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After accumulating a long list of achievements as an acclaimed musician, prolific songwriter and an award-winning recording artist, it’s hard to imagine how anyone could view this stage of Kurt Carr’s career as just the beginning, at least until you hear Kurt Carr’s perspective.
In fact, Minister Carr offers one of the most poignant testimonies in our sit-down exchange with the artist who’s just released his sixth and most awe-inspiring album, Just The Beginning. Through his music and through his own words, Kurt Carr reveals moving into a new season that’s filled with promise, prosperity and the power of God.
Christopher Heron: Let’s begin with the genesis of your music ministry. There are individuals who’ve played an instrumental role in the development and nurturing of your music ministry. They’ve cultivated or influenced your gifts and talents as a song writer, minister and artist. What do you think of when I mention the following names like Rev. James Cleveland?
Kurt Carr: He was the first professional artist that I ever worked with. I learned that the most valuable thing I can learn is how to really use music as a ministry tool. He was a preacher who used music to preach to people. I had never experienced that before. That was the thing I think I gained the most from him. Learning how to take a song and find the real meat of a song and really work it and really get a simple message across to people. That was a really difficult process and he could do it like no other.
CH: What about Archbishop LeRoy Bailey?
KC: Archbishop Bailey would be the first pastor I worked with, after I graduated the University of Connecticut. He was the minster of my church. He was great. It was my first opportunity to really contribute to the music department. If anything, I got my first baptism into the idea of what God has given me. I never had to search myself like that before, writing new music every week.
CH: And what about the individual that has drawn the most comparisons to your style and ministry, Richard Smallwood?
Kurt : Our background is similar. I remember when I was in college, my best friend said, “I heard this group in DC and this guy reminds me so much of you.” I was studying classical music at that time, and a lot of classical music has influenced my style. This was before Richard Smallwood recorded his first record. I never heard of him before. I remember when he did his first recording I went to DC and heard about him. He definitely was an inspiration of mine. I think he is just a really great artist and songwriter. I took what he did and from that moment on, finally came up with my own artistry.
CH: Well before Kurt Carr & The Kurt Carr singers left their own impact on Gospel music, you were steadily working your craft and earning your credits on albums like the Gospel Music Workshop of America, The Los Angeles Gospel Messengers, and even the James Cleveland singers. How did this native from Hartford, Connecticut become such a visible player on the Los Angeles church and Gospel music scene?
KC: I remember having lunch in the early/mid 80s. It was in New York City at Madison Square Garden. I was having lunch with a Pastor and singer, Richard “Mr Clean” White. In walks Rev. James Cleveland right into the restaurant and he sits down at the table with us. Rev. Cleveland and Pastor White were really great friends. I had never met Reverend Cleveland before this moment. My group travelled to the GMWA convention for years, hoping Rev. Cleveland would discover us and every time, he was never there to see our set. And it just so happened this year, the convention was in New York, and I’m from Connecticut so it was right up the street. This particular year, I did not bring the group or anything. I just waited for a couple of days to pass, join the workshop and then head right back home because I had to be at choir rehearsal.
That afternoon, I met Reverend Cleveland. We sat at the table with ‘Mr. Clean’ and we talked for hours. Mr. Clean said to Rev. Cleveland, “He’s a great musician. You should hear him play.” That afternoon, we had a youth service. Rev. Cleveland said “Come on. Join the youth service with us”. So I walked over to the convention center. Mr. Clean shoved me over to the organ. Rev. Cleveland said, “You know we want to hear you play.” So of course, when the King of Gospel asks you to play, you play (laughter). Little did I know that he needed a director at that time and Calvin Bernard Rhone had given his letter of resignation as the Music Director because he started a new church ministry.
So, Rev. Cleveland was looking for a piano player. I had no clue. It’s about being at the right place at the right time. And within a year, within six months, I relocated to Los Angeles. I couldn’t move right away because I had a commitment at my church for another six months. I wanted to wrap up things at school. So, after six months, I moved to California. And that’s how I became a Californian. It was like being plunged into the middle of the ocean, going from Connecticut to Los Angeles, California. But I made it by the grace of God.
Every day I prayed, Lord, let this be one of those days that impacts my entire life. And that day, meeting Rev. Cleveland was the day that impacted my entire life. My life changed from that day. He was the vessel that God used. Albertina Walker jokes with me all the time because when I played for Rev. Cleveland, she and I and Inez Andrews and Dorothy Norwood, they all became like spiritual mothers to me.
They would feed me all the time. I was probably twenty one years old but you know, to them I was the baby. They would make sure I’m warm, put a coat on me. They’d say, “You don’t have a hat on your head. Come here, wrap up. Where’s your umbrella? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you eating right?” Albertina said it this way. She said that Shirley Caesar stood on her shoulders, James Cleveland stood on her shoulders, and now I’m standing on James Cleveland’s shoulders. It is a cycle and we all help and bless each other. And that’s the way God makes it.
CH: Your first recording was for Light Records in the 1980’s. When you compare that recording with your current work, what is the artistic and spiritual difference in your music and lyrics?
KC: I think the key word that you used is ‘spiritual difference’. There’s been such a growth in me as a spiritual person. Musically, I’ve always tried to be cutting edge, always tried to be professional and as good as I can possibly be. When I look back to my first album, I had a lot of inexperience. It was my first time ever really being in the studio. It took almost a month, just to finish background vocals. It was a culture shock to me. I learned more from producing that project than from any other I’ve ever done. I would like to think there’s been progression. With each album, I try to make it better and different.
CH: You’ve resided in three very distinctive cities and regions of the country at different stages of your personal and professional life. What kind of lasting impact has Hartford, Los Angeles and now Houston had on your artistry and ministry?
KC: Hartford was the place that nurtured me as a child. It was the place where my family protected the gift that God gave me. It was the place for shielding and nurturing. The Holy Trinity Church of God and Christ is where I got saved. It’s where I worked out my relationship with God and got serious about my spiritual commitment. The University of Connecticut is where I studied and learned the intricacies of music and how music is composed. It’s where I opened my eyes to things other than just the music that I heard at home.
Los Angeles is where my professional career began. I learned how to be a music minister. When I first moved to Los Angeles, there was nothing that James Cleveland could tell me about music. I studied music and he really did not know a whole lot about the academics of music. But James Cleveland was a master as a minister. He knew everything about ministering from a stage. He taught me a whole lot about how to deliver the music, as a minister. That’s what I learned.
I think of Houston as a place of rest for me. California is like living in another country. It is so far away from everywhere else. After 9/11, when all the non-stop flights got cancelled, if I had a concert on Wednesday night, I’d have to leave Tuesday. Sometimes, it would take me like 12-14 hours to get to a city. I just couldn’t do it anymore. Houston was a place for peace and favor. I was blessed with an incredible home that a woman was selling that I had no intention of buying.
Kim Burrell told me that I had to come to Houston and on the way home from a church service, I said, “I’ll just stop and look at a couple of houses”. I found an incredible home. I later found out that the lady who owned it was one a self-proclaimed biggest fan and I’ve been a blessing to her during a very difficult time in her life. She told me that if I want this house, she would make sure I get it. So, I moved to Houston and like I said, it’s just a place for peace and rest and it’s so much easier to me to get everywhere. I can get anywhere in two hours.
CH: You have an incredible family of vocalists and ministers known formally as the Kurt Carr Singers. What are the trademark qualities for being one of the anointed Kurt Carr Singers?
KC: The thing that I look for is their unique quality. Almost none of my singers have fame, as we understand it, but they’re all so special. So many singers are copies of other singers. I also want to know what is your spiritual walk like? And I say this to the next generation of singers, “Don’t pardon yourself from a majestic gift. If there is no lifestyle to back up the gift, if there is no camaraderie between you and the other person, if there is no kindred spirit between you, it will only end up a disaster.” That’s the most important thing. What is the heart of the person like? Are we walking down the same road? Do we have the same goals and visions? I am blessed to say with this group that I have that there is so much harmony and peace. It’s one thing to have it onstage and another thing to have it behind closed doors. To have love and peace just makes such a difference in the anointing. God uses you when there is a cohesive spirit of love. And that’s the most important thing.
CH: I will refer to some names and I want you tell me what they each bring to the table as an artist, as a minister and even as stage performers, your longest standing member, Yvette Williams?
KC: The thing I see the most about her is her growth. She has grown so much. Yvette was an alto in the church choir in Los Angeles. At one choir rehearsal, I walked through the doors of the church and I heard this incredibly intriguing voice and it was her. We became friends. She’s grown so much. We’re literally like family. And she has blossomed into this incredible soprano. Her confidence has grown.
CH: Troy Bright.
KC: Unbelievable. Troy (The Voice) is so consistent. He’s just so phenomenal. There is really no limit to what he can do. He should be on Broadway.
CH: The New York native, Timeney Figueroa-Caton.
KC: Timeny is just one of the most musical singers that I’ve ever worked with. She went to a performing arts school as a child in New York and it’s just so obvious because she’s very musical and very focused. She knows her craft and she knows her voice and God has blessed us to make some great music together. She is just a great member of the team.
CH: Nikki Potts.
KC: Nikki Potts is awesome. I’ve watched Nikki grow since she was a little girl in Los Angeles. She’s just coming in to her own and has developed an incredible anointing. That is the wonderful thing about Nikki. She is just so anointing. She has so much power, so much heart, and it is just a blessing to work with all of them.
CH: Nikita Clegg.
KC: She’s actually the newest one. She’s from Houston. She’s just phenomenal. I mean people have no idea how special she is. She can literally mimic anyone. (laughter) She’s just phenomenal. She is a songbird. She’s another one who’s just blossoming into their own.
CH: Why did you elect to tag your album with the title Just the Beginning?
KC: Just the Beginning means a lot of different things. I’m with a new record label. Gospo Centric Records is over for me. It’s behind me. With the new record label, there’s a new spirit in my group. I started preaching for the first time this year. A bishop pulled me aside and told me, “You were able to write songs for me that spoke straight to my heart and that were perfect for me. You have not seen the best of what God has in store for you. This is just the beginning.” I took it as a compliment. Weeks later, it started to resonate in my spirit that this is really just the beginning of the next level in my life. So the title encompasses that angle.
There’s a lady who’s the star soloist of my first church. Her name is Narcissus Hinton (Brown). She happens to be 89 years old. I hadn’t seen her in 30 years. For Thanksgiving weekend, two years ago, I had a special event called the Legends Ball, where all those people who poured into my ministry were invited. I planned the event for a year. I got people to attend who I hadn’t seen since I was a child.
These were people who helped me financially go to school and people who just blessed me. I went out of my way to find them from all over the country and pulled them together for this particular Thanksgiving weekend to show my thanks for all they’ve done in my life. God told me to go find this lady Narcissus. I thought I would see a little old lady in a wheelchair.
Well, she walked right on in with a pair of high heels (laughter. She was 86 years old. And I had her sing at the function that I had in my house, and I had a dear friend turn to me and say, “I do not believe this. This woman is not 90 years old.” So God told me to put her on the next album. She’s never made a record before. She’s one of the greatest singers of her time but she never made a record and never became famous. She’s just a warrior.
After we recorded the album, about 2 months later, we were invited to the White House to meet then President George W. Bush. I said to myself, “I’m going take Narcissus”. So I called her the night before we left, didn’t tell her where we were going or anything and just brought her to the White House (laughter). The President was there, all of his cabinet members. It was a Gospel awareness concert celebrating Gospel music. So I was like, “This is what the Gospel should really be all about.”
Again going back to the conversation in the beginning, Narcissus is 90 years old and she’s experiencing her brightest moment at 90. She’s being introduced to the world at 90. So who’s to say that just because you’ve been in ministry, just because you’ve been preaching, just because you’ve been singing, just because you’ve been writing, just because you’ve been successful, that God is through with you. No, it can be just the beginning because God has so much more for all of our lives.
CH: I’m going conclude by asking you if there is a message or lasting testimony that you want people to go away with after hearing your latest album Just the Beginning. What would that message be, particularly for the Believers who you’ve customized this album for?
KC: I’m glad that you phrased it that way because I think my music is for the world. Some people think that we have to change our style to reach the unfaithal but I don’t think that’s true. The scripture says, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to Me.” My music and my heart are for the church and for the Believers. I want to encourage them. Discouragement is one of the greatest things that permeate the church. So many people are discouraged. They feel unworthy before God. But I want them to know that, “Eyes have not seen nor ears heard, neither has entered into the hearts of men all the things that God has in store.” Man cannot control your destiny. Think about my friend Narcissus. At 90 years old, the President of the United States said that we need to all pray for her health. When we first arrived at the White House, security instructed us not to touch the president and not to shake his hand, but he ran up on the stage and hugged her. He said, “Who are you? Why haven’t we ever heard of you?” The president of the Grammy Awards was there. He said this was a Grammy moment.
Narcissus wept and said “Kurt, this is the greatest day of my life. When I was your age, I couldn’t even get into this building. I couldn’t walk through the side door. And now, I walked right through the front door and shook the President’s hand.” She started to shout. We all cried. I don’t know why God inspired me to call her the night before we went to the White House but now I know it was to encourage other people. Don’t be discouraged, don’t be satisfied with “Oh, I‘ve been blessed and I can sit down now.” Oh, no. That’s not the God we serve. He has fresh grace and fresh mercy every day. It’s really just the beginning.
For more information on Kurt Carr, visit the official site at
www.kurtcarrgospel.com.
To contact Kurt Carr for music and speaking engagements, send your emails to
cartunes@aol.com or call 281.835.5731.
