Super Bowl Gospel Celebration To Commemorate 15th Anniversary with Mega-Event, Kicking Off Super Bowl XLVIII Weekend

NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is set to return for its 15^th anniversary, kicking-off Super Bowl XLVIII Weekend on January 31, 2014 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The spirit-filled mega-show will bring together music and praise, all for the love of America's favorite sport: football.

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Named by USA Today as "One of the Best Super Bowl Events to Attend," Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is the only National Football League (NFL) sanctioned gospel concert, bringing together the NFL Players Choir, Grammy Award-winning artists, special guests and performers, all on one stage to kick-off Super Bowl Weekend.

At this year's milestone event, Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is pleased to announce three-time Grammy Award-winning Gospel artist and Pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in New York, Donnie McClurkin, as the first confirmed talent to perform on this dynamic night of praise in The Big Apple. (More talent to be announced soon).

Also joining the line-up is the NFL Players Choir, composed exclusively of current and former players, the choir has become one of the most anticipated performances during Super Bowl Weekend. Several Christian NFL players who wanted to share their faith through their musical talents in song formed the Choir. The group offers fans an opportunity to see a very personal side of the players off the field, as they make joyful noise. Celebrating its eighth-year anniversary, the NFL Players Choir includes more than 40 members, including Hall Of Famers and Pro Bowlers.

"The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration has been a formal sanctioned partner for 15 years, and has played an integral role in bringing together fans and football players under one roof with a shared love of inspirational music," said Tisha Ford, NFL Director of Events Business Development.

"This year we celebrate the 15th Anniversary of bringing even more power and celebration to one of the biggest events of the year — the Super Bowl," says Melanie Few-Harrison, Creator and Executive Producer of Super Bowl Gospel Celebration.  "Each year we aim to make the concert bigger than the last with artists and special guests from all backgrounds and this year will be no different!  We are thrilled to have American Family Insurance return this year as our Presenting Sponsor and formidable partner in making the event a family-oriented concert. Super Bowl XLVIII in New York will be our biggest yet!"

"This is our fourth year serving as Presenting Sponsors of this widely celebrated event. Super Bowl Gospel brings together some of the greatest gospel talents of our time and allows us to engage "Dreamers" in a profound way," said, Telisa Yancy, Vice President of Marketing for American Family Insurance.

Over the course of fifteen years, Super Bowl Gospel Celebration has brought together amazing performances and special guests including Patti LaBelle, Anita Baker, Gladys Knight, Yolanda Adams, Kelly Price, Natalie Grant, The Clark Sisters, Wes Morgan and many more. Most recently, the 2013 event was hosted by Emmy Award-winning co-host of ABC's "The View," Sherri Shepherd, and seven-time Grammy Award-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin. Headlined by Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling artist and American Idol winner Fantasia, the night was full of memorable moments including great performances by top gospel and contemporary Christian artists Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Winans, Bishop Paul S. Morton, and the NFL "Players' Choice" hip-hop Christian artist Lecrae.

Super Bowl Gospel Celebration has garnered major media attention and buzz every year including features and mentions on Good Morning America, The View, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Extra, Yahoo! News, ABC News, Associated Press and USA Today, among many others.

Since its inception in 1999, the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration has donated a portion of its proceeds and more than 5,500 tickets to local and national charities. This year's benefactor is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"The generous partnership with the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration helps raise awareness and funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, so families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food," says Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  "St. Jude also freely shares the breakthroughs it makes with other doctors and scientists who use that knowledge to save thousands more children around the world, so we hope it brings great satisfaction to sports and concert fans alike, knowing they are making a tremendous difference."

Tickets to the concert are currently available for purchase on www.ticketmaster.com. The show will air in national syndication over broadcast television stations in February 2014. Air dates and local listings to be announced in January.

About The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration:
The Super Bowl Gospel Celebration was launched in Miami in 1999 during Super Bowl XXXIII weekend.  In 2002, the event became the first, and remains the only concert sanctioned by the National Football League (NFL). The show has drawn crowds in the thousands and has demonstrated growth year-after-year, selling out venues in major Super Bowl host cities including Dallas, Tampa, Detroit, Jacksonville, Houston and Phoenix. For more information, visit: www.SuperBowlGospel.com, Facebook.com/SuperBowlGospel and Twitter.com/SuperBowlGospel.

About American Family Insurance:
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, American Family Insurance offers auto, homeowners, life, business and farm/ranch insurance in 19 states and is the nation's third-largest mutual property/casualty insurance company and ranks 382nd on the Fortune 500 list. For more information visit: www.amfam.com,Facebook.com/amfam, Twitter.com/amfam, and www.youtube.com/amfam.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital:
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other deadly diseases. St. Jude has the world's best survival rates for the most aggressive childhood cancers, and treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since we opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90 percent in the next decade. St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs we make, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St. Jude mission by visiting www.stjude.org or following St. Jude on Facebook.com/stjude and Twitter.com/stjude.

Press Contacts:
Danny Astoria | Simone Smalls PR, Inc.         
[email protected] | 917.388.3890

Simone Smalls | Simone Smalls PR, Inc.
[email protected] | 917.388.3890 

SOURCE Super Bowl Gospel Celebration