London Community Gospel Choir''. London: Monarch Books, 2011.

Awards

*1983: Oasis Gospel Music Awards - Choir of the Year *1985: Gospel Music Awards - Best Choir *1985: Gospel Music Awards - Best Record - ''Gospel Greats'' - LCGC *1986: The Greenbelt Festival Award for Services to Gospel Music - Rev. Bazil Meade *1985: The Commonwealth Institute Caribbean Focus Award *1994: The London Gospel Music Awards - Special Contribution to Music *1994/1995: Black Gospel Media Arts Network - UK Music Director of the Year *2002: Oasis Music Awards - Best British Choir *2002: Oasis Music Awards - Contribution to Gospel Music Special Award *2012: Urban Music Awards - Best Gospel Act *2017:

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

awarded to Bazil Meade for Services to Music, especially the development of British Gospel Music

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:London Community Gospel Choir Gospel music groups London choirs Musical groups from London Rak Records artists Musical groups established in 1982 1982 establishments in England