The Baylor Project vision comes true with Motown Gospel signing

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    (December 12, 2021) If you’ve been reading SoulTracks for awhile, you know that we are huge fans of the husband-wife group The Baylor Project. Marcus and Jean Baylor had successful careers on their own, but a half dozen years ago they went out on faith with a vision to bring a classic, accessible jazz aesthetic and their own personal spirit of faith to a new generation of fans through The Baylor Project.

    They brought in top notch musicians and determined to create their unique approach as independent artists – with decisions on musical direction, marketing, and fan engagement that were counter in so many ways to what the music industry said was the “accepted” approach.

    Since then, they have shown their vision to be true: Four Grammy Award nominations and a SoulTracks Readers’ Choice Award later, they are headliners and one of the most lauded acts in jazz today.

    (December 12, 2021) If you’ve been reading SoulTracks for awhile, you know that we are huge fans of the husband-wife group The Baylor Project. Marcus and Jean Baylor had successful careers on their own, but a half dozen years ago they went out on faith with a vision to bring a classic, accessible jazz aesthetic and their own personal spirit of faith to a new generation of fans through The Baylor Project.

    They brought in top notch musicians and determined to create their unique approach as independent artists – with decisions on musical direction, marketing, and fan engagement that were counter in so many ways to what the music industry said was the “accepted” approach.

    Since then, they have shown their vision to be true: Four Grammy Award nominations and a SoulTracks Readers’ Choice Award later, they are headliners and one of the most lauded acts in jazz today.

    The Baylors followed their own path, and now the music industry has come to them. They have just announced that they have signed a distribution agreement with Motown Gospel (a division of Universal Music Group) for their Be A Light label. And the great news for fans is that their Grammy-nominated project, Generations (one of the best albums you’ll hear in 2021) is now streaming on all platforms.

    “For years, we have followed our hearts to create music that is authentic to who we are and to find the ears of those who embrace our sound. This is a milestone in our journey and represents a unique opportunity to grow to our next level.”

    Congratulations to The Baylor Project for this big step forward. It is testimony that artists can both follow their artistic vision and achieve commercial success. And it is an inspiration to other independent artists working their way through the changing modern musical landscape. We simply couldn’t be happier for them.

    By Chris Rizik