I'll admit that I've more into rock and pop, but when I moved to Nashville in '88 and worked at Opryland in a restaurant right next to where the Cumberland Boys performed, I became a Southern Gospel fan. I remember the tenor Depp Britt introducing the band including the lead singer, and I was sure his name was Jim Worthy.
Fast forward 25 years or so. My wife Becky was part of the prayer team for the State Convention of (Southern) Baptists in Indiana, and we were setting up for the State Convention. The cheerful gentleman who was doing the music stopped by and prayed with us. The next day, I looked at the program and the singer, and realized that I heard his name wrong! It was a pleasure to get to hear Jim Worthing after all those years, and it's a privilege and honor to interview him.
JR: Welcome to my blog, Jim. How did you come to Christ, and what got you interested in music? Also, if I remember correctly, you're originally from Pennsylvania; how did you end up getting into Southern Gospel music?
JW: Hi Jeff, thank you for taking the time to interview me. I asked Jesus to come into my life when I was a young boy: I was upstairs in my Grandparents guest bedroom playing church by myself, following a church service at my Grandparents church, and realized that I needed to ask Jesus into my heart and life and to repent of my sins. A couple of years later, at age 12, I made my profession of faith through believer's baptism at my home church in Altoona, PA.
Music has always moved me on the inside for as long as I can remember. I started playing the alto saxophone at age 10 and played it all the way through High School, but I loved to sing, too, so I joined the adult choir at church in my early teens. My brother in law, who was also in the choir, noticed I had some singing ability and asked me to join a community German men's chorus called the Altoona Mannerchor. The director of the Mannerchor thought I had a unique gift and led me to a regional private vocal teacher named Martha Roberts to help hone my craft. She helped open some doors for me in the area as well as prepare me for what was to come.
Near the end of my senior year of high school a college vocal group named Re-Creation performed at my high school. At the end of their performance, the director of Re-Creation said they were looking for some new members for the upcoming school year. I loved what they did and was excited about the possibility of auditioning for them, and in just a few short weeks I auditioned for Re-Creation and was selected to be their high tenor in a mixed group of 4 guys and 4 girls.
Re-Creation was based out of Penn State University my first year in the group and then moved to a smaller school called Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA the following year and I moved with them. I spent a total of 7 years with the Re-Creation organization; they provided an awesome place for me to grow as a performer but more importantly as a servant of God. I received a full scholarship while we were associated with the Universities - for all of us members being a full time student and performing over 300 performances a year became almost impossible to navigate. After my fourth year the group decided to go full time into performing and touring.
Re-Creation was/is a singing group made up of Christians that perform family style secular shows as well as Christian music programs. Its main focus over the past 37 years has been to provide entertainment for Veterans in VAMC's (Veterans Affairs Medical Centers) and state Veterans homes across the country. Of course, we sang in many other venues and churches to help raise funds to be able to perform in VAMC's, prisons, nursing homes, children's hospitals, state homes, etc. It truly was a great way to learn my craft and serve.
Now back to your question on how I ended up in Southern Gospel Music. Hugh Brooks the Director of Re-Creation was from the south and sang in a quartet during his college years and had us four guys in the group sing a number of Gospel Quartet standards as a part of our program. I fell in love with the quartet sound and started listening to gospel albums by the Oak Ridge Boys, the Imperials and many others. Knowing I wanted to further my music career and my love for quartet singing, the man who did the vocal arranging for Re-Creation, Jan Esterline, heard about the Cumberland Boys search for a lead singer. Jan had moved to Nashville and was a ghost arranger for the famed music arranger David Clydesdale. He knew of the Cumberland Boys and told me he thought my voice would work well with them. I auditioned and was blessed enough to be hired by them. So, I put everything I owned in my little Ford Ranger pickup truck and moved to Nashville! As you can see, God worked through many people, especially my parents, to encourage me, to help me, and to seek out opportunities for me to grow musically. I am BLESSED!
JR: What was it like performing regularly at the park? What were your memories of working with the group?
JW: The Cumberland Boys was an opportunity and blessing of a lifetime. As soon as I joined the group (not because of me) we signed with Daywind Records, and had a built-in audience of around 2 million people each year at Opryland. We toured throughout the country during the off season, appeared on the Grand Ole Opry every few months, and regularly performed on TNN (The Nashville Network), major local TV shows and CMT (Country Music Television). Additionally, we were nominated for many awards and had hits on Gospel radio. Also, we did a bunch of studio work including singing backup on Ricky Van Shelton's Gospel album "Don't Overlook Salvation" which went Gold. There were so many wonderful opportunities we enjoyed, but honestly the best part was seeing how God used us, in spite of ourselves and failures, to encourage and bless people with our music! Opryland was an awesome place to share the Gospel through music to thousands (possibly millions) that may have never heard it before. It was grueling at times - doing 5 shows a day outside in the heat of the summer - but we loved it, and I think it showed.
JR: Becky and I had the honor of seeing you at the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana years ago. My hunch is that it is a blessing to be able to take part in conferences and revivals and the like. Can you confirm this hunch? What were your favorite events that you had the privilege of ministering at?
JW: Yes, I love singing at Church Conventions and Conferences. It's a great opportunity to try to encourage and challenge those who are normally the ones trying to encourage and challenge others at their home church or area. I also love Revivals, when you get to share for 5 days or more and be a part of an area coming together to pray for revival you can really dig in a little deeper than you normally can during a one time concert visit. There are so many great events and conferences that I remember including the one you attended in Indiana, but I have to say the one that stuck out to me was during a Lifeway conference for church librarians. I started singing and they all were sitting in desks with their pens and notepads ready to take notes. Well, I finally got them to loosen up a little and have some fun, but hopefully still encouraged and challenged them as well. I had to work a little harder but it was real blessing in the end.
JR: Your Facebook page mentions you're a songwriter and producer as well as a singer. Who has had the honor of you producing them? How do you select the songs for a project (either your own or for others)? What differences do you have between thinking as a singer and as a producer?
JW: It's always an honor and a blessing when I get to produce for other artists and for my own projects as well. I've had the pleasure of working with some of the best musicians, sound engineers, and studio singers in the business,all working together in concert to make an artist's project the best it can be. Most of the artists I've produced are independent artists, but all have had a real desire to share the Gospel through song.
When I choose songs for my projects or when I help other artists choose I always ask myself and/or them - "Does this song minister to you?" I believe a song has to minister to you first if you're going to be successful in conveying the message of that song to others. Another thing I try to establish in each project is to select songs that collectively display the different aspects of the Christian life - such as Prayer, Worship, Service, Witness, the Gospel message of Salvation, Faith, Encouragement, Challenging ourselves and others to be a better Christian, Giving and God's abundant Love.
The difference between thinking as a singer and as a producer is kind of like the difference between being a player on the field and a coach on the sideline. The player (singer) has the freedom to create and perform to the best of their abilities within the framework or playbook of the coach (producer). When you have to do both at the same time like when I produce my own projects. I step away from the producer role when I'm singing my part in the studio and allow others to critique and guide, but when I finish singing I go back into the control room and resume my producer role. I've learned early on to have a successful project as a producer that you have to put together a good team, a good game plan and explain your expectations and then get out of the way and allow them to create, much like a coach.
JR: Let's say you have an opportunity to write and record a song that you are convinced the American Church needs to hear. What would you be writing about?
JW: I believe the American Church needs to get back to the basics of our faith - Preach the truth from the Bible, concentrate on Service and witnessing and most of all preach the Gospel of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. In fact, I'm currently writing a song called "Only One," which hopefully I'll be able to convey that there is only one God, one Truth, one Grace, one Savior, one Spirit, one Way, etc. I've heard too many in our current world talking about speaking their truth; well there is only ONE TRUTH. That's what I'd like to share.
JR: Thank you for your time. Any projects coming up? How can we keep up with what's new with you?
Thank You, Jeff for interviewing me and for your interest in my music and my ministry. May God continue to bless you and your ministry!
