I am a singer, songwriter, music journalist, encyclopedist and publisher of SouthernEdition.com.
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<br>My gospel music, influenced by great writers such as Andrae Crouch, Thomas Dorsey, Herbert Brewster, Dottie Rambo and Cleavant Derricks, appeals to a diverse audience. Older and younger people alike enjoy my interpretations of traditional songs, and it seems that people always enjoy my own compositions.
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<br>I have been very fortunate to co-write with some wonderful songwriters, including GMA Dove Award winner Babbie Mason and Emmy winner Cheryl Rogers, a producer on the Grammy Award-winning project, TRIBUTE: THE SONGS OF ANDRAE CROUCH. I have appeared on national and regional television shows, and my country music single, "Sunlight and Shadows," has garnered international radio airplay.
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<br>My interest in music goes beyond my involvement in songwriting and performing. Securing a good reputation in scholarly circles, I have contributed numerous biographies of blues, gospel and country singers to major encyclopedias, including the African American National Biography, New Georgia Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. My subjects have included Ida Cox, Hovie Lister, Johnny Shines, Roberta Martin, Tracy Lawrence, Travis Tritt, Mayo Williams, Lee Roy Abernathy and Dottie Peoples.
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<br>Additionally, I am the publisher and editor of www.SouthernEdition.com, an online publication devoted to the American South, for which I have interviewed several Grammy Award winners. My readership is from all over the world, and my monthly page views are well into the thousands.