The GMWA, Inc. Organization

GMWA Membership
Active membership includes professional and amateur gospel vocalists, instrumentalists, composers, arrangers, directors and producers.

GMWA Organization
Founded in 1967 by the late Rev. James Cleveland, the Gospel Music Workshop of America is the largest artistic organization of its kind in the world with 75,000 members in more than 185 chapters in the United States, United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.

GMWA Music
About 75 percent of the recordings on Billboard Magazine's gospel charts are written, arranged, produced and/or performed by GMWA members.

First GMWA Convention
The first GMWA convention was held in Detroit in 1968 at King Solomon Baptist Church with 3,000 delegates attending.

Annual Convention
Each convention officially begins the weekend of the second Sunday in August and attracts 12,000 to 15,000 registrants. An additional 3,000 to 5,000 local gospel lovers attend workshop and musical services during the week.

GMWA Recordings
The convention's National Mass Choir is made up of 2,000 to 3,000 vocalists from chapters around the world and produces a new recording at each convention after only 16 hours of rehearsal. New recordings also are produced annually by the GMWA Women of Worship, Men of Promise and Youth Choir.