Celebrating... "Song of Solomon"

I remember that feeling I experienced eight years ago when my first novel was released. There was this overwhelming sense of gratefulness; this 'wow factor' at the realization that God had not only shown me my purpose, but was also allowing me to walk in it. This month, my sixteenth novel was unveiled, and that same level of gratefulness still overtakes me. "My passion, my purpose, my pen." The joy and fulfillment that the combinaton of them continues to bring never stales.

Song of Solomon hit bookstores nationally on July 1st, but the official release celebration didn't take place until Saturday, July 10th. On that afternoon, a conference room full of Mississippians joined me at the Willie Morris Library located in the capital city of Jackson to help commemorate the occasion. The hosts for the afternoon were the members of Savvy Book Club (president, Rose Wright) and Books And Beignets (BAB) Book Club (president, Sonya Ward) . . . and what a celebration it was!
One thing I never do is score the book release celebrations that are thrown in honor of any of my novels. I wouldn't dare try and list them numerically, saying which was best, which was second best, and so forth. God has been very gracious to me over the years, and trying to categorize the special events would be too difficult a task to undertake. Every book release event that I've been blessed to have for any of my novels has been applause worthy, and the Song of Solomon affair was no different. The food, the fellowship, the fun . . . in a word, all of it was fabulous!
While I refuse to even attempt to rank my book releases, I will readily admit that there was something very unique about the event that marked Song of Solomon. I experienced a few "firsts" at this event and they made it all the more special. For the first time in my literary career, a radio remote was pitched from the location of my book release. Nikki Dulaney, of 95.5 Hallelujah FM, came and broadcasted live from Willie Morris Library while we were there celebrating. I had the opportunity to be interviewed and to address her listening audience, inviting them to come and join the celebration. Add to that another first . . . An award winning, legendary gospel artist performed at my function. To be clear, I've had a nationally recognized, award winning artist to entertain at a book release event before. My friend and spiritual brother, Lowell Pye (of Men of Standard), captivated the guests who attended the Fifteen Years book release back in February of this year. But the Song of Solomon commemoration marked the first time I'd ever had one to perform who is a seven-time Grammy nominated artist. Not only a seven-time Grammy nominated artist, but he's also a three-time Stellar Award winner. Not only a seven-time Grammy nominated, three-time Stellar Award winning gospel artist, but a gospel music legend. And not just any gospel music legend.
For five decades, The Williams Brothers have been trailblazers, blessing the world with great gospel music. And for three of those five decades, they have been my all-time favorite group. And anyone who knows me well, knows that lead vocalist, Melvin Williams, is unrivaled as my best loved gospel artist. So it was more than a delight; it was incredibly humbling to have Melvin accept my request to be at the book release for Song of Solomon. And not only be there, but to perform live for me and my guests. Undeniably, his presence and participation was a personal gift for me, but there was more to my request for his presence than he was aware. I had a few surprises up my sleeves for him, and thanks to the help of his faithful assistant who worked with me behind the scenes for months, we pulled it all off without a hitch.
Melvin had no clue that I'd dedicated Song of Solomon in his honor. If you read the book, you'll see the titles of all of his solo albums (typed in italics) as a part of my expressions on the dedication page. In addition, he had no knowledge that the lead male character in the book was inspired by him. I revealed all of that at the celebration, and to top it all off, just before he took the mic to sing, the host book clubs helped me present him with a cake to honor his approaching July 21st birthday. Melvin's music, his character, and his presence has been such a blessing to me over the years (there's a testimony behind that, which I shared with the attendees of the book release), and I wanted to use the platform of Song of Solomon to show a little of my gratitude. His generosity at the event was overwhelming. Not only did he render a wonderful mini-concert for the attending supporters, but he also gave free (yes, I said free) autographed CDs to every person who purchased a copy of Song of Solomon!
The celebration didn't end with Saturday's event. Each time that I travel on tour, I make an effort to find a local church to worship with before returning back to my home in metropolitan Atlanta. While in Mississippi, I chose Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Smithdale. The shepherd of the house, Pastor Oliver Smith, is set to be the worship service speaker on Cruisin' For Christ IV when it launches next summer, so I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity to get an advance taste of his ministry. My publicist and I rose early Sunday morning and drove from Jackson to Smithdale to be a part of the service there. It was well worth the 90-minute commute, and Pastor Smith's message was a perfect topper for our weekend. Following the benediction, he invited me to have a book signing in the fellowship hall of the church. The members of Rose Hill were extremely generous in their support, and just like he had done at the Saturday event, Melvin Williams was there at Rose Hill giving complimentary autographed CDs to all those who purchased Song of Solomon.
Quite honestly, I couldn't have asked for much more. A successful weekend book launch tour wherein I was blessed to sell an impressive number of books, spend time with friends and supporters, partake in my first live radio remote feature, worship at the church where the man I now call my "Mississippi pastor" is the presiding shepherd, and not only have my best loved singer perform at my book release, but be favored to share a signing table with him during both appearances. Is there any wonder that the Song of Solomon release celebration will forever be etched favorably in my memory banks?
Aside from the millions of thanks that I want to shower on Savvy, BAB, 95.5 Hallelujah FM, Pastor Oliver Smith, and all of the supporters in the Jackson and Smithdale areas, I would also like to send a warm heart full of overflowing gratitude to my publicist (Terrance Wooten), Melvin's assistant (Bridget Flury), and of course, to the incomparable Melvin Williams for the special parts they played in making the weekend more than special. And even though the celebratory weekend has ended, the reasons to be thankful continue.
Since our departure from Mississippi, I have received word that the Nikki's Hallelujah Book Club (on-air book club founded by Nikki Delaney at 95.5 Hallelujah FM) has chosen Song of Solomon as their featured book of the month. Additionally, Saavy Book Club has selected it for their August book of the month.
To God be the glory!

Writing That Makes Music

At the age of fourteen, I developed my first crush. And it happened to be on a writer. I didn't view him as such at the time, but he was. And his writing made music. I didn't know who he was or what he looked like, but for every single minute that the song played on the radio through the speakers in my daddy's car, the lead singer of it held my heart in his hands. It would be years before I'd discover the owner of that captivating voice. Four years later, to be exact.

In my staunch Christian childhood household, gospel was the only music allowed. My parents (both of whom are preachers) had their preferred gospel artists. Their album collection sported worthy names like Rev. James Cleveland, Shirley Caesar, Dorothy Norwood, and the like. My father and mother weren't big fans of quartet music, but at the age of eighteen, I purchased my very first album, and it was quartet music at its finest. The title of it was Blessed and the group was The Williams Brothers.

A few days before my purchase, I'd been listening to the radio again and heard the words, "I'm just a nobody, trying to tell everybody, about somebody who can save anybody" sang over the airways. I immediately knew that the man behind the mic was the same singer...the same writer, who had captured me four years earlier. Once I purchased Blessed, I did a little research of the four men on the cover and learned that the identity of my "first love" was the one standing behind the sofa. His name was Melvin Williams.

Ironically, many years later, Melvin (unknowingly to him, but definitely by God's design) rescued me from the onset of a bout with severe depression. It was April 14, 1996, six months after the death of my first husband and the darkest time in my life. Melvin didn't have a clue of what I was going through at the time, but a concerned friend of mine saw my situation and insisted that I go to meet him backstage after a Williams Brothers concert. I'd seen Melvin in concert before, but this was the first time I'd met him. It was a brief encounter that consisted merely of a few exchanged words, a handshake and a photo opportunity. On the outside, it appeared to be insignificant, but somehow, meeting him gave me the courage to breathe again.

When I founded the ministry of Cruisin' For Christ in 2006, Melvin was the first artist on my list to add to the talent roster. Ten years had passed since the '96 encounter and I knew he would not remember me; but I prayed that when the cruise's Entertainment Director reached out to him, he would see the vision of Cruisin' For Christ and agree to join our first launching in 2007. And he did. Not only did he sail with us on our inaugural cruise, but he returned for Cruisin' For Christ II in 2008 and is a confirmed featured artist for the upcoming Cruisin' For Christ III in 2009.

And it is with great honor that I share my recent interview with him with my blog readers. Introducing a man whose writings make music.....the legendary, Melvin Williams.

KNB: Thanks for joining me, Melvin. Please share the back-story of how you got your start in gospel music.
MW: I got my start in gospel music through my dad, Leon “Pop” Williams and my older brothers, Frank and Huey Williams of the Jackson Southernnaires. Frank later became the founder of the Mississippi Mass Choir. But before all that success, he was an original Williams Brothers first. We were organized in the late 60’s and recorded our first Williams Brothers album in 1973.

KNB: Hands down, your success and longevity has earned you the right to be categorized as a legend, but I know it hasn’t always been easy. What are some of the obstacles you had to overcome on the road to become the respected artist we know today?
MW: One of the things we were concerned with over the years was that we did not want to be categorized as just a quartet group. We wanted our music to cross all genres and touch people from all walks of life. And we thank God that He allowed us to achieve that goal by writing and producing music that everyday people can relate to and identify with.

KNB: That's the same way I feel about my fiction writing. I want all readers to be touched by my message too. I have colleagues who dislike being labeled as "Christian writers" because they believe it limits their appeal to the book-buying public. As a gospel recording artist, do you embrace the identification as such, or would you rather just be generalized simply as an entertainer, without the Christianity label?
MW: I like being labeled as both. There’s always been a certain amount of entertainment in our music. But at the end of the day, above all, we want our music to be remembered as our ministry.

KNB: Oh, it will be. No doubt about that. Now, this question is always a difficult one to answer when people pose it to me regarding my books; but I'm going to put it out there to you about your music. Over the years, you’ve written and recorded many songs with The Williams Brothers and as a solo artist. Among your collection, do you have one song that is your personal favorite? If so, which is it and why does is resonate so fondly with you?
MW: “Prayer Made the Difference” from the This Is Your Night album is one of my favorites because it is one of those songs that helps me get through a lot of issues and struggles in my personal life. Another favorite of mine is “I’m Still Here” from the Still Here CD.

KNB: Why is that one a favorite?

MW: Well, when you listen to the words it's self explanatory of where we’ve come from, what we’ve been through and where God has allowed us to be today.

KNB: Speaking of things you've been through, what has been your greatest heartbreak or disappointment to date (personal or professional) and how did you survive it?
MW: My greatest heartbreak would probably be losing my brother, Frank, because he was not only my brother but also my best friend. But it was his contribution to the world through his music that helped me to survive. The song “Special Place” from my Never Seen Your Face CD which was dedicated in his memory sums it up best how close we were and what he meant to me.

KNB: I remember when Frank died in '93. The song, "Your Grace and Mercy" that he recorded with The Mississippi Mass Choir is still a favorite of mine. And as you know, "Never Seen Your Face" is my favorite Melvin Williams song. I remember cheering from my sofa as I watched you accept a Stellar for that album. As a singer/musician/composer, you've won many awards for outstanding music. Is there anything in your career that you have not accomplished that you hope to achieve in the future?
MW: Lately, I’ve done quite a bit of co-hosting with Dr. Bobby Jones. I’d like to do more television and radio hosting and a movie about the life story of The Williams Brothers. And win a Grammy if that’s in God’s plan. You know we’ve been beat out six times between Shirley Caesar, Albertina Walker and The Blind Boys. Maybe we should get some dark glasses? (laughing) Just kidding. Y'all know I do have a sense of humor. They’re friends of mine and I’m happy for them.

KNB: You definitely deserve a Grammy, so I hope it's God's will for you to win one soon. In the meantime, what’s next for you? Any new projects on the horizon?
MW: The Williams Brothers just released our first album in over 5 years entitled “The Journey Continues” that is in stores now. Other new projects are a possible “Best of Melvin Williams” in '09, a new Neal Roberson LIVE and The Fellas featuring Pastor Tim Rogers.

KNB: I recently purchased "The Journey Continues" and it's a great project. Well worth the 5-year wait. I highly recommend it. And I'll surely be first in line for the "Best of" album. Maybe we can give you a CD release party for it on the cruise next year...(keeping my fingers crossed). In closing, I'm going to throw out a couple of words and you tell me your favorite in these categories. Just a fun way for my readers to get a feel for Melvin Williams, the man. First, what's your favorite color?
MW: Earthtone colors (brown, tan, etc.)

KNB: Food?

MW: Soul food and seafood

KNB: Seafood is my favorite too. Ummm, favorite scripture?

MW: There are several scriptures that I live by so I don't have just one favorite.

KNB: Okay; pastime or hobbies?

MW: Riding my 4-wheeler, concerts, and going to the movies

That's a wrap! I know how busy your are, Melvin, so thanks for lending Blessed2Write a few minutes of your time. Your talent for writing words that make music is a gift to the world and I pray much continued success to you and The Williams Brothers.

Visit Melvin on the web at any of the following Internet sites:

Melvin Williams - The Williams Brothers - Melvin Williams Fan Club