Legendary 84th Annual MO/Mid-South Gospel Singing Convention Held in Malden, MO at Community Center

Hello Folks,

Heart To Heart hosts the 84th Annual MO/Mid-South Gospel Singing Convention held at the Malden, MO Community Center on Fri. and Sat. Sept. 19-20; and we would appreciate your helping us to get the word out with a news release or addition to your community calendar in your area.  We have groups from all over the country and several from the Springfield/Branson area as well as NE Arkansas, SE Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas.

The venue holds about 800 and we hope to pack the place!  Admission is FREE to the public.  A love offering will be accepted to offset convention expenses.  We will have over 32 premiere groups and artists and some of the best Gospel music you would hear anywhere.  There will be concessions, door prizes, silent auction, fun AND blessings for all.

If you could help us get the word out, we'd very much appreciate it.  Have a blessed weekend! 

By the way, I am sending a poster and pic of Heart To Heart just so you know who you are talking to!  We'd also be happy to serve your area with either our Gospel Program or our "Heart & Soul of Branson Variety Show" and are booking 2015 now..

Thank you so much for your help.  Hope to see you at convention!

Jerry and Sharon Mays
HEART TO HEART

"The Heart & Soul of Branson"

 

Grammy & Dove Award Nominees

2014 CGC Int'l. Choice Awards Duo of the Year

2014 CGMA Silver Heart Duo of the Year
2013 & 2012 National AGAPE Fan Awards Duo of the Year (Fan Voted)

2013 Country Gospel Music Fanfest Duo of the Year (Fan Voted)

2012 Country Gospel Music Association Central Fan Awards Duo of the Year (Fan Voted)

2012 & 2011 Country Gospel Connection Choice Awards Int'l. Duo of the Year (Radio)

2010 National Duet & Vocal Group of the Year - GMA/IMMERSE - Nashville

Multi Award-Winning Songwriters

Hosts "The Branson Gospel Groove" Radio Show

Feature Writers, Country Gospel Connection Magazine

Regularly Featured Artists on The Branson Stage

417-576-5188hearttoheartmusicgroup@gmail.com
www.hearttoheartmusicgroup.com

 

"Powerful Gospel & Family Music, Always With

Heart & Soul!"

HEARTLAND’S OWN HEART TO HEART SWEEPS 2013 COUNTRY GOSPEL MUSIC INDUSTRY AWARDS

Heart To Heart is the dynamic duo, based in Branson with deep roots in the Heartland, that is taking the Gospel Music Industry by storm. Sharon and Jerry Mays who make up Heart To Heart have been voted Seven Times National and International Duo of the Year by fans, industry professionals and radio. In 2013 alone, they were honored to receive AGAPE Duo of the Year, International Country Gospel Music Duo of the Year, Country Gospel Music Fanfest Duo of the Year and are current reigning International Country Gospel Choice Awards Duo of the Year. Yes, the industry is definitely taking notice of this duo born and raised in the Bootheel of Missouri.

What is it about Heart To Heart that makes folks pack their concerts, request songs on the radio and buy their CD’s? Well, their performance is powerful and energetic, their harmonies are like a single heartbeat, and people say they literally light up the stage when they sing, whether it be their all-Gospel ministry or their “Heart & Soul of Branson Variety Show” which features gospel, country, oldies Top 40, doo-wop, comedy and their very own, “nearly famous” Elvis Messley himself!

Sharon and Jerry Mays love what they do and it shows! Their concerts are always crowd-pleasers. When not performing on several stages in Branson, MO to include the Doug Gabriel Theater, Treasure Lake Resort and Branson Radio Live, they serve churches and communities nationwide, are Winter Texan Artists throughout the Rio Grande Valley, TX in January, February and March – and still find time to take their Christmas Celebration Tour on the road between Thanksgiving and Christmas each year with their good friend and fellow artist, Doug Thornton. Jerry says “There’s not much time to play but we love what we do. We were born and raised in Malden and Parma, MO with church, family and hard work being part of our upbringing. We are thankful for every opportunity to sing and serve.”

Sharon grew up in a musical family. Her dad, Leon Barnett, was the lead guitar player and singer with the edgy 50’s and 60’s group, Narvel Felts & the Rockets. Young guys who ran through her house when she was about 4 or 5 to practice for gigs, turned out to be the likes of Carl Perkins, Chet Atkins, Harold Jenkins (before he was Conway Twitty), Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Elvis was never far away. Jerry grew up on a farm and only learned he could sing when he met Sharon. They appreciate Sharon’s heritage in music that has helped bring them where they are today, as a full-time nationally touring duo that has had four No. 1 songs on the charts: Pieces To Peace, I Will Stand By You, Brand New Man and You Are My Rock. They are working hard in Country Gospel Music to make their homeland, The Heartland, proud. Catch a Heart To Heart concert in your area!

For more information about Heart To Heart, call 417-576-5188 or go to www.hearttoheartmusicgroup.com. Email hearttoheartmusicgroup@gmail.com.

Merry Christmas from Heart To Heart

First of all, we, Sharon and Jerry Mays, Heart To Heart, would like to wish each and every one of our friends and loved ones a blessed and joyful Christmas season. May each day be filled with love and a remembrance of just WHO Christmas is all about. Jesus is the reason for the season! Let's have some Marvelous Mondays, Touching Tuesdays, Wonderful Wednesdays, Terrific Thursdays, Fantastic Fridays, Super Saturdays and Sweet Sundays knowing just how blessed we all really are.

So much has happened with Heart To Heart lately that I'd better get started to try to catch you up!

In 2012, we were honored to be awarded both AGAPE Duo of the Year and Country Gospel Music Association Duo of the Year! We have a brand new CD entitled "Pieces To Peace" and two songs from that project (Pieces To Peace and Brand New Man) have topped charts at No. 1. Pieces To Peace has remained in the Top 20 on several major charts for six months at this writing! Please call your radio stations to request these songs. If the stations don't have them, tell them they can download Pieces To Peace from Hope Street Music Country Gospel Connection and Brand New Man from RadioActiveAirplay.

We have published a book entitled Country Gospel Music USA with Heart To Heart, written by Denis McMillian, telling the story of Country Gospel Music and providing valuable information about Heart To Heart and some other groups in the industry. The best thing is part of the proceeds of the sale of our book go to help families of our Military Fallen Heroes. We have also made a DVD with, count them, 11 videos, filmed live at the Night Light Beacon of Branson Theater (where we perform regularly) in Branson, MO. We also sing regularly at the Treasure Lake Resort in Branson, behind the IMAX. Next season, we will be at the Night Light every 2d Friday night starting in March and will have our Treasure Lake schedule shortly. The Ole Time Gospel Hour at the IMAX in Branson has asked us to return there next season too!

Our radio program, " Branson Gospel Groove" is going gangbusters and more and more stations are asking to be a part. Right now, you can catch our show on www.lcinternetradio.com on Fridays at 10:00 a.m.; www.topraisehim.com on Tues. at 7:00 p.m. and Thurs. at 2:00 p.m., www.actsradio.com on Sundays and www.cgcradio.com (check schedules for times). After the first of the year, we will also be airing on more stations and will get dates and times to you. Interviews are coming up with some well known Christian artists such as Lynda Randall (solo and on Gaither tours); Three Bridges, Allan Frizzell and Jeanne Mohr and Stoney Ferguson with Living Praise Ministries.

Heart To Heart hosted the MO/Mid-South Gospel Singing Convention for the 5th year in Malden, MO this year with over 27 of the Mid-South's finest Gospel artists providing Gospel music and Christian comedy for two nights in September. We had great attendance and hope all were blessed by this event. They tell us this is the largest indoor event to be held in Southeast Missouri and for sure in Malden. Awesome! This was just one week after we returned from attending and singing at the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky as part of the Christian Voice Magazine team! The NQC was a wonderful experience and we look forward to going back next year.

We are excited to be working on some tours for 2013 to include singing for the National Christian Motorcycle Riders Assoc. in Chanute, KS in March and the Southern Gospel and Bluegrass Festival in Tyler, TX in April. We are also working on a northern tour for next summer so heads up, give us a call!

Now, here are some really great testimonies we have received. We are absolutely humbled that God is allowing us to be a tool for Him to touch hearts and souls and hopefully be a spark of light in this sometimes dark world.

1. After a recent H2H concert at a small church in Illinois, a woman came to Sharon and asked her to repeat the lyrics of "Pieces To Peace." She said the song had so blessed her and that she and 23,000 other postal workers had been fired that week to cut costs, leaving many without jobs or income. She said she had a way to get our song to those people so that their hearts could be touched and them uplifted. The song says basically when you think the world is tearing your life to pieces, you can find peace with just an honest prayer to God. Praise God!

2. A radio station manager in Australia who manages five stations over there contacted our record label, Hope Street Music, to tell them they loved our song "Pieces To Peace." We sent a thank you to the station and they replied that they would like to use our song as their program theme song to be played before each show. They told of a lady who was severely ill and could not walk who called the station when she heard the song to tell them how much it inspired her. Two months later, this lady WALKED in to the station! That was not us but a God Thing. Glory!!

3. At a recent concert in Springfield, MO during our song for the alter call, we glanced down and when we looked up, almost everyone in the entire church had come forward for prayer! We couldn't even get to the equipment to turn the song off so we just tucked the microphones under our arms, let the tracks play, and took hands two at a time to pray with those folks for as long as it took. What a Spirit filled evening and again, humbling to us to have been there as God moved.

4. We've had many folks tell us that when they felt like they just couldn't do anything well enough or didn't feel good enough, our songs "David" and "Brand New Man" and "Good Good God" (co-written by H2H and Tina Sadler) would lift their hearts.

5. We sang our own song "I Will Stand By You" at a missions benefit in Branson a few weeks ago and Eric Hinson of the famous Hinson Revival (remember Ronnie Hinson and The Lighthouse and Kenny Hinson?? (his uncles)) came to us to tell us he wanted to record this song on his next project! We have a lot of respect for Eric and know that he can get to people that we won't meet; and we appreciate his confidence in our songwriting to record this song. Thank You Lord!!

Our Christmas Celebration Tour with Doug Thornton just started this past Sunday and we dates scheduled between now and Christmas as follows: 11/25 Mt. Zion Walker General Baptist Church, Bloomfield, MO; 12/2 Stokelan Drive Christian Church, Malden, MO (AM Specials) then First Christian Church, Jackson, TN PM Service; 12/4 Englewood Baptist Church, Jackson, TN PM Banquet; 12/6 Union University, Jackson, TN (PM Banquet), 12/7 & 8 National Toys For Tots Event, Civic Center, West Plains, MO Evening Event; 12/9 First Christian Church, East Prairie, MO Evening Service; 12/16 First Baptist Church, Fordland, MO Morning Service, 12/16 Johnson Chapel, Senath (Octa), MO Evening Service; 12/21 BIG SHOW, Night Light Beacon of Branson Theater, Branson, MO 8 pm; 12/22 BIG SHOW, Treasure Lake Resort, Christmas On the Park Concert, behind IMAX, Branson, MO 5:30 p.m. 12/23 Bell City General Baptist Church, Bell City, MO Evening Service. Whewwwwwww! Uh, then we have Christmas Eve and Christmas, pack up and Heart To Heart heads for the Rio Grand Valley to start our Winter Texan Tour! Our first show down there is December 30 and we are there until about February 20, 2013.

MEANWHILE, there are a couple of things we need you, our faithful HEARTS to do to help us: (1) Keep calling those radio stations and email the on-line ones to request Heart To Heart music. "Pieces To Peace," "Brand New Man," "I Will Stand By You" and "David" are on the play boards right now. (2) PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT to vote for Heart To Heart for AGAPE Duo of the Year by going to www.kingcountryagapefest.com to place your vote. You can place a vote for each valid email you have. THEN go right on over to www.christianvoicemagazine.com and vote for us for CGM Fanfest Duo of the Year and SGM Fanfare Duo of the Year. NOTE: You will also see us in several other categories and we would appreciate your votes in all of them! If we can get in the Top 10, then the Top 5, we may have a chance to win the awards for 2013. WE CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP! Get all your friends involved to vote and share these websites with your email, Facebook, Twitter and other social media contacts. These award opportunities are tools for us to be able to open more doors to serve more people for The Lord. WE CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU!!

Please keep Heart To Heart in your prayers. As you know this economy has been hard and our income is often greatly insufficient to meet our expenses. We are driving an older vehicle with close to 200,000 miles on it and pray it stays together. We have an older bus/RV but it still needs some work. Having said that, our ministry is our calling and our passion; and we trust that our needs will be met. If you would like to sponsor Heart To Heart with a monthly donation or a one-time gift, it would be a true blessing to keep this ministry going. We are working hard to try to touch lives and would love to have you be a real, working part of the Heart To Heart Ministries. Please email or call us if you feel that you can sponsor us and be a part of our ministry by calling 417-576-5188 or emailing hearttoheartmusicgroup@gmail.com. We will be a 501c3 as of the first of the year and your donations will be tax deductible. We can set it up with your bank for automatic withdrawals and, if you are present, we can easily do a credit card transaction to get you hooked up. Anyone who gives at least $25 per month will get a free CD of their choice. If you give at least $100 per month, you will receive free 2 CDs, our brand new video, our new book and a set of our handcrafted "music biz guitar pick and pewter charm earrings. We will fix you up a free gift for any one-time special donation of $50 or more as well. Heart To Heart is a full-time gospel and family music ministry with no other means of support, unlike many of the groups who have some other income to defray expenses. PLEASE HELP US IF YOU CAN SO THAT WE CAN REACH OTHERS.

Churches and Community Events, Theaters, Schools and Private Gatherings, give us a call or email so that we can schedule your special activity. We are scheduling NOW for 2013 and 2014 so it's not too early to call. We want to get you your best date for your Heart To Heart concert or to lead your worship service. We are also available for a combination of public speaking and ministry in song so if you have a seminar, business gathering, women's or men's group or convention where we might help you, just let us know. Contact Jerry Mays with Heart To Heart at 417-576-5188 or hearttoheartmusicgroup@gmail.com OR ON KEY PROMOTIONS at onkeypromotions@gmail.com to book your event today!

Catch Heart To Heart and Doug Thornton at one of the Christmas Celebration Tour dates if you are in the area. For our Winter Texan Friends, we'll see you in a few weeks! If you haven't made your reservations yet to stay at the Comfort Suites on South Padre Island this year, give Dave Mejorado, their manager a call and tell him Heart To Heart sent ya! They will treat you like royalty and that's where we stay when we are in the Valley and sing there several times. See you there! Got a couple of new pics and articles attached for ya. You are part of our ministry and we love you. Peace Out. Shalom!
--
God bless.

Jerry and Sharon Mays
HEART TO HEART
"The Heart & Soul of Branson"
2012 National AGAPE Fan Awards Duo of the Year
2012 Country Gospel Music Association Central Fan Awards Duo of the Year
2011 Country Gospel Connection Choice Awards Int'l. Duo of the Year
2010 National Duet & Vocal Group of the Year - GMA/IMMERSE - Nashville
Grammy & Dove Award Nominees
Diamond Awards CGMA & ICGMA Top 5
Multi Award-Winning Songwriters
Hosts "The Branson Gospel Groove" Radio Show
Feature Writers, Country Gospel Connection Magazine
Regularly Featured Artists on The Branson Stage

417-576-5188
hearttoheartmusicgroup@gmail.com
www.hearttoheartmusicgroup.com

"Powerful Gospel & Family Music, Always With
Heart & Soul!"

Heart To Heart, "The Heart & Soul of Branson" Just Voted 2011 Country Gospel Connection Choice Awards Duo of the Year

 Heart To Heart, regulars on the Branson Stage and a well-loved, full-time gospel and family music group

has recently received the honor of being voted 2011 Country Gospel Connection Choice Awards Duo of the Year. This award is determined by a panel of music industry professionals and is based on Heart To Heart’s excellence in promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ through Christian Country Gospel music. Heart To Heart has also just learned that their original song, “Father Who Cares,” written for America’s Got Talent finalists Voices of Glory, has been nominated for a Dove Award!
Heart To Heart are singers and songwriters with original songs on the charts and receiving airplay worldwide such as “That’s Why I Cry,” “See a Rainbow,” “Father Who Cares,” “Rock of Ages, Roll On,” “My Little Boy” and “Where Tears Won’t Fall.” They have twice been voted awards for Song of the Year by the Gospel Music Association in Nashville and were GMA Duo and Vocal Group of the Year last year. Heart to Heart hosts their own radio show called “The Branson Gospel Groove” which airs on several stations to include VoicesofGlory2020.com, ToPraiseHim.com, HeirwaveRadio.com and CGCRadio.com.
Sharon and Jerry Mays who make up Heart to Heart are quick to point out that these awards are not just “fireplace mantel furniture” but are tools to open doors to enable them to reach more people with encouragement and the Good News of Jesus. Sharon says “We work 24/7 for the Lord and are honored to serve at every opportunity.” “We gave up a lot of ‘stuff’ a few years ago when the Lord told us to go full time and He would make a way for us. He whispered and we didn’t listen but when he shouted, we had to make the change. We both had full-time jobs and good benefits. Jerry was a National Marketing Director and I am a Degreed Paralegal. We gave all that up to work for the Lord and; once we got out of His way to do His will with our lives, we have been blessed beyond measure since!”
Heart To Heart not only performs regularly on two Branson stages, The Night Light Beacon of Branson (owned by the Barbara Fairchild family) and Branson Radio Live with Karen Berka at the Branson Mall Centerstage, they are members of GMA, ICGMA, CGMA, SGMA and ICMA and tour the country when not on the Branson stage to serve churches, schools and communities.
Sharon comes from a musical family. Her dad, Leon Barnett, was the lead guitar player for Narvel Felts & the Rockets “back in the day,” and guys like Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty, Carl Perkins and Chet Atkins ran through her house when she was four or five years old, always getting ready for the next “gig.” Jerry grew up on a farm in rural Missouri and didn’t know he could sing until he met Sharon! Together, they are forging a legacy in Gospel music with their powerhouse vocals, amazing connection with their audiences and dedication to their Calling; and the industry is definitely taking notice. You WILL be hearing more from Heart to Heart – that’s for sure! For more about Heart to Heart, visit their website at www.hearttoheartmusicgroup.com.

Heart To Heart Wins a 2011 Songwriter of the Year Award at Gospel Music Association/IMMERSE-Nashville for "See a Rainbow" on Hope Street Music

Heart to Heart, featuring Sharon and Jerry Mays, were awarded a 2011 Songwriter of the Year award during ceremonies at the Gospel Music Association/IMMERSE-Nashville event on July 27-30 for their original song,
“See a Rainbow.” The awards ceremony followed a week of competitions with several hundred entries in songwriting; and Heart to Heart was the only group of singers/songwriters at this event who held up the banner for Southern and Country Gospel Music from around the world.

Heart to Heart won 2010 Duo & Vocal Group of the Year, GMA/IMMERSE-Nashville and was just voted 2011 Diamond Awards and ICGMA Top 5 in June. Their song, “See a Rainbow” on Hope Street Music has reached No. 2 on the Country Gospel Top 100 Charts and is playing on radio everywhere. Their newest release, “Rock of Ages, Roll On” is moving up the charts on Triplestrand Productions as is their song “That’s Why I Cry” on Hope Street.

Sharon and Jerry are originally from Malden and Parma, MO and are now based in Branson, MO. They often say “these awards are not fireplace furniture but tools to help open doors to reach more people for the Lord.” They also say they have “the best Boss in all eternity!” “We travel all the time but we love our home town family and friends and it’s always a blessing to get home for hugs and smiles.”

Heart to Heart are regularly featured artists at the Night Light Theater (owned by the Barbara Fairchild family) and Branson Radio Live with Karen Berka. All other times, they tour nationally to serve churches, festivals, theaters and civic events. Their desire to not only work with churches but to reach folks who might not enter a church building, has taken them to some interesting venues such as opening for The Kentucky Headhunters and Nashville Country Acts. Heart to Heart brings the Gospel with a little doo-wop and comedy to the stage in a way that the audiences love. The industry is definitely taking notice as they share their unique harmony blend, energy on stage and style variety with audiences everywhere.

For tour schedule and more information about Heart to Heart, check out their website at www.hearttoheartmusicgroup.com, email hearttoheartmusicgroup@gmail.com or call 417-576-5188.

80TH ANNUAL MISSOURI/MID-SOUTH GOSPEL SINGING CONVENTION

80TH ANNUAL MISSOURI/MID-SOUTH GOSPEL SINGING CONVENTION
WITH OVER 22 PREMIER GOSPEL GROUPS
COMING TO MALDEN, MO COMMUNITY CENTER
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, SEPT. 24 AND 25

The 80th Annual Missouri/Mid-South Gospel Singing Convention will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 24 and 25, beginning at 5:30 p.m. each evening, at the Malden, MO Community Center located on Business Hwy 25, just south of Walmart in front of the School. This will be the most exciting Convention ever with an awards ceremony honoring the founders; live broadcasts and interviews from KMHM Radio, 104.1 FM with radio personality, Gene Peacock serving as Master of Ceremonies for this legendary two-day event of gospel music.

Over 22 groups and soloists will be taking the stage to include the following: Heart to Heart, 2010 National GMA/IMMERSE Nashville Duet & Vocal Group of the Year and Featured Branson Artists; Tina Sadler, Double Dove Award Winner; Robert Penny of Branson, CGMA 2010 Male Vocalist of the Year; award winning area favorites Doug Thornton, Full Circle and The Bradfords; Heart and Soul; Tina Collins; Gloryland Quartet; Darrel & Kathy Hobbs; Heartland Quartet; Canaanland Gospel Singers; Dennis Baker; Eldon Wright; Mark Cave; Frank Wallace Trio; The Hutsons; Jennifer Krepps; Joyful Noise; Marvin and Karen Lawless; Southern Grace; Dayspring and Belinda (Hill) Venters.

This spectacular event is FREE and open to the public. A love offering will be accepted each evening to offset event expenses. Make plans to attend and bring your friends or church group for two evenings of gospel music shared by the Mid-West’s Premier Gospel Artists.

This event is hosted by Heart to Heart and Doug Thornton. Sound provided by Wil Thornton and stage manager, Nathan Martin. For more information, call 417-576-5188 or 573-276-5827.