By Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter
Tommy Cowan listens keenly as The Gleaner poses a question. - Carlington Wilmot /Freelance Photographer
"PEOPLE HAVE questioned me saying now that I am a Christian, why don't I cut my dreadlocks. I have come to learn in life, that God draws all men to Himself. And when He called me and said, 'Come to me.' He never said to me 'Cut your dreadlocks and come.' He said to me, 'Come just as you are.'"
Tommy Cowan continues to wear his dreadlocks and he has no intention of cutting it unless he hears from God urging him to do so. For him, it is a point of connection between himself and those to whom he does Christian ministry. He finds the locks to be an asset when he engages in Christian work in inner-city communities, and when he does prison ministry. There have been times, however, like that occasion when he was in a Connecticut, USA, church and an elder saw him and asked if he intended to go on the platform at anytime where his wife, Carlene Davis was giving a performance. He replied: "I might." The elder said: "No, not in this church. This is a conservative church and it would not be appropriate." The elder directed him to a dark corner of the hall. Later, the pastor of the church invited Tommy to the platform, and allowed him to bring an exhortation. Tommy preached for about 30 minutes and people came forward when the altar call was given. The elder then came to him and apologised, claiming that what Tommy had shared had opened up his eyes.
POPULAR SONGS
Tommy Cowan has been there and done that. He was part of the famed 1960s group, 'The Jamaicans,' whose popular songs included Baba Boom (which was a winning festival song), Peace & Love; Iya Coming; Woman Go Home; and Things You Say You Love. He has worked with Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and several other major popular Jamaican artistes as a booking agent or as manager. A much sought after M.C. for stage shows where his fluid and entertaining style endears him to music fans everywhere, Tommy Cowan and his wife Carlene Davis in 1996 rededicated their lives to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today both are members of Family Church on the Rock in St. Andrew pastored by Apostle David Keane. They are stridently Christian in their lifestyle, conversation and ministry.
Hailing from a strongly religious family, Tommy's father was for 62 years a lay preacher in the Methodist Church. An older brother, Neville, is both a pastor and a professor of theology in Canada.
When he came to Kingston from New Market, St. Elizabeth, as a boy, Tommy got involved in Jamaica Youth For Christ movement. It is through that ministry that he accepted Christ as his Saviour at age 12. But as he grew into manhood, the Black Power movement resonated with him and culminated in his embrace of Rastafari.
The eating and social habits of Rastas appealed to him, so too, the disciplined lifestyle that it promoted. Yet ironically, it was his embrace of Rasta that somehow led him back to Christ.
"Rastas say Emperor Haile Selassie I is Jesus Christ returned. I said, okay, since they say he is Jesus Christ returned, let me see what Jesus Christ returned is saying. And so I sought out what he was saying and what I found was that everytime I check for what he is saying, he is pointing me to Jesus Christ. "That experience of Selassie has given me a great respect for the man. I have found that he is one of the most committed Christians the world has ever seen. There is a book called Testimony of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I: Defender of the Faith by Karl Phillpotts where Selassie said "A man without Christ in his life is like a rudderless ship."
"To be a true Rasta," said Cowan, "there has got to be a Christian way of thinking; like Bob Marley said in the song 'Give us the teachings of His Majesty'. What was the teachings? His teachings was to follow Christ." Mr. Cowan made the observation that at beginning of Phillpotts's book there is a note from the Emperor which says something like "To my Rastafarian Brethren, so that they might understand that I am not the Christ."
As one converses with Tommy it becomes evident that he is in an up-tempo key for things Christian. He gets animated as he talks about what Jesus means to him. In so doing, he recites many unscripted quotable quotes like "Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you realise that the Lord is the Rock at the bottom".
He explained that his mission in life is to fulfil God's purpose in him and to do his utmost for His highest.
"I never used to live a 'badman' life," he said. "I used to live 'worldlian' life. I believe when people see me, they will say 'If Christ can save him, He can save me too'. So many of our friends have been drawn to Christ and to Family Church on the Rock."
The father of seven children, Tommy is proud that all of them have accepted Christ as their Saviour. His daughter, Sarah, who lives in Texas is a pastor. So too is his son Che, who is the shepherd of a new church in Ocho Rios.
As his love for Christ increased his musical focus changed. His booking/management agency, Talent Corporation became Glory Music. Tommy is no longer seeking to book or manage secular acts. But that is not to say he has severed all relations with these acts. He remains close friends with many secular artistes, many of whom look to him for prayers and spiritual counsel.
These days Tommy is busy mentoring 'Forgiven,' a new Gospel trio that is set to launch their first album later this year. Tommy has been working with 'Forgiven' since 1998 when they toured the world with him, largely as the back-up vocals for Carlene Davis. He has been careful to impress upon them, and other would-be Gospel artistes, the high calling that such singers ought to fulfil. His high view of Gospel music has benefited from participating in an intensive training course offered at the Ron Kenoly Academy of Praise, in the USA.
"When a youth come, and dem have a tune and dem want bus. I say this is not a bus thing. You need to be in the Word. You need to give time to God and if possible you need to learn some theology." The members of 'Forgiven,' he said, are strong Christians and full-time music ministers whose spiritual formation have been carefully nurtured.
As a Gospel industry figure, Cowan has created events which featured a lot of the secular artistes who have in recent years publicly embraced Christianity. In 1999-2001 he staged Gospel Train which went all over the island promoting the Gospel; he got the organisers of Reggae Sunsplash to have a 'Gospel Night;' and in the last two years he has mounted a counter-cultural challenge on the wildness of Spring Break by introducing Fun in the Son. In February, when Fun in the Son was convened in Ocho Rios, about 400 persons came forward to receive Christ as Saviour, he reported.
He remains confident in the future of Fun in the Son. As we spoke various overseas-based musical groups kept calling asking to be included in next year's staging of the gospel festival. He posits that notwithstanding the negatives in the society, such as the high quantum of murders, Jamaica, with its strong Christian heritage, will take the lead in the world in praise and be an example for God.
"People are going to look at us and say, 'Well, if Jamaica can do it, we can do it too- Yes indeed," he said.
