McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour

GRAMMY Award Winner Smokie Norful, Vanessa bell Armstrong and Kierra “Kiki” Sheard Join Mcdonald’s® for an Inspirational Evening

McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour provides food for the soul

Oak Brook, IL – Music…moves the mind, lifts the spirit and nourishes the soul. McDonald’s serves up a healthy serving of soul-stirring music with a new concert series that kicks off February 28, bringing a powerful message of inspiration to eight U.S. cities from February through April.

The McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour features Grammy Award-winner Smokie Norful and fellow EMI artists Gospel Music Hall of Famer Vanessa Bell Armstrong and rising gospel star Kierra “Kiki” Sheard for an unforgettable celebration of African-American heritage expressed through gospel music. The tour begins on February 28 in Dallas with a free concert at the 6000-seat Nokia Theatre. Other tour cities include Richmond (March 22), Philadelphia (March 23), Baltimore (March 24), Detroit (March 29) and Chicago (March 31), Atlanta (April 4), and Houston on a date to be announced.

“I am humbled and honored to share my music as a way of partnering with McDonald’s and their community outreach,” says Smokie Norful who headlines the tour. “It’s important that we realize giving back is the true way to keep ourselves and others uplifted, empowered, and encouraged.”

McDonald’s partnered with leading Gospel label, EMI Gospel and music marketing/concert producer, Revolver Marketing Group (RMG), along with Urban Ministries Inc. (UMI), the nation’s leading publisher and distributor of educational materials for African-American churches, to produce the series. This marks the first year that McDonald’s is sponsoring the Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour but is not the company’s first foray into supporting gospel music. Independent franchisees have created gospel-themed restaurants in Merrillville, Ind., and Chicago. McDonald’s and franchisees from New York to Seattle have also partnered with other organizations to bring gospel and other music festivals to their communities.