ALW Entertainment and Southwest Airlines present gospel icons Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin and Donnie Mc Clurkin on the Hopeville Tour Part II - Super promoter Al Wash and his ALW Entertainment in association with Southwest Airlines have partnered to launch a second leg to the mega successful Hopeville tour starring gospel icons Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin and Donnie Mc Clurkin.

The tour kicked off it’s 32 city trek in Baltimore October 17 and will close December 13 in Los Angeles. The tour was re-launched based on the success it achieved during its last outing in 2003 and the overwhelming demand from fans of it’s three superstars to see them again.

Hopeville represents the evolution of the Contemporary Gospel musical that Franklin created and is directing. Hopeville is an innovative and thoroughly uplifting experience. The magic of Hopeville is that it is the perfect marriage between Christian entertainment and the Broadway experience. Yolanda, Kirk and Donnie will all interact throughout the whole event. There’s going to be singing and dancing, some theatrical moments, and some choreographed moments. The audience will not only be treated to the story they have come to know and love but the story will be augmented to include music released by the trio since they first began to perform the show two years ago.

The show while being the concept of Kirk Franklin really grew out of the mutual respect the trio has for each other and their respective talents. Franklin praises, "Donnie’s gift is being the most incredible male singer on this planet. Yolanda’s gift that God has given her is that she’s the most amazing female singer in our time--not only in gospel music, but in all of pop culture. There is not another female singer in any other genre of music that can top Yolanda Adams. No other. And you can quote me on that."

Franklin says that he sees his God-given gift as the ability to "put together a visual expression of music and make it come to life." Adams and McClurkin appeared on Franklin’s recent album, The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin, though the fact that they are all touring together is more of a coincidental blessing than an extension of their studio work together. "Hopeville is a make-believe city, and three friends were raised together there. We shot a video with three kids who portrayed a young Donnie, a young Kirk and a young Yolanda talking about what they wanted to do when they grew up, promising that they would stay friends forever. When the video ends, the stage set looks like a city. Hopeville is a blueprint of what every city can be, with everyone coming together as one through good times and bad times. The blessing about this tour is that all three of us will be on the same level at the same time on one stage which do!  esn’t happen in any other genre of music, says Franklin. Though he is as dynamic as the stars and the events he promotes, Wash doesn’t lay claim as the only gospel promoter (he also handles comedy and other entertainment forms, as well), but longtime friend Franklin insists, "He’s the best." Wash and his 15-year-old ALW Entertainment have mounted ten gospel tours over the past eight years (Franklin and Adams rolled out with the maiden voyage) and have certainly contributed to gospel music’s current growth.

Wash predicts, "Hopeville has taken gospel music to the next level, this second leg is based on public demand." Southwest Airlines is once again the co-sponsor of the tour. "It’s a plus to have a sponsor like Southwest, I think they saw significant benefit from sponsoring the first leg of this tour and we are pleased they are on board again.”

Franklin’s vision for Hopeville is "for people to see Christian entertainment outside of the box. That’s what I’m excited about -- for them to be able to see that it’s bigger than what they may see it just as a Sunday morning experience. It can become part of a person’s everyday lifestyle for enjoyment, but also leads to inspiration and a better way of life."

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