A Stellar Honor For Reverend Clay Evans

Reverend Clay Evans, preacher extraordinaire, Gospel singer and founding pastor of Chicago’s historic Fellowship Baptist Church will receive the Ambassador Bobby Jones Legends Award during the 32nd Stellar Awards celebration on March 25th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 91 year old elder statesman has a long and storied history.  Born in Brownsville, Tennessee, he came to Chicago and started singing with various groups, among them he joined Bertha Melson and a young Reverend James Cleveland (before he was the King of Gospel) in the Lux Singers.  Longtime friend and former assistant pastor Reverend Jesse Jackson shared these words: “Clay Evans is the living proliferation of his own message, It Is No Secret What God Can Do.  He’s left an indelible impression on the church and Gospel Music for over 50 years.  From his early days in Chicago singing in the Lux Singers with the King of Gospel Reverend James Cleveland to the founding of the Ship to his work in the civil rights movement and support of Dr. King to the many recordings, nationwide television and radio broadcasts and worldwide travels of the 150 voice Fellowship Choir to his work to educate and motivate countless numbers of young people through the Clay Evans Scholarship Fund, not only is he a living legend (at 91 and counting), he is worthy of double honor.  Thank you Don Jackson, thank you Dr. Bobby Jones for celebrating this esteemed giant during the time that he can appreciate it.”

Reverend Evans topped the Billboard charts in the latter half of 2016 with the release of Reverend Clay Evans and the Ship, What A Legacy.  The CD featured music from the early years of the choir and spent 16 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart making it into the top 3.