Featured Guests
Kirk Franklin
Since his debut, 1993's Kirk Franklin & the Family, Kirk Franklin has been one of the brightest stars in contemporary gospel music. The album spent 100 weeks on the gospel charts (some of those on top), crossed over to the R&B charts, and became the first gospel debut album to go platinum. His second album, Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas, became the genre's first Christmas album to make it to number one, and his 1996 album Whatcha Lookin' 4 went gold as soon as it was distributed. With such phenomenal success, it is small wonder that some have hailed him "the Garth Brooks of gospel." Still, despite all the adulation and brouhaha, Franklin remains a humble, devout Christian, eschewing the title "entertainer" in favor of labeling himself as just a "church boy."
Franklin's road to the top, though quick, was far from smooth. Abandoned by his mother and never having known his father, Franklin was reared by his Aunt Gertrude, a deeply religious woman who raised him as a strict Baptist. When he was four, she paid for his piano lessons by collecting aluminum cans. The lessons were money well spent, for Franklin was a natural musician who could sight read and play by ear with equal facility. At age 11, he was leading the Mt. Rose Baptist Church adult choir near Dallas. Despite, or because of, his church background, Franklin began rebelling in his teens and getting into trouble until one of his friends was accidentally shot and killed at age 15. Realizing that he had chosen a bad road, Franklin returned to the fold and began composing songs, recording, and conducting. Since 1991, he has been backed up by his 17-member choir, the Family, a group comprising friends and associates from his younger days (interestingly, one member of the Family, Jon Drummond, made it to the semi-finals heat of the 100-meter sprint at the 1996 Olympics). Support from his pastor, his wife Tammy, whom he married in early 1996, and the two children they brought to the marriage help keep Franklin close to his religious core, and he returned in 1998 with Nu Nation Project. The album topped the Billboard Top 200 charts (peaking at number seven) and remained on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart for 49 weeks, paving the way for Franklin's third Grammy (Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album).
Over the course of the next few years, Franklin worked on the soundtrack of the movie Kingdom Come (contributing the single "Thank You") and released another album, 2002's The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin. Making good on the success of its predecessor, the disc soared to number four on the Billboard 200 chart and spent 29 weeks on the Gospel Albums chart. Two more chart-topping albums emerged out in the next four years, Hero (2005) and Songs for the Storm, Vol. 1 (2006), both of which topped the gospel charts at the time of their release. Hero went on to win two Grammys in late 2006. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Music Guide (bio as presented on aol.music.com)
Pastor John Hannah
 Throughout Pastor Hannah’s life and ministry, God continues to show Himself as the Lord of all flesh and demonstrates to and through Pastor Hannah that there is nothing too hard for Him. This is especially evidence in the supernatural increase in the NLCO, where John Hannah serves as the Senior Pastor. The ministry was established in March 2004, and is one of the fastest growing churches in the Chicagoland area. NLCO currently holds three worship services.
Deeply rooted in biblical principles, the church’s branches extend beyond its four walls and touch the community through monthly outreaches. Pastor Hannah is committed to reaching the poor and making an impact in the lives of the less fortunate by spreading the love and abundance of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Hannah is the host of the #1 rated “Morning Praise Party” on gospel radio1390AM - WGRB in Chicago, where he reaches across the airwaves, internet and touches the hearts of millions.
Pastor Hannah has many years of ministry experience and is a renowned motivational speaker, preacher, and teacher. Pastor Hannah is passionate about breaking down walls of religion and denominationalism. He strives to create a church consisting of individuals from diverse races, cultures, and backgrounds who join together for the common purpose of worshipping God.
Such a vision was first realized when Pastor Hannah served as the Founder and President of the Inner City Youth Spring Break Conference, the largest youth conference in the city of Chicago. The Conference was developed to bring together youth of various ethnic, denominational and economic backgrounds, in an atmosphere of unity and fellowship.
Pastor Hannah holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Alabama State University.
Pastor Hannah was born and raised in Chicago and has been married since 1993 to his wife, Anna!
Canton Jones
 Part singer, songwriter, producer, and vocal arranger, Canton “CJ” Jones, a Deerfield Beach, Florida native, has entertained over 500,000 people in the past year few years, sold nearly 100,000 units independently; and has several songs in regular rotation in the U.S. and abroad, including the steppers groove “Love Song,” the cleverly penned “Stay Saved” and the uncompromising street anthem “The Password.” On any given day he can be found sharing the stage with hip hop heavyweights like T.I., David Banner and Ludacris to name a few; established creative geniuses like John Legend, Kirk Franklin and Patti LaBelle; and Gospel powerhouses like Smokie Norful, Dr. Bobby Jones and Kiki Clark-Sheard – the youngest member of the Clark dynasty. Canton’s unlimited repertoire, massive crowd appeal, and global fan base have set him on a course destined to shake the very core of hip hop, urban gospel, and R&B. Jones is signed to Arrow Records, a label owned and operated by Pastor Taffi Dollar, World Changers Church International in College Park, GA.
And his crossover appeal is undeniable. From urban youth with their pants sagging low, to progressive ministries that support Canton’s unique blend of hip hop, urban gospel and R&B, to middle age music lovers who remember how it was “back in the day, ” fans have embraced Canton’s lyrical edginess and warmed up to his heart felt ballads. On Kingdom Business, he gets down to business with his most creative album to date. Impacting radio with the smash hit “My Day”, Kingdom Business is an eclectic mix of undeniable street anthems and melodic story lines that take listeners from the streets to the suites to handle the business of life. The new album, distributed by Arrow Records, boasts Jones’ best work to date. With My Day currently climbing the charts, Canton recently dropped the gritty, urban riders’ anthem Living Clean (Riding Mean)spinning in heavy rotation on popular mix tape shows and creating a major buzz on Myspace and YouTube.
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