“B.B. King of Gospel Steel Guitar” Calvin Cooke Jams on Gospel Music Channel In Front Row Live: Calvin Cooke and Friends Featuring Robert Randolph World Premiering Sun. Oct. 21 @ 8:00 P.M. ET/PT

ATLANTA, GA – Oct. 14, 2007 – He’s been called the "B.B. King of gospel steel guitar” and is credited as the protégé to the popular and multiple Grammy-nominated Robert Randolph. Now, the legendary sacred steel player Calvin Cooke brings his unique hybrid of gospel, blues, soul, country/western music – along with Randolph himself -- to the Gospel Music Channel television network for a very memorable show. Front Row Live: Calvin Cooke and Friends Featuring Robert Randolph world premieres on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) and features guest appearances by Randolph and another sacred steel legend, Aubrey Ghent.

Front Row Live: Calvin Cooke and Friends Featuring Robert Randolph kicks off GMC’s Rock & Soul Night, an electrifying evening of entertainment featuring the Blind Boys of Alabama, Shirley Caesar, Cooke, Bob Dylan, Mike Farris, Ghent, Ben Harper, Aaron Neville and Randolph.

GMC’s Rock & Soul Night --

Sun. Oct. 21, 2007

8:00 p.m. Front Row Live: Calvin Cooke and Friends Featuring Robert Randolph (World Premiere)

9:00 p.m.

Front Row Live: Mike Farris - Up-and-coming rocker cranks it Christian-style

10:00 p.m. Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama Live at the Apollo – Two top acts, same famous stage

11:30 p.m. Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan – Showcases the music legend’s Gospel side

All Times Eastern/Pacific

Sacred Steel music is a purely church-bred style music featuring high energy electrified lead slide guitar and was first performed in the 1930s, African American House of God congregations took their cue from Psalm 150:4 and began playing their songs of worship on electric steel guitars. Until the late ‘90s, sacred steel music was confined to the church. From the beginning, Calvin Cooke was the official musical voice of the House of God all across the country. Today he is widely considered the most influential living pedal steel guitar master with the Sacred Steel tradition. Even though he has been performing at the House of God in Detroit for the past 45 years, Cooke released his first, full-length CD Heaven in 2003, produced by then up-and-coming Randolph. Thanks in large part to Cooke’s tutelage, Robert Randolph has emerged from the Church of God as its first real superstar and is truly among the modern masters of Sacred Steel, taking this music to the masses. Randolph, who has been compared to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Duane Allman and Jimi Hendrix, has updated the sacred-steel tradition with heavy doses of blues, funk, and rock, he's not only emerged with his own sound, but he's brought the music full circle, returning those pop-music styles to their gospel roots. The Legendary Ghent is a master artist in his own right who was literally born into gospel steel. His father, the late Henry Nelson, played the steel guitar for more than fifty years and was Aubrey's greatest influence and inspiration Ghent's uncle, Willie Eason, who was Nelson's inspiration and instructor is recognized as being the first steel guitarist within House of God churches, where Aubrey, among other steel players, continue this legacy. Gospel Music Channel will present encore presentations of Front Row Live: Calvin Cooke and Friends on Tuesday, Oct. 23 (9 p.m. ET/PT) and Saturday, Oct. 27 (2 p.m. ET/PT). Visit www.gospelmusicchannel.com for complete listings.