Joe Pace

Formed in 1995 during a community choral workshop in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Colorado Mass Choir quickly established itself under the guidance of acclaimed songwriter and producer Joe Pace as one of gospel music’s standout ensembles, drawing more than sixty voices from thirty-five congregations scattered across the state. Their Verity Records debut Watch God Move arrived that same year and achieved immediate impact through standout tracks such as the title song, “Still Have Joy,” and the breakout single “Stir Up the Gift.” Recognition followed in 1997 with a Stellar Award for New Artist of the Year, along with four GMWA Gospel Music Excellence Award nominations in the categories of Album of the Year, New Artist of the Year (Contemporary), New Artist of the Year (Traditional), and Song of the Year for “Stir Up the Gift.”

The choir’s 1998 sophomore release So Good sustained the momentum by featuring Kim Rutherford on “At the Cross,” the husband-and-wife duo Angelo & Veronica on “Yes He Loves Me” with Veronica taking a solo turn on “Bless His Holy Name,” and Min. Kenneth Wells—who had supplied the vocal drive behind the earlier hit “Stir Up the Gift”—leading the track “He Takes Care of His Own.” That project collected four Stellar Award nominations in 1999 for Choir of the Year, Traditional Choir of the Year, Traditional Album of the Year, and Producer of the Year (Joe Pace), plus two Dove Award nominations for Traditional Album of the Year and Traditional Song of the Year for the title track “So Good.”

Two additional Verity albums followed: the 1999 set God’s Got It, which included a guest vocal from award-winning artist/songwriter/producer Fred Hammond, and a 2001 best-of compilation. Also in 2001 the choir signed with the Mobile, Alabama-based praise & worship label Integrity Music and issued Glad About It. Pace remained with Integrity for the next five years, delivering a series of well-regarded projects before moving to Columbia for the 2006 two-disc collection Mighty Long Way, which presented new arrangements of several of his most notable earlier works. Worship for the Kingdom, recorded live at the Renaissance Church of God In Christ in Grand Rapids, Michigan, appeared in 2007, succeeded by the ambitious audio-visual release Joe Pace Presents: Praise for the Sanctuary in 2010 and Joe Pace Presents: H.B. Charles Jr. & Shiloh Church in 2016.