Rocketown To Release Multi-Artist Christmas Project

Rocketown Records announced last week at a Gospel Music Week press conference that it will release the label’s first compilation Christmas album on Oct. 5, with participation from the label’s roster as well as from respected industry peers. The album, titled Gloria, will be produced by Charlie Peacock and Scott Dente and will include both traditional Christmas classics and new original songs written in community by the artists. In December 2004, many of the artists on the Gloria project will embark on a Christmas tour, which is being booked now by David Breen at The Breen Agency.

“For many years our loyal and faithful Rocketown followers have been asking the question ‘When will there be a Rocketown Christmas record?’” said Rocketown Records President Don Donahue. “For a while now we've been brewing up what we hope will be a collection of songs and artists that you will have in your home for many, many Christmas seasons to come. We want you to have music to bake cookies to, yes, but also we'd like you to discover the true rhythm of the entire Advent season through these songs that focus on the anticipation and expectation that surrounds our celebration of Christ’s birth.”

Artists involved in the creation of Gloria include label founder and Chairman Michael W. Smith, Christine Dente, Ginny Owens, Shaun Groves, Alathea, Taylor Sorensen, Steve Mason (Jars of Clay), Cindy Morgan, Wayne Kirkpatrick, George Rowe and Watermark as well as producers Peacock and Dente. The artists participated in several different community writing sessions that occurred at Peacock’s Art House studio and Kirkpatrick’s Maple Room studio during the past several months. The album’s original cover concept was designed and painted by well-known artist Jimmy Abegg.

More information on the Gloria CD and tour, as well as potential ancillary projects, will be announced soon. Visit  www.rocketownrecords.com for additional details.

Grammy Award-winner Michael W. Smith and former Reunion Records A&R chief Don Donahue started Rocketown Records in 1996 with the goal of building a label around a foundation of great songs and a family atmosphere. Since its launch, Rocketown has garnered commercial and critical acclaim with more than 2.5 million units sold, more than two dozen No. 1 songs and nearly 50 Dove Award nominations.