Gospel news
See all news
On TBN’s “Praise The Lord” Wednesday, July 9th @ 10 PM EST
Nashville soul singer Wess Morgan is one of the most skillful and soulful singers to emerge on the urban landscape in years. Unlike a lot of blue-eyed soul singers, this brown-eyed man’s soul isn’t contrived or mechanical. It’s natural and from the heart.
“ My parents raised me around a lot of black music,” Morgan says. “I listened to a lot of Andrae Crouch, Tramaine Hawkins on the gospel side. But, I also listened to Percy Sledge, George Benson and James Brown. All of that made a mark on me even as a kid.”
The influence of that music is evident on Morgan’s solo CD debut Look at Me Now, a faith-inspired bona fide urban contemporary project on his own Bow Tie World Music.
A former coke addict who had done time in jail, Morgan had a serious wake-up call circa 2003. He and three friends were drinking and joyriding and got into an argument with someone in a passing car.
“I was speeding at 85 or 90 miles an hour,” he said. “When we were getting ready to get off the exit ramp, I hit a concrete wall. It threw them out of the car. One of my friends had to have complete reconstruction of his face. The police took me straight to jail.”
Morgan’s friends didn’t die, so he wasn’t held for manslaughter. He was eventually released from prison and broke the drug habit. “I really wanted to record a piece that spoke of the struggle, the hurt and disappointment I went through,” Morgan says. “The separation from my wife and kids, the drug-abuse. I spent so much time in correctional facilities that I lost a big piece of my life.”
The CD sparkles with old school soul charm and modern polish. He’ll perform some of those songs on TBN’s “Praise the Lord” program this Wednesday, July 9, 2008 @ 10 PM EST when Jason Crabb hosts. The show will also feature Johnny Hunt, Marty Raybon, Mitchell Tolle and Palmetto State Quartet. Visit www.tbn.org or www.wessmorgan.com/home.htm for more information. Since he withdrew from drugs, Morgan has become active in youth groups, visiting prisons and speaking to people trying to break their drug habits.
“What God has given to me is not just for the church,” Morgan says. “There’s such a yearning in me, a longing to go outside of the Christian community and be a story of hope for people of all walks of life. Whether you are a Christian or not, if you aren’t an addict, I bet you know someone who is. It’s not about religion, not about dos and don’ts. It’s about an experience with God. He’s no respecter of persons. He went where I was and found me. He didn’t find me in the church. God’s love pursued me and tracked me down like a hound dog.”
|
