*Since the July release of Earnest Pugh’s latest CD “Earnest Pugh LIVE: Rain on U,” Pugh has been busy on the promotion trail.

But last weekend he joined a host of fellow artists and friends in the Washington, D.C. area to celebrate his birthday.

Recently interviewed in Jet and Sister 2 Sister magazines, Pugh’s latest disk features Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Richard Smallwood and debuted at #2 on Billboard.

The single “Rain on Us” just recently broke into the Top Ten at Radio and is still rising.

Future events for Pugh include the Gospel Super Fest in Cincinnati; the NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles, where he is nominated in two categories; and the Gospel Music Channel’s award ceremony in Atlanta, where he is nominated for “Praise and Worship Video of the Year.” Pugh’s “Ask for the Rain Tour” will start in spring 2010.