Hezekiah Walker

Infobox musical artist
Name = Bishop Hezekiah Walker

---

Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Hezekiah Xzavier Walker, Jr.
Alias =
Born =
Died =
Origin = Brooklyn, New York
Instrument =
Genre = Gospel
Occupation = Songwriter, choral director, minister
Years_active = 1985-present
Label = Benson
Verity
Associated_acts =
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =

Bishop Hezekiah Xzavier Walker, Jr. (born December 24, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York [cite book | title=Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music | last=McNeil | first=W.K. | isbn=0415941792 | page=414 | publisher=Routledge | year=2005 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=uqT-CJYcqskC ] [cite web | url=http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Hezekiah_Walker_Gospel_Star_Choir_Leader_Extraordinary__HipHop_Pastor/25823/p1/ | publisher=Crossrhythms (UK) | accessdate=2008-02-24 | first=Tony | last=Cummings | title=Hezekiah Walker: Gospel Star, Choir Leader Extraordinary & Hip-Hop Pastor | date=31 January 2007 ] ) is a Grammy Award-winning gospel music artist and pastor of prominent Brooklyn, New York megachurch Love Fellowship Tabernacle. cite web|url=http://www.bushnell.org/index.cgi/9543|title=Hezekiah Walker to Headline 4th Annual Hartford Celebrates Hartford concert|date=April 8, 2003] [cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07EEDA143EF932A15751C0A9649C8B63|title=GOSPEL REVIEW; Stirring Souls With Sound and Vision|author=Ratliff, Ben|publisher=New York Times|date=February 21, 2002]

Musical career

Hezekiah Walker has released several albums on Benson Records and Verity Records as Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir.

In 2001, Hezekiah & The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir were nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Best Gospel Artist, Traditional on the strength of the album "Love Is Live!" The group has won Grammy Awards for Best Gospel Album By Choir Or Chorus twice: once for "Live in Atlanta at Morehouse College" (1994), and once for "Love Is Live!" (2001).

Separate from The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir, Walker's LFT Church Choir released an album entitled "Recorded Live At Love Fellowship Tabernacle" in 1998. LFT Church Choir was more youthful and hip-hop leaning ensemble than its predecessor and its album hit the Top 5 of Billboard's Gospel Chart [cite web|url=http://www.gospelflava.com/articles/lft.html|title=LFT Comes On Strong|publisher=GospelFlava.com|author=Bonner, Gerard] and was nominated for a Grammy Award the same year. [cite web|url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/awardsdb/env-awards-db-search,0,7169155.htmlstory?searchtype=all&query=hezekiah+walker|title=Hezekiah Walker Awards & Nominations|publisher=Los Angeles Times] .

Discography

Albums

* " I'll Make It" (Sweet Rain, 1989)
* " Oh Lord We Praise You" (Sweet Rain, 1990)
* " The Best of Hezzie" (Sweet Rain, 1991)
* " Focus On Glory" (Benson, 1992)
* " Live In Toronto" (Benson, 1993)
* " Live In Atlanta at Morehouse College" (Benson, 1994)
* " Gospel Greats (Benson, 1995)
* " Live In New York - By Any Means..." (Benson, 1995)
* " Live In London at Wembley " (Verity, 1997)
* " Pastor Hezekiah Walker Presents The LFT Church Choir - Recorded "Live" at Love Fellowship Tabernacle" (Verity, 1998)
* " Family Affair" (Verity, 1999)
* " LFT Church Choir - Love Is Live: at Love Fellowship Tabernacle; Hezekiah Walker, Pastor" (Verity, 2001)
* " Family Affair II: Live at Radio City Music Hall" (Verity, 2002)
* " Nothing But The Hits" (Verity, 2003)
* " 20/85 The Experience" (Verity, 2005)
* " The Essential Hezekiah Walker" (Verity, 2007)
* " Souled Out" (Verity, 2008)

Awards

Personal life

Walker is sometimes affectionately referred to as "the Hip-Hop Pastor" due to the number of high-profile secular hip-hop recording artists who attend his church, such as Foxy Brown and Sean "Diddy" Combs. [cite web|url=http://www.gospelcity.com/dynamic/artist-articles/interviews/47|title=Interview: Hezekiah Walker|date=June 11, 2001|publisher=GospelCity.com]

Rumors and allegations

In 2006, an article titled "Prominent Black Minister Is Gay" appeared on Media Take Out. [cite web|url=http://www.mediatakeout.com/exclusive8.html |title=Prominent Black Minister Is Gay |date=2006-02-15 |accessdate=2008-09-12 ] According to the story, Pastor Walker's divorce was caused because he wanted to get his wife and children out of the house so he could carry on an affair he was having with an unnamed cross-dressing man. The story was picked up by many sources on the internet, including Musicnewsweekly.com. This prompted a statement by Hezekiah Walker explaining "it’s all lies... it’s completely false and not even remotely true" [cite web|url=http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060308/5879_Hezekiah_Walker_Denies_Homosexual_Allegations.htm|title=Hezekiah Walker Denies Homosexual Allegations|publisher=The Christian Post |last=Camacho |first=Justin ] Tim Hunter, founder of "Music News Weekly", later apologized in the public post "Hezekiah Walker and Gay Affair Story False." [cite web|url=http://www.gospelcity.com/news/headlines/237 |title=Hezekiah Walker and Gay Affair Story False |last=Hunter |first=Tim |publisher=Music News Weekly]

External links

* [http://www.lovefellowship.net Love Fellowship Tabernacle] Official Website
* [http://www.verityrecords.com Verity Records] Official Website
*allmusic|id=11:rzaxlfkegcqr~T0

References