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Shadow Mountain Music Group released LDS Superhits of the ‘80s May 24. It is a collection of the greatest LDS songs of the 1980s from some of the bestselling LDS artists of all time.

This 18-song collection features well-known artists such as Michael McLean, Kenneth Cope, Julie de Azevedo, Afterglow, and many more. Rediscover old classics such as “His Hands” and “I Heard Him Come.”

In a time of an extensive and rapidly growing LDS entertainment community, this album celebrates the young days of LDS music and the trail-blazing artists who paved the way. Relive these enduring songs and see why they have touched the hearts of Latter-day Saints for so many years and still many years to come.

Tracks include:

• Keep Trying, Bryce Neubert


• His Hands, Kenneth Cope


• Like a Lighthouse, Michael Webb


• Hold On, the Light Will Come, Michael McLean


• More Than Just a Man, Julie de Azevedo


• I Heard Him Come, Afterglow


• Greater Than Us All, Kenneth Cope


• One Star, One Savior, Michael Webb


• Until He Finds You, Vicky Pahnke


• Win the Race, Kenneth Cope, Julie de Azevedo, Randy Thorndenson


• Hero Shining Through, Roger Hoffman


• Be That Friend, Michael McLean


• Can You See Beyond, Bryce Neubert


• If You Only Knew, Steve James


• Simon Peter (Follow Me), Wanda Lindstrom


• The Greatest Gift, Afterglow


• O Lord My Redeemer, Brett Raymond


• Will He Really Answer Me, Michael McLean

Media Contact: Krista Q. Maurer
Director of Publicity and Media Relations
Shadow Mountain Music Group
Phone: 801.517.3371
kmaurer AT shadowmountain DOT com

Lauri Carrigan has been voted Best Individual Artist in the 2005 Best of State competition. Though relatively new to the music scene, with her first Album release in October of 2004, Carrigan joins long-time favorites such as Julie de Azevedo, Kenneth Cope and Jessie Clark on the list of Best of State Individual Artists.

Carrigan was given the award after being evaluated on three categories: overall quality and excellence, innovation and creativity, contribution to the community.

Currently, Carrigan is writing and composing music for her second album, scheduled to be released within a year. Though she is working hard on her music her family and maintaining a proper balance in life are her top priorities.

“Writing good music,” Lauri Carrigan stated as she described what fun is. “Not just good music, but really good music, music that makes you go mmm! The best fun is when one of my songs touches someone that needed a touch that day, or watching my children’s soccer games and yelling like a crazy woman. I feel as if I am in such a good place in my life right now, musically, mentally, personally, spiritually, it is all coming together.

For more information about upcoming concerts or the release of her new album please visit www.lauricarrigan.com or email Lauri at lauri AT lauricarrigan DOT com

First chair violinist for the National Symphony Orchestra, Jenny Oaks Baker, will release The Jenny Oaks Baker Collection, with Salt Lake City’s Shadow Mountain Music Group April 19.

Baker, one of America’s most accomplished classical violinists, combines years of performing experience with 16 new arrangements of traditional hymns for a serenely transcendent result.

Baker began playing the violin at age four, and made her solo debut in 1983 when she was only eight years old. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Baker went on to receive a master of Music degree from the renowned Julliard School in New York City.

In April 1999, Baker debuted at Carnegie Hall as a featured soloist in the Easter Festival Concert. She was a guest soloist with the Jerusalem Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Utah Symphony, the Orchestra at Temple Square, and the internationally acclaimed Mormon Tabernacle Choir in national television and radio broadcasts. Baker was also a guest artist in “An Evening of Celebration” with President Gordon B. Hinckley, a musical program for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints viewed around the world.

Baker’s experience in performing transfers to the recording studio as evident in her five best-selling albums. Her debut, On Wings of Song was released in 1998, followed by Songs My Mother Taught Me, Where Love Is, American Tapestry, and The Light Divine in 2003.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Dallin H. and the late June Oaks Baker now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband Matthew and their three daughters—Laura June, Hannah Jean and Sarah Noelle.

For more information, please visit www.jennyoaksbaker.com

Inspirational Music Icon, Kenneth Cope, Releases Enhanced Edition of My Servant Joseph

Thousands were turned away when Kenneth Cope took his album My Servant Joseph on tour in 1994. It was the first event of its kind and popularity was immediate. In honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Smith, Cope has released an enhanced, digitally re-mastered edition of this best-selling album.

My Servant Joseph, the 200th Anniversary Edition, in stores now, includes six new songs demonstrating Cope’s songwriting prowess and contemplative nature as he reflects on the life of Joseph Smith Jr.

Few musicians have impacted a culture or genre as acutely and intensely as has this composer, producer, performer, songwriter, and singer. Cope consistently sets the standard for excellence in inspirational LDS music.

In addition to his seven albums, Cope ventured into the world of film scoring, by writing and producing an original score for Joseph Smith, the Seer, an interactive CD-ROM that explores and examines the life of the prophet. Currently, Cope is collaborating with author Susan Easton Black and artist Liz Lemon Swindle on a multimedia presentation to chronicle the life of Christ, titled Son of Man.

Recognizing Cope’s achievements, the Faith Centered Music Association (FCMA) has awarded him numerous PEARL Awards over the years including Male Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Album of the Year. Stories from Eden’s Garden garnered Cope an Indie nomination for Contemporary Christian Album of the Year from the Association for Independent Music and in 2003, Cope received the Best of State Award for Male Vocalist of the Year.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s birth throughout 2005 with a combination of performances, media presentations, documentaries, and a new film exploring the process through which Joseph was prepared, tutored, and refined to fulfill his prophetic calling.

For more information about Kenneth or Joseph Smith please visit www.kennethcope.com and www.lds.org.

Inspirational Music Icon Celebrates 20 Years with First Album in Three Years

An icon in inspirational music, Kenneth Cope has blazed a legacy of excellence throughout his extensive career. Such a legacy is now intimately captured on his first album in three years, Face To Face, Kenneth Cope Collection.

Face to Face includes two new songs as well as favorites from each of Cope’s previous best-selling albums. These include such classics as “His Hands,” “Face To Face,” “Brothers,” and “Never a Better Hero.”

In the three year’s since his last album, Cope took time to mentor and produce new artist, Mindy Gledhill and her debut album, The Sum of All Grace. He also ventured into the world of film scoring, by writing and producing an original score for Joseph Smith, The Seer, an interactive CD-ROM that explores and examines the life of the prophet. Currently, Kenneth is collaborating with author Susan Easton Black and artist Liz Lemon Swindle on the much anticipated multimedia chronicle of the life of Christ, titled Son of Man.

Few musicians have impacted a culture or genre as acutely and intensely as this composer, producer, performer, songwriter, and singer. Beginning his career in 1986 by recording the theme song for a Christian youth album, Cope went on to compose numerous songs for seven more youth compilations. His first solo album, Heaven—Don’t Miss It For The World (1987), was followed by the best-selling and critically acclaimed, Greater Than Us All (1989). Cope demonstrated his songwriting prowess and contemplative nature by producing two thematic albums: My Servant Joseph (1993) and Women at the Well (1995) before recording Eden’s Garden (1998), A Prayer unto Thee (1999) and Hear My Praise (2002).

“I strongly believe if we are doing the things God wants us to do with our lives, He will open the way for us to continue in our path and consistently bring about more good,” Cope said.

For more information, please visit www.kennethcope.com.

Media Contact: Krista Q. Maurer

Director of Publicity and Media Relations

Shadow Mountain Music Group

phone: 801.517.3371

kmaurer at shadowmountain.com

I started a Planet LDS. Planet is a python based feed aggregator that reads a selected number of RSS, RDF, or Atom feeds and combines them into one single weblog. There are many different Planet sites such as Planet Apache, Planet Java, Planet Mozilla, etc. Now there is a Planet LDS. I only have about a dozen feeds added but that will change as soon as I get some time. I plan on adding most of the LDS blogs that post on a regular basis.

The look is atrocious but it’s all I have time for now. Perhaps down the road I’ll look at the design. Why did I create it? I don’t know. Because I could, I guess. It’s run by a single Cron job that updates the posts every hour. No worries. Now you can read all your favorite blogs from one place.

I haven’t reported the numbers for currently released LDS themed movies in awhile, so here we go.

Best Two Years, The Halestorm Entertainment $992,170 in 192 days

Saints and Soldiers Excel Entertainment $489,316 in 24 days

Napoleon Dynamite Fox Searchlight $22,380,194 in 80 days. Yeah, you’re not reading that wrong. Twenty two MILLION dollars in 80 days!! The budget was only $400,000. There are a couple new millionaires on the BYU campus.

Pride and Prejudice Excel Entertainment $372,752 in 206 days.

Work and the Story, The Off-Hollywood $16,137 in 248 days.

Home Teachers, The $202,268 in 94 days

Book of Mormon Movie $1,581,093 in 213 days.

In case you haven’t heard, Elder Maxwell passed away last night after a fight with leukemia.

Here are the winners for the 2004 Pearl Awards: (Thanks Jeff Goldman)

SACRED RECORDING

Be Still My Soul
Album: I Know He Lives
Artist: Eclipse (Kirk Mecham, Shayne Taylor, Dan Kartchner, Patrick Rose, Brandon Ellison, Kevin Jones, Paul Hanson)
Arranger: Eclipse and Michael R. Hicks
Producer: Eclipse

INSPIRATIONAL RECORDING

Clay In His Hands
Album: Clay In His Hands
Artist: Jessie Clark
Songwriter: Jenny Jordan Frogley
Producer: Greg Hansen

Read the rest of this entry »

Found on A Soft Answer, President Bush will award President Hinckley the Medal of Freedom.

Article on LDS musicians in Nashville.

Launch of a new church website featuring resources for Melchizedek Priesthood, Aaronic Priesthood, Young Men, Relief Society, Young Women, Primary, Sunday School, and Military Relations. Thanks Kim.

A Soft Answer reported that the Church will begin requiring a temple recommend to purchase garments. I remember when I first started purchasing garments in the late 70’s I had to show my temple recommend. Maybe it was just a local policy?

The new Temple Square website.

I didn’t know this.

...during President Brigham Young’s administration, the Word of Wisdom was not a requirement for a temple recommend or fellowship in the LDS Church…during the 19th century, the stress was on moderation rather than abstinence.

Found via A Soft Answer. First Presidency Expresses Condolences to Family of President Ronald Reagan.

The Restoration Church of Jesus Christ teaches that “Joseph Smith restored the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth and that the Book of Mormon is an authentic scripture.” One might not be able to tell the difference between the Restored Church of Jesus Christ and the LDS church but for a few differences.

• Members can have sexual relationships with anyone else and still receive the blessings of the gospel. The only requirement for sexual relations is to have mutual respect and love for each other.


• The Restored Church has endowment ceremonies but they do not do them as proxies for others nor do baptism for the dead.


• The church believes in the same scriptures used by the LDS Church, but also has its own book of scripture, Hidden Treasures and Promises, which contains revelations members believe were given to church leaders by God.


• Unlike the LDS Church, which limits priesthood membership to males 12 and older, the Restoration Church allows women to hold the priesthood and any church office, including president.


• Members believe in a Heavenly Mother along with Heavenly Father and speak openly about her.


• They believe in the Word of Wisdom, which forbids the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, but that it is a health guideline, not a requirement for church callings or temple recommends, documents that attest to a candidate’s “worthiness” to enter the temple.

The president of the Restored church put it this way, “My own feeling is that those who have the law will be judged by it, and those who don’t have the law will not.” How cool is that?

Mitt Romney in the The Christian Science Monitor

As reported earlier, LDS.org has added a new section to their website titled Hymns – LDS Church Music. I don’t think it has officially been released but my good friend Kim Siever guessed the correct URL and found the hidden gem.

You can browse around for yourself but one very cool feature is you can listen to any church hymn, read the lyrics, learn some background on the song and even download it. It doesn’t appear to be functional just yet but all looks very cool.

The 175th anniversary of the restoration of the priesthood will be commemorated with a special worldwide satellite broadcast originating in the Conference Center auditorium in Salt Lake City on Sunday, May 16, 2004, at 6:00 p.m. Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood holders are encouraged to meet together in chapels to view the broadcast.