get down inside of me.
In those nights when you’re growing up in
trauma and fear, there is just so much fear,
because every time it happens your world is
blown up, and your family stops talking to you,
aunts and uncles, they would throw daddy out
and so they would throw me out also because
I was his son. I remember talking to my uncle
who threw daddy out, he and the board voted
him out, and I showed up the next Sunday
with my acoustic to do my song, and he
stopped me before I could go inside and told
me, “You’re not welcome here.” I said, “Uncle
Kenneth, I didn’t do anything wrong!” And he
said, “I don’t care, you’re his son and we don’t
want you here.” I remember going home with
my heart broken, my family and church people
were being so cruel. But again, I could turn to
music, and it would sooth my soul, and turn me
toward the presence of Jesus where I felt safe.
It would block out everything for a while that
was going on in my world that was so troubling.
photo by Erick Anderson
I could listen, I could sing along, and it brought
peace. It really brought peace, and that was
the only thing in my life that could bring peace. Blind Willie Johnson, all of these things have really explore not only where these songs are
I was little, I didn’t know Jesus that well, but been my safe place my whole life. going vocally, but before that where are these
I knew His music, and His music talked to
songs going period. Russ mentioned “Isn’t the
me about Him, and I can’t say enough about [WM] Mark, how do you approach saying Name”, when we originally did the track for
that, it brought peace and contentment. And it to an artist as accomplished as Russ, that that, the way that happened, is we put down
brought rest when there was chaos all around you want them to do another take to find ‘the the piano part, then Russ put the vocals down,
me. Music could be that place of solitude and keeper’? then after we put the strings on it. And once
peace.
Russ heard that, he wanted to go back and re-
[Mark] Russ is no spring chicken, he’s been sing it, because once he’d heard the full picture
There have been times in my live where I have doing albums for thirty-five years. In the studio and the dynamics and what it was doing, he
been so beat down and discouraged and hurt, Russ is a joy to work with because he is very was the one who made the right call there that
and a sermon couldn’t reach me. Just reading knowledgeable about his instrument, and what it needed to be re-sung. Now it’s taken on a
the Bible, my brain could not wrap around a lot feels good and what doesn’t, so he’ll usually be whole life of its own. I’m glad we did because
of that, but it was always touched my music. the first one to say, “Let me do that again”, or now it’s one of the most special songs on the
Music was my gospel for so long, listening to listen back to the track and want to try the verse album. Vocally, it’s one of the ones that went
great lyrics, listening to those great singers that again. He’s very self-aware and he knows when the fastest because the spirit and the vision
so moved me. That’s why the first video I did he’s got a better take in him. He’s comfortable were very clear, he knew what he wanted to do.
with Bill Gaither, the second one he did, and I with himself and with his instrument, and quite was still in the contemporary world, but I walked frankly he’s very easy to work with.
in this room and there’s Vestal Goodman. I had
To flip that around, songs like “I Still Believe”
and “We Will Stand”, those were songs that
listened to ten thousand songs with her singing, The fun part about working on an album like this Russ has been doing for a long time, so those
and Jake Hess, thinking of those days of singing with Russ is some of these songs were new to were fairly simple because he knows those
those songs with my brothers, and listening to all of us. Everybody is busy these days, so we songs. If you want to flip back around to the
black gospel music, listening to Clara Ward and actually took the time in the studio to dig in and technical point of view, Russ has such a great
January 2019
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