The Stellar Award-winning Canton Spirituals, with lead vocalist Harvey Watkins Jr., headlined a recent free gospel concert at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, sharing the stage with Paul Porter and the Christianaires and The Expressions of Faith.
Tim Lewis, founder of 4D Traders/4D Fitness, sponsored the concert.
The evening drew an enthused crowd of concertgoers full of anticipation for the gospel performers. Crowd members could be heard saying how long it had been since they had seen some of the performers, reminiscing about the joyous feelings some of the featured artists’ biggest hits had brought them and how inspiring some songs have continued to be over the years.
Wayne served as master of ceremonies with church-related jokes and lighthearted fun.
The Expressions of Faith opened the show with a wave of energy, getting the crowd moving with reworked traditional gospel hits and testimonies that stirred emotion.
Paul Porter invigorated the crowd further with songs such as “Ain’t No Way I Can Lose” and the gospel classic “Two Wings,” and many audience members were encouraged to join the group in the aisles to congregate as followers of the Holy Spirit. The Canton Spirituals closed the show with crowd favorites such as “Searching,” “(Clean Up What I’ve Messed Up) Starting My Life Over” and “Heavenly Choir.”