National Gospel Tour Kicks Off Next Month

OAK BROOK, Ill., -- McDonald's, Regina Belle and J Moss inspire through spirit and song 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 four-time Grammy Award-winning artist Regina Belle and PAJAM/Zomba recording artist, J Moss. Belle is new to the Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour, while J Moss joins the tour for a second, consecutive year. Tour dates and locations, include:

May 13 – Philadelphia, PA (Deliverance Evangelistic Church)
May 14 – Detroit, MI (Greater Grace Temple)
May 15 – Chicago, IL (Broadview Missionary Baptist Church)
June 19 – Newark, NJ (McDonald's Gospel Festival Prudential Center)
June 24 – Oakland, CA (Paramount Theatre)
June 25 – Los Angeles, CA (West Angeles COGIC Cathedral)
August 6 – Memphis, TN (World Overcomers Church)
August 7 – Atlanta, GA (Praise In The Park)
Sep. 12 – Washington, DC (National Black Family Reunion Celebration Festival - Washington Mall)

"More than ever, people are in need of inspiration and this tour will truly inspire spirits through powerful song," said Regina Belle. "It is an honor to join McDonald's, along with J Moss, and to be a part of providing inspiration to the community."

The McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour has been drawing audiences from across the country for four years. The tour has previously featured such top gospel artists as CeCe Winans, Smokie Norful, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Kierra Sheard and Myron Butler and Levi.

New cities added on the tour this year include Los Angeles and Oakland, CA. In most cities, concerts will include performances by local gospel groups to showcase community talent. Independent franchisees have supported gospel music in a number of ways throughout the years, by bringing gospel and all types of musical festivals to their communities. Among them is the McDonald's Gospelfest®, held in Newark, NJ, which this year will also include the Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour artists on June 19.

"For four years, the McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour has been inspiring people in communities across the country with one of the many rich musical contributions of African Americans – gospel music," said Rob Jackson, Marketing Director, McDonald's USA. "We're glad to bring in some of the nation's top celebrated gospel music artists to help us praise the positive and enrich the communities our restaurants serve 365 days a year."

McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel tour is produced by Revolver Marketing Group (RMG), which brings in the talent for the tour. 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 for 40 years, to connect churches to the various concert events. The tour is in its fourth year and previously featured CeCe Winans, Smokie Norful, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Kierra Sheard and Myron Butler and Levi.

Tickets are free, while supplies last, except for McDonald's GospelFest®, and are available at the host church, churches surrounding the host church and select local gospel retailers. Tickets for the McDonald's Gospelfest are available through Ticketmaster.com. Information and the full tour schedule can be found at http://www.365Black.com, McDonald's portal for its 365Black programs, celebrating the African American community throughout the year. For high-resolution artist photos, go to: http://mcdepk.com/inspirationcelebration2010.

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 more than 26 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local business men and women. Customers can now log online for free at any of the 11,000 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visithttp://www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter (@McDonalds) and Facebook (Facebook.com/McDonalds) for updates on our business, promotions and products.

For high-resolution images and bios, go to: http://www.mcdepk.com/inspirationcelebration2010/

SOURCE McDonald's