Having been a church choir boy from the age of 10-17, I have always had a love of church and gospel music.
I grew up listening to Ray Charles and Mahalia Jackson and always thought that one day I might be able to record my own Gospel album.
During the making of ‘A Dose of the Blues’ and ‘Think I Might Go to Memphis’ I was also writing and recording some gospel songs. These were put on the back burner and then sometime in 2023 it was looking like I had enough for an album.
I wanted this album to fit in with the styles of music I love, so there is still a wealth of variety contained in this collection of songs.
Some of the songs were more suited to the female voice, so in discussion with my Producer Al Steele, we set about finding the most suitable singers for each song. Danielle Nicholls added her silky smooth voice to ‘’Talk to Your Saviour' and ‘Down Below’ also helping out with the choir parts and Hayley Byfield also added her unique soulful tones. Some years earlier I released a Christmas single featuring Samantha Link and for this album we have created a special duet version of ‘Bethlehem’.
As we were recording ‘My Dad’s Old Bible' it began to take on some jazz overtones and we figured a Stan Getz type saxophone would be the perfect accompaniment. Julian Tucker captured the style and sound perfectly.
This album is a departure from my usual blues-based material and the writing and recording of these songs has given me immense pleasure.