Gospel recording artist Donnie McClurkin is coming to Charlotte…but not for the usual concert.

The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter will host an event that defies easy description. The three-day conference (April 28-30) will feature a music component, but also a health fair and career fair.

Organizers are calling it the “Perfecting Music Conference.”

McClurkin tested the concept last year in Chicago. Charlotte will be his first stop in 2011, followed by seven other cities, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas and Miami.

A major component will be two days of music-related workshops -- Recording 101, Radio Seminar, Marketing/Branding, Church Administration, etc. Presenters will include recording artists/producers Israel Houghton, Aaron Lindsey, Myron Butler and Wes Morgan.

Charlotte was selected as one of the eight cities at the behest of Catherine Brewton, a Charlotte native and vice president of BMI, which collects and distributes royalties for recording artists, including McClurkin. She is also a daughter of the late Rev. Barbara Brewton Cameron, pastor of Community Outreach Christian Ministries and founder of the Harvest Center.

In a telephone interview with Qcitymetro.com, Brewton, who lives in Atlanta, said McClurkin wanted the event to be about more than music; he also wanted to give back to each of the host cities.

The health fair, to held at the Harvest Center, will offer free screenings for blood glucose, blood pressure, HIV testing, dental services, kid’s health corner, healthy cooking demonstration and more. The Harvest Center each year
provides food and clothing to thousands of Charlotte residents, many of them unemployed or homeless.

The career/jobs fair will be held at the Holiday Inn Center City. Brewton said the fair will be geared toward people who don’t necessarily hold college degrees.

Asked how the Brewton family is coping with the 2008 death of their mother, Catherine Brewton said the past two-plus years have been a “journey.”

“Nothing prepares you for losing your mom,” she said. “But God is good, and he’s certainly given me the strength to maintain.”

Brewton said she chairs the board of directors at her mother’s former church, which hopes to name a new pastor by June 1.

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