Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Richie Stephens (left) and Ken Boothe perform at 'Take Me Away' at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston, on May 29. Ken Boothe released the gospel album 'Door To Door' in the mid-1990s.
Teino Evans, Staff Reporter
They have experienced the fame and riches that the secular world of reggae and dancehall entertainment have to offer, but now in their prime, some reggae artistes have done gospel albums.
Ken Boothe, Sanchez and George Nooks are noted figures in reggae music who have taken the time to compile a full-length gospel album, going beyond the experimentation of a one-off song.
Ken Boothe, whose mid-1990s Door To Door was his first gospel album and 22nd overall, said it was always his wish and desire to do a gospel album and he is giving God thanks for the opportunity to have done one.
"That was one of my wishes that have come through, to do a gospel album. It was years now that I wanted to do one and while in England in the early 1990s my shows were not very successful. A friend of mine said he wanted me to do an album and I thought it was a regular album, but it turned out that he wanted me to do a gospel album," Boothe recalled.
no regret
There was no regret, the musicians were good and there was a good feeling about the project.
"The songs on it I didn't take long to write, because a long time mi have them in mind to do. I really enjoyed doing that album; the whole feeling was good and the musicians were world-class musicians from Europe. God know, that's a dream come through," he said. Door To Door was released in Europe.
"It was a Negro-spiritual kind of album, with songs like Nobody Knows The Trouble I See, a song that slaves used to sing in the cotton field. They had certain songs that they used to communicate with each other. Is door to door wi really want them (the album) to go, so I use to carry them from England and just give them away in Jamaica. The guy that actually produced it lived in England and we recorded the album at the Easy Street Studio there and that's basically why it wasn't released in Jamaica," Boothe explained.
George Nooks released his debut gospel album Giving Thanks in March of this year.
religious background
"Well, I come from a very religious background. Mi a talk bout going to church every Sunday, Sunday school, evening church an dem ting deh. A jus a pleasure fi do some of the favourite songs mi use to sing in church ... Singing about God is my greatest pleasure," Nooks said.
"What really move mi to do this was my fan base. Every other person on the road since God Is Standing By did want mi fi do a gospel album. Another reason was my grandmother, who really pushed me towards it, cause she always a tell me fi jus sing straight gospel," Nooks said.
Sanchez, another popular reggae artiste, has released two gospel albums to date, in a career spanning over 16 years, 29 albums and more than 70 singles.
His first gospel album was the late 1990s Who Is This Man. The response, apparently, was overwhelming, as Sanchez followed with a second in 2003 entitled He's Got The Power. "It is different than the one before and other gospel albums out there," he said.
Whenever a reggae or dancehall artiste samples or records a gospel song, it is often perceived as a passing whim or experimentation without any real substance. However, Ken Boothe says a gospel album done by a secular artiste should not be looked down upon, as they all love and fear God too.
"No experiment. I'm giving thanks back to the creator for what he has done for me, so I did that to get across to people that we (pop artistes) also fear God. Mi know all Jamaican singers are God-fearing, a jus fi di time come. After they go through all these riches and things and they come back to reality, they know that they need to give God thanks," Boothe said.
emotional and sacred
"Mi love gospel music. Is music weh yuh feel, it's emotional and sacred. People cry when they hear people sing gospel music. I don't go to church now and I will not force myself to go to church, because I know when that time comes I will be there," Boothe said.
George Nooks, in justifying his gospel album, said anybody should have access to God, whether saved or unsaved. "God is for everybody, no man nuh own him, a him own we. I look at it like this. I believe in God and I know that what I'm doing (singing) is something that I love. I think I reach across to a lot of people who may not listen to certain gospel music and mi always waan remind people about God," Nooks said.
Nooks said the people have been showing his gospel album tremendous love and support and he would definitely consider doing a second one.
"Yes, definitely, I think I'd do another gospel album ... The people dem love and appreciate this album and they were looking forward to it and it came, suh dem a enjoy it," Nooks said.
Other secular artistes have also sampled or done gospel songs, as the likes of Richie Stephens, Beenie Man, with Shake That Boody and Lady Saw with Jesus In The End, among others, have all added such songs to their repertoire.
Marion Hall, a.k.a. Lady Saw, says recording a gospel song was not just a one-off, idle moment, but was actually birthed out of personal experiences. "I was feeling good one morning while reading my Bible, because there was some negativity surrounding me and my career; persons who envied me, and I came up with the song because I was wondering what these people want from me," Lady Saw said.
nothing new
Saw, who said she also has Christian roots, assured that writing and singing gospel songs was nothing new to her. "I was a church person, I was baptised as a teenager, I believe in God a hundred per cent, but it's just because of survival why we do what we do," Saw said, as she started to hum a song that she has not yet recorded. "I know I've done many things that Jesus don't approve of, but I know that he'll forgive me ..." Saw sang.
Saw says she had often thought of doing a full-length gospel album, and contrary to what persons may believe, Christians have approached her about her song and have even requested that she write songs for them.
"I do think I'll make not just two, but more (gospel songs), because I have about three already on my mini disc that I have recorded. One Christian even called my house and told my sister that she would love for me to write a couple songs for her. I actually wanted to put out an album, but I didn't want to confuse my fans. I'd love to cross over, but when the time is right," Saw said.
the healing stream
Danny Browne, dancehall turned gospel producer, says he does not have a problem with reggae and dancehall artistes taking a dip in the healing stream of gospel music.
"Personally, I don't have a problem with it, but the general concern with Christians would be motive, whether they are trying to make a money off it. But as for me, as long as the gospel is being preached, I don't have a problem with the messenger," Browne said.
On the other hand, Pastor Bruce Fletcher of the Christian Life Fellowship is sceptical, as he believes that secular artistes who do gospel music are not true to what they preach, and, in certain instances, could end up confusing persons.
"Yes, in singing it (the gospel) they get the message out, but Christians will not necessarily see it as something beneficial for them. Christians will tend to think that they (secular artistes) are singing something that they can't relate to, because we believe that we should practice what we preach. We can appreciate that they are helping to get the gospel out there, but we can't appreciate the fact that these artistes don't actually practice what they preach, because sometimes this can confuse people," Pastor Fletcher explained.
