The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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February 5, 2010

Corey Brooks Ministries expanding

By Jackie Ayres

Local Christian musician Corey Brooks has seen more than his fair share of award shows and sold-out venues.

The 20-year-old Beckley native received a Gospel Music Association Dove Award nomination in 2006 and was placed in a category competing against the legendary Randy Travis for Country Gospel Album of the Year.

In addition to the Dove nod, Brooks has won the Presidents Award for Outstanding Achievement from the International Country Gospel Music Association and New Artist of the Year from the Inspirational Country Music Awards.

While Brooks has already achieved much success at the young age of 20, he recently announced a change in his Corey Brooks Ministries, which will likely equal more successes for the Beckley Christian.

Brooks is adding two Beckley singers, Matt Kelly and Craig Smith, both 21, to Corey Brooks Ministries.

The Corey Brooks Band has already secured a host of international tour dates for 2010 and will begin touring in March.

“In October, we contacted Matt and Craig,” Brooks said. “We really just felt like this was the way God was leading.”

Corey Brooks Ministries is typically on the road about 220 days a year.

This year, the band will be playing on a Royal Caribbean cruise and in multiple venues in Scotland, London, the Bahamas and on Cocoa Cay Island, among others.

“We’re pretty excited,” Kelly said. “We were actually in a ministry before this. We’ve been playing in Fight of Faith for about two in a half years.”

“It’s pretty awesome,” Smith added. “It’s a huge step of faith.”

Brooks’ mother, Lisa, who helps manage the group, says the Corey Brooks Band is a great addition to Corey Brooks Ministries. The only negative right now is the group is in desperate need of a bigger tour bus.

“Right now we’re traveling in a bus that sleeps four, and we have five now,” she said.

She says the group is taking donations to purchase a new bus.

Corey Brooks Ministries is managed by C&L; Entertainment of North Carolina.

To book the Corey Brooks Band, call 304-934-6886 or visit www.candlentertainment.com. For more information on Corey Brooks Ministries, visit www.coreybrooksministries.com.

— E-mail: jayres@register-herald.com

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