U.S. Army veteran, recording artist, songwriter, author, magazine publisher, Streaming Television producer, mother, and grandmother, Joyce Logan started her professional music career with gospel singing group, James Bignon and Gods Children in 1975 while enlisted in the US Army.
A song from the album – “Sweet Peace” by Joyce Logan
A Song from the album – “When He Calls Me” by Joyce Logan
In 1982 the group recorded their second album. Her song When He Calls Me received nationwide airplay and top Billboard charting. She penned songs for artists such as Cleophus Robinson, Dorothy Norwood, The BC& M Mass Choir, Mildred Clark, as well as James Bignon and God’s Children.
Between touring and working for the Columbia School of Broadcasting she completed her degree in Broadcasting and Continuity Writing from the prestigious school, graduating with honors. The school was grooming her as an anchor for CNN but her passion was in the gospel music community. She was invited to start a gospel section for a national radio trade magazine, Black Radio Exclusive (BRE) where she was able to give gospel music and its artists broader exposure in a secular publication for the first time in history. Readers got a chance to meet artists and VIPs and get tidbits of who was doing what, when, and where in and around the gospel music industry. She also started the first gospel music radio/retail reports within the publication, later incorporating the feature into her Gospel International magazine where hundreds of radio stations and then retail outlets reporting was featured.
Before Gospel International, Dr. Joyce Logan was Marketing Director for Word Records when the label resided in Burbank, California. She worked directly with each music division to ensure strong team effort that gained successful long-range visibility for each artist. In addition, Dr. Logan developed extensive tracking reports by tracking national radio stations and retailers to gauge the rate of product rotation and sales. As Marketing Director she was the keynote speaker during major music conference dates regarding the label’s new product releases. Developing and implementing marketing strategies she also worked hand in hand with the A&R department. Her repertoire of artists included Richard Smallwood, Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters, The Thompson Community Singers (aka the Tommies), The Winans, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Albertina Walker, and many others.
Dr. Logan reviewed new products from potential artists and was a part of the decision-making team. She also worked closely with the Art division and was responsible for reviewing and signing off on the cover and inserting graphic design for the artist’s product. When Word relocated to Nashville, Tennessee Dr. Logan was unable to leave because she needed to be close to her mother who was very ill at the time. While on hiatus she was asked by CGI Records to develop their marketing and promotion efforts and for six months she flew back and forth from Los Angeles to Chicago each week to accomplish the task and CGI achieved top ratings on major music charts for the label’s artists which included Danniebelle Hall, Calvin Bernard Rhone, and others.
In 1984, only 8.2% of households in the US owned a personal computer, and the World Wide Web had yet to be invented. By 2000, 54 million households, or 51% of US households had owned one or more computers.
In 1993 Dr. Logan with over 45 years of experience in the entertainment industry and a proven record of success with some of the top names in Gospel Music created the first of its kind website on the Internet for the nation’s leading Music Trade Magazine for the Gospel / Christian Community called Gospel International. The Internet address was listed as gospelweb.com because hosting servers could not process website addresses with names over 10 characters at that time. She developed the framework for a multimedia Gospel Enterprise combing traditional “street level experience” with “technology” based delivery systems. Her ability to respond to the changing marketplace using technology was an example of why Ms. Logan still remains “cutting edge”. The site featured free email accounts for its users (for example jlogan@gospelweb.com). Gospel International featured one of the first chat rooms on the Internet (prior to Facebook) whereby users chatted in real-time with other users in the GI-Chat Room. During this time Ms. Logan was a beta tester for a new website called Facebook.
Dr. Logan has ongoing relationships with leading Music Industry Executives, Community and National organizations, and musical artists, and literally known to hundreds of thousands of Gospel International Internet followers.
As CEO of Gospel International Trade Magazine in print and online she worked directly with each department to ensure strong team effort and to gain successful results in the areas of subscription sales, ad revenue, and increased distribution sources. She hired and trained staff members in the administrative, marketing, and sales local office; International staff who displayed great skills in print design, web design, and digital skills management; 8 editorial staff who researched and submitted articles and key commentary relevant to the Gospel music community. Included within the publication were extensive nationwide radio and retail reports of top airplay and top sales, the first of its kind for gospel music reporting. In 2007 she launched the first gospel music trade video magazine online when this type of presentation was virtually unheard of on the internet. This preceded live and video streaming as we know it today.
Dr. Logan continues to partner successfully with national radio stations and retailers to provide increased visibility of products along with increased promotion for the partners. She lectures as a keynote speaker during major music conference dates on the importance of digital skills needs and training to grow and maintain a successful business. As a veteran in the music industry, she is often called upon to speak to new artists and entrepreneurs in the field regarding best practices and character in the industry. She continues to encourage, motivate, and educate making sure to emphasize new technology and its effects on the music industry.
In 2010 Joyce Logan returned to college and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology; MBA in Marketing; and earned her Doctorate degree in Management with a concentration in Executive Leadership.
While working on her Doctorate degree she also attended Bethany Bible College simultaneously and received her certificate of completion in Evangelism with a concentration on Christian Counseling. She released her second book DIGITAL STRATEGIES 4 MUSIC INDUSTRY SUCCESS in 2018. The book reveals where music industry personnel and artists currently stand regarding new technology and digital strategies. It chronicles how new technology affected the music industry over the decades and how technology used strategically can propel companies and artists towards success in the music industry. It shows how many old-school practices for marketing and promoting new music are still being implemented, and how today’s digital standards coupled with some old-school practices still get recorded projects miles ahead of the game by using the blueprint in the book. DIGITAL STRATEGIES 4 MUSIC INDUSTRY SUCCESS provides marketing insight and resources that will allow music industry leaders, artists, and personnel to become more skilled and successful in the music business, utilizing digital skills, strategies, and techniques shared within its pages. The book foretold the coming of the streaming age which is now commonplace.
In 2006- 2007 she experimented with the then new medium of presentation for online magazines – flipbooks – but decided to stay with the website approach. She also presented a new medium called Gospel International Video Magazine which emulated TV’s Entertainment Tonight. It was the first of its kind for not only the gospel music industry but for the internet. The response was overwhelming as this was unheard of in the gospel music industry. Internal challenges prevented the video magazine from going forward and she dropped the format.
While running and operating Gospel International Dr. Logan currently manages artist, Dave Shirley, who is known for his strong vocals and key casting roles in stage plays across the country. His single “Let’s Help One Another” is receiving great reviews nationwide and abroad as the video containing the soundtrack is bridging the gap between musical genres and cultures as well as bridging generations. The lyrics are very timely for the challenging times this world is now experiencing. During the 2020 Corona Virus pandemic, Dr. Logan exercised creativity when studios and videographers were in isolation and social distancing from the public. With cell phone in hand, green cloth taped to the wall (green screen), and camera rolling, and 100 degrees in the building, she videotaped Dave Shirley performing his new single for the times, A CHANGE IS GONNA COME (originally recorded by the late Sam Cook), added some visual effects and released the new video online.
In 2021 Gospel International acquired channels on the ROKU TV Network and Amazon Fire TV. The TV channels went LIVE simultaneously on both platforms.. For those wanting to watch the continuous live stream instead of navigating the many videos-on-demand on the Channel, Dr. Joyce made it available (live-streaming) on both channels and also on the Gospel International website. According to Dr. Logan, “This has been a lifelong dream from the moment we hit the street with the print magazine back in 1993, to going online in 1994, to becoming a tabloid-sized music trade publication in 1999 with worldwide distribution. I’ve seen many gospel industry magazines come and go in print and online since then, but we’ve stayed the course even when adversity knocked us down for a season. It knocked us down but it didn’t knock us out. GI was never about fortune or fame for me but about the ministry of the gospel and the people who make it happen. This is a ministry for me. Now we can carry the Gospel International message to an even broader market nationwide via TV ( 40 million on Amazon Fire TV and 62 Million on ROKU as millions are ditching cable TV) as we give greater exposure and a louder voice to the gospel music industry and its varying ministries.”
In August 2021 in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Logan was presented with a Trendsetter Award and honored by the Gospel Industry Network (G.I.N.) inducting her into the G.I.N. Hall of Fame. She has retired a few times over the years but her passion for this ministry keeps bringing her back to it. Today Dr. Logan acts as an advisor to many gospel music industry artists and personnel nationwide. In 2022 she was presented with A Living Legend Award by the Texas Gospel Music Excellence Awards.
During time away from the industry Ms Logan discovered the therapeutic healing effect of coloring and journaling. Always wanting to be a benefit to others she felt compelled to create a line of coloring books and journals for those needing a mental stress break in their daily lives. She created Prayze and Prayer Books LLC, which features her personally designed books for adults. The books feature themed pages for coloring, journaling, crossword puzzles, word search puzzles, and personal prayers which provide personal affirmations for the user.
Her first book entitled Hats N Flowers is available in various online outlets including Shopify and Lulu, as well as Barnes and Noble, and other brick-and-mortar stores. She encourages those who attend church and or Bible Study to always take notes that will benefit them in their life journey. She offers a 12-week Sermon/Bible Study notebook with coloring pages at the end.
Coming Soon, the launch of the Gospel International mobile app for both Android and IOS devices, making it effortless to access Gospel International, thereby expanding the Gospel International brand and furthering the spread of the gospel music industry message.
