![]() The audience last night was filled with hundreds of African-American members of the community, most of whom had never been to a Mormon church before. The countryside here is still lined with the short, stacked, gray limestone walls built on the backs of slaves 150 years ago. We’re not necessarily part of the Deep South, but we still bear the scars of slavery and racism to this very day. I’m not sure how these performances go in the West, but this is Kentucky. There was an elephant in the room, of course, and Gladys immediately acknowledged it. This was the part of the performance I, and everyone else, was waiting for. It was truly a night of great talent.įinally, after all these songs, Gladys took the microphone to bear her testimony. Soon the entire choir was singing along with them for several moving songs, featuring individual members of the choir who just blew me away with their vocal skills. ![]() A Polynesian man sitting near me in the audience lifted a fist of triumph in the air. However, the choir immediately moved from African hymns to a hymn from a completely different part of the world.Ī Hawaiian gentleman took a mic and began singing a hymn in his language, and slowly, each Polynesian member of the choir rose, singing along with him. It was a testament to their strength and hope in Christ. She spoke of the slaves that were brought to the United States from Africa, and the rich gospel tradition that they cultivated. Then there was a short spoken-word section, read by a British member of the choir. The audience was enthralled and entranced as she moved to a gospel rendition of “I Am a Child of God.” The choir moved on to sing a few very powerful gospel songs, and finally, Gladys turned around, and with her signature humility announced, “Well, I guess I’d better introduce myself.” She completely won over every person in that chapel with her loving, soulful personality, and she spoke a language that she brought with her into Mormonism: the language of every black gospel choir in the South. I’m sure the ears of every musician in the audience perked up as soon as the keyboardist played his first gospel flourish. Gladys had a three-piece band, consisting of a tasteful guitarist, an amazing and flashy keyboard player, and a subdued and cheerful bassist. Can I just say it was amazingly refreshing beyond all measure to hear actual applause at a chapel? The lyrics spoke of the trouble in the world, and the emotional need for a God: “There must be a God somewhere.” It was a little strange hearing such a powerful choir singing in our usually quiet little chapel, but as soon as I heard my first “amen” from the audience it all felt right. This performance was completely different. The first song they performed was “Over My Head.” Interestingly, my last concert review was of King’s X, and I mentioned Doug Pinnick’s long Over My Head sermon that nowadays just wanders and rails against religion. From the first song, Gladys directed with energy and passion. We got there early so we could sit in the pews instead of in the hard chairs in the overflow, and that meant we got a close-up look at the choir and Gladys. It was a performance I will remember for quite some time. Last night, I went to the performance thinking Gladys Knight is a legend, and I walked away from the performance loving her personally. Last night I was able to attend a performance here in Lexington, Kentucky of the Grammy Award-winning Saints Unified Voices choir directed by the legendary Gladys Knight, and it was one of the most powerful and moving events I’ve ever attended in a Church meetinghouse. I have been a member of the Church my whole life, I’ve served the Church in several missionary callings, I’ve even served a full-time mission, and I have never seen a missionary like Gladys Knight. Ilmu Pelet on The Ghost and the Guest: An Un… Maya papaya dehlin on Armorie – Pew Pew r… ![]() Interview with Scott Zuniga, Austin-based singer songwriter.Deciding on Lindsey Stirling’s five best outfits of 2012 was such a difficult task it took eight months of careful consideration to finally decide. ![]()
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