The McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour

The 2009 Inspiration Celebration® Gospel Tour features CeCe Winans and J Moss

OAK BROOK, IL – McDonald’s, CeCe Winans and J Moss deliver a sweet serving of inspiration across the country with The McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour, kicking off in various cities during May. The gospel concert events are free in most cities and will be held at churches across the country and at festivals in select cities. This year’s concert series is headlined by Grammy Award-winning artist CeCe Winans and PAJAM/Zomba recording artist, and fellow Detroit-native, J Moss. Both Winans and Moss are new to the Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour.

Tour Dates and locations, include:

• May 8 – Dallas, TX (Friendship West Baptist Church)
• May 9 – Houston, TX (Windsor Village United Methodist Church @ the KBC)
• May 14 – Philadelphia, PA (Deliverance Evangelistic Church)
• May 15 – Detroit, MI (Greater Grace Temple)
• May 16 – Chicago, IL (Christ Universal Temple)
• May 23 – Atlanta, GA (Ray of Hope Christian Church)
• June 13 – Newark, NJ (McDonald’s GospelFest® -Prudential Center) - Tickets for this tour stop are not free and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
• Aug. 16 – Cincinnati, OH (Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion Celebration - Cincinnati Riverfront)
• Sep. 13 – Washington, DC (National Black Family Reunion Celebration Festival - Washington Mall)

“People are in need of inspiration and this tour will give them just that. The concerts are in churches, and the churches are an important part of this outreach,” said CeCe Winans. “It is exciting to join McDonald’s, along with J Moss, and to be a part of providing inspiration to the community.”

McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour 2009
In most cities, concerts will include performances by local gospel groups to showcase community talent. In addition to the gospel tour, several McDonald’s franchisees have developed their own gospel celebrations. In Atlanta, McDonald’s sponsors “The Gift” Gospel talent search, a gospel singing and instrumental competition for Atlanta area youth, ages 6-12. McDonald’s New York region hosts the longstanding McDonald’s Gospel Fest, and this year will include the Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour artists on June 13.

“McDonald's is pleased to present the Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour, featuring music that will lift spirits and inspire us all,” said Carol Sagers, Marketing Director, McDonald’s USA. “This tour is purely one example of how McDonald’s recognizes and celebrates African American culture, heritage and achievements all year long – 365Black®! McDonald's is proud to be deeply rooted in the African American community.”

McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel tour is produced by Revolver Marketing Group (RMG), which is also responsible for the tour talent acquisition. McDonald’s also works with UMI (Urban Ministries Inc.), the nation’s leading African American producer of Christian education resources for African-American consumers and churches, to connect churches to the various concert events. The tour is in its third year and previously featured Smokie Norful, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Kierra Sheard and Myron Butler and Levi.

Tickets are free, will supplies last, except for McDonald’s GospelFest®, and are available at the host church, churches surrounding the host church and selective local gospel retailers. Information and the full tour schedule can be found at www.365Black.com, McDonald’s portal for its 365Black programs, celebrating the African American community throughout the year. For high-resolution artist photos and concert b-roll, go to: mcdepk.com/inspirationcelebration2009 .

About McDonald’s
McDonald's USA, LLC, is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. More than 80 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees. For more information on McDonald's visit www.mcdonalds.com or log on at any of the 10,000 Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants.