Gospel Artist Shirley Murdock Performed at Detroit Churches to Boost Voter Turnout

Gospel and R&B singer Shirley Murdock sang at Detroit churches this past weekend. Her goal? Getting people to vote before Tuesday's general election, as per Detroit News. The shows were part of "Pews to the Polls," an effort run by Lift Every Voice & Vote Detroit.

Saturday and Sunday brought Murdock to several spots around town, where faith leaders stood beside her to talk about why voting matters. She urged Black voters to drop their mail-in ballots at voting boxes once services wrapped up.

Great Faith Ministries hosted Murdock at noon Saturday. At 2 p.m., she met with faith partners and volunteers at Midtown Social Detroit on Woodward Avenue, where people brought perishable food to give to the community.

Sunday packed in six stops: Hartford Memorial Baptist at 7:30 a.m., Citadel of Praise at 9 a.m., Second Ebenezer Baptist Church at 10 a.m., Greater Grace Temple at 10:30 a.m., Martin Evers Baptist Church at 11:55 a.m., and Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church at 1:15 p.m.

Lift Every Voice & Vote Detroit put together these weekend concerts to keep energy high among churchgoers in the city. Black church members have voted at much higher rates than other residents, according to the grassroots group.

They wanted to sustain that energy through a weekend of "celebration, service, and soul-stirring musical performances," a press release stated, as reported by Detroit News.

Murdock made her name with "As We Lay" and her guest spot on Zapp and Roger's "Computer Love." Both tracks came out in 1986. She's worked in gospel and R&B for decades.

Detroit's mayoral candidates—City Council President Mary Sheffield and Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.—received invitations to the weekend events, organizers said.

The grassroots group aims to get the city's faith community more involved in civic life, and Black churchgoers have shown up to elections at higher rates than other groups.

Churches throughout Detroit hosted the performances. Messages about voting and civic participation came from faith leaders at each service.

People could drop mail-in ballots at voting boxes right after services ended, and organizers pushed attendees to act once the music stopped.