If you were to ask choir members which anthems they MOST enjoy singing, chances are that SOON AND VERY SOON would be among them!
Composer Andraé Crouch had an incredible gift for creating AMAZING gospel music with infectious rhythms and soul-filling energy. Andraé was the son of hard-working parents who owned a dry cleaning business and a restaurant — while also being devoted to a Christian street-preaching ministry AND a hospital and prison ministry.
When Crouch was 11, he began playing for services in the family church…
One day he simply sat down at the piano, managed to find the key in which the congregation was singing and just started to play! He honed his piano skills and wrote his first gospel song at age 14. At 18 he formed his first band and then a singing group called “The Disciples.”
Crouch has been credited as a key figure in composing “Jesus music” of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s — bringing contemporary Christian music into the Church; he also helped bridge the gap between black and white Christian music, revolutionizing the sound of urban Gospel music. As composer of original music for “The Lion King” and also “The Color Purple” (for which he was nominated for an Oscar), he won a total of 9 Grammies and countless other awards.
If you have NMCC’s first CD — go find it — and you can listen to our own choir sing SOON AND VERY SOON! If not, click on this link and listen to Andraé himself sing it … THEN — come to church this Sunday and HEAR OUR CHOIR SING IT IN PERSON!
It has been the music of choice for many memorial services at NMCC and the Andraé Crouch Choir sang it at the public memorial service for Michael Jackson in 2009.
Andraé Crouch died of a heart attack January 8, 2015 at the age of 72 — but he left behind a HUGE legacy of unforgettable music which will resound forever within the hearts of those that hear it. THANKS BE TO GOD FOR THE LIFE OF ANDRAÉ CROUCH!!!
