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Sounds of Imani – “Come Praise the Lord” has received numerous accolades!

Written by Staff on 16 September 2021

Sounds of Imani is the husband and wife duo, Drs. Gerald & Carol Ervin, who have truly brought a special sound into their music. Imani’s mix of jazz, gospel, and R&B music has earned a strong fan following and gospel music awards. The unique part of their music is that they capture a blend of the old school yet fresh feel of funk and R & B and have often described as the gospel Ashford & Simpson. The word “Imani” means “ faith” and is the foundation of the music the band makes and the message they spread. Sounds of Imani has been in music since 1996, with live performances throughout Metro Detroit and abroad. The duo’s charting single “Come Praise the Lord” has received numerous accolades. Most recently the music video for “Come Praise the Lord” was selected as a finalist in the Roma Film Festival; a semi-finalist in the Venice Indie Shorts Film Festival of California with an article written in the LA Indies Magazine. Here is the link: https://www.laindiesmagazine.com/post/come-praise-the-lord

Dr. Gerald Ervin is a COVID SURVIVOR! In March 2020, he was hospitalized for a month with Covid 19. The week of March 16th he went to the supermarket to stock up on some groceries and toiletries and when he got home, he wasn’t feeling well. He had a temperature of 102 which wouldn’t go down, loss of appetite, chills, aches, and breathing issues. Dr. Carol took him to the emergency room upon the request of their primary physician but she was not allowed to come in due to COVID restrictions. While hospitalized, he was found to have blood clots in both legs and was placed on extensive oxygen.

Dr. Carol refused to let the hospital put him on a ventilator. He was released from the hospital at the end of April 2020. By June he was off of oxygen, and at the end of July off of blood thinners. From that horrible experience, the duo were inspired to write and produce the film “From Darkness to Light: a C19 Survival Story” which is an official selection in the 2021 Great Lakes Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival and recognized in the 2021 Matrix Film Festival promotional post on Instagram. Both the COVID film and Come Praise the Lord music video were products stemming from the pandemic.

The duo are ministers, as well as Internet radio station and TV network owners of Right Now Praizz Radio and Right Now Praizz TV. Sounds of Imani received their honorary doctorate of divinity degree from St. Thomas Christian University in Jacksonville, FL in January 2020, right before the pandemic. They both have extensive performing arts experience and Gerald (years ago) served as a road manager and background vocalist for The Detroit Emeralds.

Although COVID 19 has curtailed a lot of events, Sound of Imani plans to continue their prison outreach and other community events for next year through their 501c3 nonprofit organization Acclaim Community Outreach. They will continue their journey in filmmaking, as well as their music and songwriting skills, hoping to place their music in movies and films. Sounds of Imani continue to stay relevant and remain active in promoting and performing their music through various online performances and are available for bookings.