Saw
Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
Jesus Christ asked: 'For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?' - St. Matthew chapter 16, verse 26.
THE APPARENT response to the above question from many secular artistes today, that grew up singing Amazing Grace, is the glitz and glamour of stardom. Many local secular acts have left the sacred realms of the church to pursue their secular careers.
However, as to whether the glitz, glamour and bright lights associated with secular stardom is a reasonable price to pay for their souls is yet to be determined.
One of the many in this batch of 'backsliders' from the Christian faith is Rastafarian singer Junior Kelly, who burst on to the scene with If Love So Nice. As a youth he attended the Bethel Baptist Church in Manchester.
The now devout Rastafarian told The Sunday Gleaner that while growing up it was mandatory that he attended church and at that age he never had a problem with it.
However, that mindset was left behind in his youth, since during the latter years of his adolescence he began to accept different philosophies that were in direct contradiction with the Christian principles he learnt as a child. "My church move from the physical realm to the spiritual realm, sitting in the church building is not me because I am always on the go, but every day I carry the 'word' with me," noted Kelly.
His parents are still both devout Christians and are now ordained ministers of the faith. His father, Ira Morgan, is a reverend and his mother, Hyacinth Morgan, is a bishop. The singer said that his conversion to Rastafarianism cannot be likened to a knockout blow but rather a gradual process.
Before his church-going ways came to a halt at about age 18, the singer pointed out that there were times that he opted to go to church on his own accord - but it was not for worshipping the Lord. "A lot of attraction was there," he said with a chuckle. "How yuh mean, mi go a church go look fi mi girlfriend," he stated boldly.
Nevertheless, he stated that if he were not so busy these days, he would probably be in some tabernacle, but not the kind his parents attend. Junior Kelly said that his decision to part ways with the Christian faith was not greeted with any controversy.
"Dem nuh try encourage me to return cause dem know seh dem a fight a losing battle. They know I am a Rasta and now it's a totally different arena for me, how dem view the Almighty is probably not the way I view the Almighty," reasoned Junior Kelly.
Another member of the Rastafarian community that forsook the 'narrow path' for the 'broad road' is Determine. The deejay, who recorded his first hit as a Rastafarian with Kette Drum, a collaboration with Beenie Man, was a 'little drummer boy' during his days at church. Determine is also the son of a pastor, since his mother is the Reverend Lucilda Bennett, who hails from Iteboreal, St. Mary.
In an article dated May 11, 1997 in The Gleaner, Reverend Bennett was quoted as saying: "In the first place, as a minister of religion, I did not want him to become a deejay because he was in the church. I really wanted him to become an accountant. He used to deejay on a sound system in the area called Silver Dagger, so I sent him to Holy Trinity in town to get him away from that, but he still found his way to it. As a mother, you can't tell your child what to do. Everyone has to decide his own path in life, but doctrine does not 'determine' the man, just the love you have for your fellow man in your heart, that's what matters."
Marion 'Lady Saw' Hall used to attend the Oracabessa Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Even though she was not a member of the choir, she was a member of the church, baptised and all. She got baptised when she was 13 years old. "I think I was not ready yet, but it was my dad's decision. However, I will do it again sometime in my life," she said.
The risqué Lady Saw said that her moving back and forth from St. Mary to Kingston, since her mother lived in Kingston and her father in St Mary, affected her church attendance. She eventually came to live in Kingston and the rest is history. However, unlike Junior Kelly, while it may not be frequently, she says she still attends church.
Saw, who is currently enjoying double platinum success and counting with The pop band No Doubt, told The Sunday Gleaner that her love for dancehall played a major role in her drifting away from her Christian roots. However, she added that she is still waiting for her calling from the Lord to come back home.
She says she has received several calls from people who have told her that the Lord Jesus Christ is calling her to be an evangelist of the gospel.
The long list of local entertainers that have left the church includes veteran singer Kevin 'Sanchez' Jackson. He was encouraged to join the church choir by his mother, who was an evangelist. Eventually, the talented singer became the lead singer for the junior and senior Sunday choirs at the Rehoboth Apostolic Church in Waterford, St. Catherine. However the singer was to choose a future outside of singing for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Singer Egg Nogg, who said he used to accompany his aunt to church, was a member of the youth choir at the Church of God in his community.
Singers Nadine Sutherland and Chico also admitted to singing at church functions in their youthful days. However Nadine disagrees with how the term 'singing for the Lord' is used. "I think everything I do is positive. Once I sing about love, joy and positive things that affect people in a positive way I believe I am doing God's work," emphasised Nadine.
This trend of artistes forsaking their Christian upbringings for the secular world is not limited to the shores of our little island in the sun. It is also rampant overseas, where many artistes have chosen careers as secular artistes instead of their previous path of singing for the Lord.
One of R&B's most well-known and loved female vocalists, Toni Braxton, who originally hailed from Severen, Maryland in the United States, grew up singing on the local church choir along with her four sisters.
Before becoming the sensual and provocative singer she now is, Toni had her eyes set on the humble profession of teaching. However this career choice was side-tracked when she became the first female artiste signed to LaFace Records.
Toni, her four sisters and a brother, were children of an Apostolic minister and a vocalist. According to the Web site AskMen.com, the Braxton children were forced to live under the strict rules of their family's faith. The girls were not allowed to wear trousers, sandals or make-up; were not allowed to have boyfriends, and the children were not allowed to listen to mainstream music. The Web site went on further to state that that did not stop them from listening to such music, since when their parents were out, they watched Soul Train and listened to mainstream music.
In moving from a preacher's child to becoming one of the most alluring females to grace the stages of R&B, AskMen.com, in describing Toni's appearance, stated: "She wears dresses that show off 98 per cent of her body. Literally. We don't mind, we firmly believe that leaving things to the imagination is overrated."
Just as the beat does, the list goes on and another mega-star of the secular world that started out in church is writer, producer and singer Robert Kelly or just R. Kelly, if you please. His accomplishments as a producer and singer in the world of R&B are well-known. Kelly, who used to sing in the choir of the Baptist Church he attended eventually made a name for himself with provocative lyrics.
The multi-talented Kelly almost returned to the Christian faith in 1997. It all unfolded after Kelly made a guest appearance at a 1997 concert put on by the young gospel artiste Kirk Franklin and was quoted by Ebony magazine as making this proclamation: "I used to be flying in sin ... now I'm flying in Jesus." The switch never happened however.
If he had done so R. Kelly would have followed the footsteps of some illustrious predecessors such as R&B singer Al Green and rock and roller Little Richard.
Legendary R&B singer Whitney Houston was been exposed to music since birth through her mother, R&B/gospel singer Cissy Houston, and her cousin Dionne Warwick. However, she started exercising her vocals for the Lord as a member of the New Hope Baptist Junior Choir in Newark, New Jersey. The rest is history.
The 'Queen of Soul', Aretha Franklin, is also numbered among those that left their roots in the church for what seemed to be a more lucrative singing career in the secular arena. The daughter of Reverend C.L. Franklin, who was a Baptist preacher, the 'queen' started touching hearts with her unique voice as a choir girl from a tender age. Her father knew the major gospel stars Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward, who in turn gave his daughter valuable tutelage, along with two other sisters Erma and Carolyn.
At the age of 12, Aretha was promoted from the choir to become a featured soloist.
