Songwriter Derrick Starks Wins BMI Trailblazers Of Gospel Award

VETERAN SONGWRITER DERRICK STARKS WINS BMI TRAILBLAZERS OF GOSPEL AWARD FOR MOST PERFORMED GOSPEL SONG OF THE YEAR

PHOTO CAPTION: BMI Senior Director, Writer/Publisher Relations Wardell Malloy; BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton; 2010 Most Performed Gospel Song of the Year writer Derrick Starks; 2010 Trailblazers honoree Donnie McClurkin; co-host Yolanda Adams; and BMI President & CEO Del Bryant. (Photo by Arnold Turner).

Atlanta, GA: Veteran songwriter Derrick Starks, who resides in the Atlanta area, was recently honored by Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI ), the performing rights organization, at their 11th Annual Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards Luncheon in Nashville, TN.

BMI Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations joined Grammy winner Dorinda Clark Cole to present Starks with the BMI Award for the Most Performed Gospel Song of the Year for composing Dorinda Clark Cole’s smash hit “Take It Back.” The song reached #2 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs and #17 on its Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles charts in 2008 and remains a popular recurrent.

A gifted organist/keyboard player, Starks founded the contemporary gospel ensemble Today’s Generation in 1991. His group has backed such artists as John Tesh and Shirley Caesar. Starks and his group released best-selling gospel CDs such as Derrick Starks and Today’s Generation (1994), He’s On Time (1999) and Sacrifice (2001). His 2001 remake of the Commodores’ classic “Jesus is Love” proved to be a major hit for Starks as well.

Currently the music director for the Trumpet Awards on the TBS television network, Starks is also a gifted songwriter. He’s written Dorinda Clark Cole’s big hit “So Many Times”, “Been Good to Me” for The Mighty Clouds of Joy, “I Am Yours” for Dorothy Norwood and “Let the Healing Begin” for Bishop Paul S. Morton, among others.