THE BEGINNING

    

                  

   Let's start at "The Beginning". I have been blessed to be a part of a musical family. My mother, grandmother, grandfather, Aunts, Uncles, ect. were and still are amazing singers! My story is a little different. I did nothing growing up except play football, play video games, and eat! Trust me, I attempted to sing on several occasions. Every time, I sounded nothing like my family members and thought that it was best if I would just listen and not participate.

   My life has always revolved around the church. My Sundays, Wednesdays, and sometimes Saturdays, were spent there. I should have known that my career would begin there as well. Like I mentioned before, I was consumed by playing sports. That's all I thought about growing up, and in the summer of 1998, I saw myself going to college playing football. This is where things changed for me.

  I was visiting a church with a life long friend Wes, who has always played guitar. He was involved in the new praise band and had ask me to come check out their first practice. I didn't mind checking it out since Church is where all the pretty girls were, and being the chunky little kid with no girlfriend, I wasn't about to pass that up! I had been in the band in high school, and even tho I had no idea how to read music, I had a good grasp on how songs worked. When it was made known that they needed a bass player, Wes informed the music Pastor Tim, that I played Tuba in High School. So Tim, who will soon after, be one of the most influential people in my life, asked me about playing Bass in the band. I wasn't exactly sure how to tell him no. I mean, I was in church so I couldn't lie. So, my excuse was that I didn't own a bass and I couldn't afford it. His immediate response was that the church would buy me a bass if I would learn how to play it. So......having no idea how to even begin playing this instrument, I begin plucking away at the big strings. It did not sound good at all. In fact, I would be willing to say that it was border line horrible! It was so horrible in fact that I sang along to the songs to cover up how bad I played the bass and it also helped me know what to play since I couldn't read music. The first practice for me was one week later and I had learned several songs that we had decided to play for service. I didn't think that I would make the cut but I had promised I would try. We plugged in our instruments and started the first song. I was so nervous that I closed my eyes, tuned everyone out, and just sang along, hoping that my voice my overpower my missed notes! I don't know if hiding the notes worked or not but what happened next was my life changing event.

   I had been singing so loud that Tim had heard me and basically brought a microphone over and sat it in front of me. I thought that I was in such a state of being nervous that my voice got louder in my head! He liked the way it sounded so much that he ask me to start singing instead of playing bass. At the end of practice, a man who had been listening, walked up and ask if we would be able to play at a youth rally that weekend and even tho we only knew 5 songs, we decided to give it a try.  Friday rolls around.........My first week EVER singing........room packed full of people...........that was "The Beginning"!