The Kingdom Choir
The Kingdom Choir is a British gospel choir based in London. It was founded by choir conductor and workshop leader Karen Gibson.[1][2] After performing for more than 20 years, the choir became world-famous after being invited to perform at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.[1][3] On 19 May 2018, they sang a gospel version of "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King. The conductor, Gibson, was described by the British press as "Britain's godmother of gospel".[4] Their performance of the song topped the U.S. Hot Gospel Songs chart.[5] After the performance, the choir signed a record deal with Sony Music.[5]
On 26 October 2018, the choir released its debut album, Stand by Me, subtitled 15 Songs of Love and Inspiration. It contains 14 cover performances and one original piece called "Chases".[6]
The choir was selected to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the first game of the 2019 MLB London Series in June 2019.[7]
Discography
Albums
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Stand by Me
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Singles
- 2018: "Stand by Me"
References
- Rosanna Philpott (4 June 2018). "Gospel choir leader says royal wedding song marked cultural shift". Reuters. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- "Karen Gibson". UK Choir Festival. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- "'Stand by Me' performed by Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir - The Royal Wedding - BBC". 19 May 2018.
- Tapper, James (26 May 2018). "'It brings the spirit joy': Britain's godmother of gospel on why her choir stole the royal wedding". the Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- "Royal wedding gospel choir gets record deal". Reuters. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- Rob Copsey (25 October 2018). ""One song changed everything for us": Karen Gibson on the Kingdom Choir's debut album Stand By Me". The Official Charts. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- "We will race you: Mercury an MLB UK mascot". ESPN. June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.