The New Life Community Choir is an award-winning gospel ensemble known forincorporating elements of hip-hop and modern R&B into their songs of praise. . Choir founder James P. Kee was a child prodigy who mastered the piano, flute, anddrums while still in elementary school, and who performed with Cameo and Donald Byrdas a teenager. . Kee founded The New Life Community Choir in the mid-'80s, with the choir's originalmembership largely composed of former addicts and criminals who had turned their livesaround. .Their third LP, 1991's Wash Me, spent 40 weeks on Billboard's Top Gospel Albumschart,eventually peaking at No. 2. .Show Up! sold more than 500,000 copies-an impressive number for a gospel albumon a small independent label-and won the 1996 Soul Train Music Award for Best GospelAlbum. .The ensemble was voted Choir of the Year at the 2002 Stellar Awards.. In 2005, Kee was inducted into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame, as well asthe Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2007, in recognition of his work with the NLCC and asa solo artist.