By Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
Leroy Smith, former lead male vocalist of the renowned gospel group the Grace Thrillers. - Contributed
IT IS said that all good things must come to an end, save salvation. That rule of thumb holds firm once again, as Leroy Smith, lead male vocalist, has decided to sever a 23-year-long love affair with the renowned gospel group, the Grace Thrillers.
Two words aptly describes his reason for writing a letter of divorcement to the group irreconcilable differences.
Mr. Smith, who has served as assistant manager for the Grace Thrillers' Outreach Ministry for the past 13 years, told The Gleaner that for sometime now, tension has presided in the camp.
"The truth is, I have been having differences with the other heads of management, in other words we are not seeing eye to eye," reasoned Smith. However, Mr. Smith was reluctant to highlight the unsettled issues.
Regardless of the fact that the issues packed enough power to end a 23-year-long relationship, Mr. Smith remained adamant that there is no bad blood between himself and manager of the group, Noel Willis. "Saying this, I must say that there is no animosity between me and the managers. The bottom line is I am moving on and the time is now, with the Lord leading me into this direction," emphasised Smith.
When The Gleaner contacted Mr. Willis at his office, in a swift dismissal of the issue he promptly stated, "I have no comment to make on the matter."
Mr. Smith said the stand-off between himself and the management was not contagious, because he and the other group members are not at loggerheads. "They are disappointed that it has to go this route, but I really can't speak for them at this stage," stated Smith.
Twenty-three years is not a drop in the bucket. It is a long, long time to be together with any one thing or person and as a result it made his decision to sever his ties with the group that more monumentous.
"It was a very hard decision to make, but I realised it was one I had to make," he said, reassuring himself that he had done the right thing.
WHAT NEXT?
It is said that life is a game of chess. Embracing this concept, Mr. Smith said that his next move will be contrary to the actions of the servant in the 'parable of the talents' who received and hid the one talent that his master gave him.
According to information from his camp, Smith is working on his solo debut album, Transformation from Migdol to Marah to Elim, which is set to hit the streets in the next three months. He promises that his new sound will not follow the format of the Grace Thrillers.
"I am grateful for the exposure that the group has given me, spiritually I have grown while being there. I also learnt a lot about the business aspect of the ministry," stated the mechanic turned singer, who joined the group by default in 1979.
Reminiscing on the intimate times of the just concluded 'love affair', Smith recalled how it all started. He said that due to the busy schedule of the Grace Thrillers back then, the consensus was that they were going to form another group.
During that time, the group used to minister at the church he attended and they saw him perform and invited him to join the back-up group. The venture never got off the ground and Smith was subsequently drafted into the Grace Thrillers.
Now that the 'divorce' is final, Smith says that it is an act of God. He claims that it had been prophesied to him in part by ministers of the gospel, both local and overseas.
