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J uly 2 1997 • T he P o r tlan d O bserver
P age B4
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Marvin Sapp, Grace and Mercy
Marvin Sapp has one
o f those voices that is
instantly recognizable
During hissix-years with
th e
a w a rd -w in n in g
group C om m issioned,
Marvin became a distin
guishable vocalist with a
style all his own. But
Elder Sapp is really a
preacher at heart, deliv
ering a fervent message
o f sav ing grace to a world
often unwilling to hear.
And whether he is deliv
ering that message on the
streets o f urban America
or singing it in the larg
est concert halls, Marvin
conveys it with a fervor
few possess. And on his
sophomore album. Grace
and M ercy, M a rv in ’s
zeal for the message is
evident as he swings, sways, rolls
and rocks through some o f the stron
gest music o f his already estimable
career
Marvin has been a long-stand
ing member of urban Gospel super
group Commissioned until the ex
plosive growth in his own Joy Min
istries, based in his hometown o f
Grand Rapids, Michigan, and his
burgeoning career as a solo artist
forced him to leave the group at the
end o f 1996. M arvin’s debut album
last year soared out o f the box with
No. I radio hits with Calling Me
and In His Presence. Grace and
Mercy promises to follow in the
steps o f its hit-filled predecessor.
Marvin S a p p
even though Marvin says this time
he consciously moved things in a
different direction.
“T his album is m ore for the
church,” he says. "T here’s still a
strong, funky rhythm section hap
pening — you know I’ve just got to
have that - but the vocal arrange
ments are more choral in nature. My
choir, the Joy Crusade Chorale, and
I recorded this live, so there’s a very
different energy happening. It’s also
the kind o f songs that local church
choirs can sing on Sunday and make
their ow n.”
Seeking to break down barriers
between traditional and contempo
rary music, Marvin co-wrote three
ofthe album’s nine songs
with some o f the major
hit-makers in Gospel to
day. Marvin and Aaron
Lindsay joined forces on
the Gospel quartet-fla
vored ballad. For the Rest
o f My Life.
“This is a song about a
relationship with G od,”
says Marvin. “This is a
guy sitting down think
ing about his life and how
God has met all his needs.
And his conclusion and
commitment is that for
the rest o f his life, he’s
going to live for G od.”
S in g in g in c h u rc h
since the tender age o f
four, Marvin has lived a
life o f music. Gospel
greats from D.J. Rogers
and the Winans mixed
with the m ainstream sounds o f
Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway
and Teddy Pendergrass as the young
Marvin forged his own unique vo
cal style.
When challenged by his mother
at a young age to choose either
Gospel or the music o f the world,
Marvin chose to sing for the Lord
and has not looked back since.
Marvin spent his teenage years sing
ing with a number o f Gospel groups
and ensembles before accepting a
call to a ministry o f evangelism in
1988. Two years later. Gospel king
pin Fred Hammond was on the
phone, offering Marvin a job sing
ing with Commissioned.
J4 tir a d e in diariem
Shirley Caesar did not come by her
crown as the “First Lady o f Gospel”
lightly. She earned it... every step of
the way. l ong recognized as one of
Gospel’s truly great and historic fig
ures, Shirley is one o f but a handful ot
artists qualified to share the legacy of
such legendary talents as Mahalia
Jackson and the revered forbearers ot
Gospel music.
With the release o f her new album,
A Miracle in Harlem, and her autobi
ography, the Lady, The Melody and
The Word, set for publication in Au
gust ‘97, Shirley’s sense o f herself
and her purpose has never been clearer
or communicated with more author
ity As she continues to bring the roots
of traditional Gospel alive to contem
porary audiences, it’s easy to under
stand why The Washington Post called
Shirley Caesar "one o f the greatest
signers o f our time,” adding, “she can
twist, compress and enhance a lyric a
dozen ways without abandoning her
central m essage o f affirm ation.’
Whitney Houston, a Caesar fan since
she was a little girl, says "If you want
anyone to sing gospel on a record,
you’ve got to have Shirley because
she knows how to deliver. She’s
anointed with a power and force that
runs through her.”
Shirley Caesar has flourished for
over four decades. And with each
successive year, the accolades and
accomplishments continue to pour in.
A 16-time Grammy Award nominee,
Shirley has compiled more nomina
tions than any G ospel artist in
Grammy history - and won more than
any female Gospel artist -- winning
Shirley C aesar
her ninth Grammy Award this year
for the Shirley Caesar’s Outreach
Convention Choir album. Just A
Word. Shirley was also a featured
artist on the Grammys in 1996, per
forming to an international audience
o f over one billion people. Bringing
the auditorium immediately to its feet.
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Celebratione! James R. Waldon Sr., ¡919-1997
ß ir th
A n n o u n c em en t
June 4, 1997; Male
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Mother: Jessica I. Spencer
Father: Anthony Tyrone Bradley Sr.
\ ____________ ________________/
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James worked hard throughout his life but pursued other
interest with equal vigor He enjoyed viewing and partici
pating in all manner o f sports. Many o f you may recall
hearing o f his experience in the Negro Leagues ot profes
sional baseball and o f his brief stint as a professional stock
car driver. James was also very active in the Prince Hall
Masons, achieving the 32nd degree. His membership in the
Prince Hall Masons was one o f his most prized personal
accomplishments.
James leaves to cherish memory : Daughter Faye Powell
o f Dallas, Texas; Son, James Waldon, Jr. o f Portland.
Oregon; Son-in-l aw Cincy Powell, Sr. o f Dallas, Texas;
Two Grandchildren, Kimberley Powell o f Lake Forest,
California and Cincy Powell, Jr. o f Santa Rosa, California;
Daughter-in-Law Adriane Powell o f Santa Rosa, Califor
nia; One Great Grandchild, Trevor Waldon Fuller o f Lake
Forest, California; and long time friend Phyllis Smith of
Portland, Oregon.
James R. Walden Sr., the only child born to the late Mr.
<fc Mrs. Willie Waldon o f Alexandria, Louisiana, was born
on December 25th 1919. After battling complications of
Diabetes over the course o f many years, he passed from this
life on Friday, June 13th, 1997 at St Vincent Hospital in
Beaverton, Oregon
In Louisiana he met his wife Ruby of42 years and together
they brought their first child, Faye, into the world. James
moved his family from Alexandria in 1943 to work the
World War II shipyards o f Portland and has remained here
ever since. During these first few years in Portland, their son,
James R. W aldon, Jr. was born. Following his work in the
shipyards, James worked hard to support his family by
w orking as a carpet specialist until he landed with Precision
Cast Parts in 1966. He stayed with Precision Cast Parts for
22 years until he retired from the position o f Supervisor in
1988. It was a few years before his retirement, in 1982, that
he bid farewell in this life to his beloved wife Ruby.
Shirley was backed by superstar pro
teges Whitney Houston, CeCe Winans
and Hezekiah Walker, representing
just a handful o f countless admirers
throughout both the industry and the
world who acknowledge and celebrate
Shirley's defining influence on mod
ern Gospel music.
N obody
does it
B etter
for
L ess .
t