According to the Examiner, Homegoing services for Barbara Best, founder of the esteemed gospel group the BL&S Singers were announced today, Jan.2. Services will also include a citywide tribute that will feature musical tributes to a woman considered one of the D.C. area’s gospel pioneers. Barbara Best passed away Dec. 29 at age 78.
Best formed BL&S Singers in 1966 with Lois Tillery-Moore and Sylvia C. Wayman. While the group’s name was coined from their first names, it also stood for “Blessed Loved & Saved.” The BL&S Singers recorded six gospel albums that produced hits that included “I Found a New Doctor,” “The Anointing,” “Romans 8:18,” “Always” and “Just in Time.”
The group was one of the first gospel groups in the D.C. area that gained national recognition. They were featured on shows such as “Gospel Variations,” “Spread a Little Sunshine” and CNN. The group also appeared on the popular “Saturday Nite Sing” in Chicago, hosted by Taft Harris. In 2004, the group received the Gospel Legacy Award from the Washington, D.C. Gospel Fest.
