“Glee” star Amber Riley among performers at 2012 Celebration of Gospel

Taped at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on March 16, the two-hour Celebration of Gospel — Rise Up! Renew! Rejoice! will premiere on television this Sunday, April 1, at 8pm ET/PT on BET. Steve Harvey once again serves as host of the telecast, which brings mainstream artists and gospel greats together.

Among the performances: Ricky Dillard and New G Choir join R&B sensation Johnny Gill to open the show with a performance of “He Turned It”; original Dreamgirl Jennifer Holliday and Glee star Amber Riley join gospel legends Pastor Shirley Caesar and Yolanda Adams to pay tribute to Mahalia Jackson, the “Mother of Gospel Music”, with a medley of songs including “Precious Lord,” “Move on Up a Little Higher”; “His Eye is on the Sparrow” and “How I Got Over”; a tribute to Whitney Houston recalls the singer’s gospel roots as Kelly Price offers her rendition of “Jesus Loves Me”; Kirk Franklin and Mali Music perform their new hit, “Give Me”; James Fortune & FIYA featuring Zacardi Cortez and Le’Andria Johnson perform “It Could Be Worse”; and more.

Along with the musical performances, Dr. Bobby Jones and actress Wendy Raquel Robinson deliver spoken-word selections.


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Credit: BET