Dr. Patricia Harkins

According to the Gospels of Matthew and Mark in the Bible, Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples after his resurreciton from the dead, instructing them: "Go ye into the world, and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15, KJV). This has become known in the Christian community as the Great Commission. Many Caribbean Christian songwriters and musicians today have taken this message to heart, including Jamaican gospel artists Lester Lewis and his wife, "Singing Rose," solo artist Glenworth Pierre from Dominica, and a rising young trio from the Bahamas who call themselves System 3. University of the Virgin Islands student Viola Clarke identified the purpose behind the music of such Caribbean artists in this way: "It gets the attention of people who are not really interested in Jesus Christ, and provides Christians with an opportunity to witness to others" (report).

Lester Lewis and Singing Rose have been pioneers in the field of "Reaching Around the World" by integrating such popular styles of contemporary Caribbean music as reggae with what they believe is "the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ" (personal interview). They have successfully carried their "heart-felt message," that Jesus is Love (n.d.), to nearly every continent. And even as their own music ministry grows, they continue to mentor others whose goals are similar. They have actively encouraged the young men in System 3, for example, to master such new styles as rap, dance hall and hip hop in order to reach other young people throughout the Caribbean--and beyond. In a song titled "Even Da Go" the Bahamian trio "translate" the words of the New Testament Great Commission into Language framed by a beat their audience will listen to and understand. (En Da Mon 1990). They have accepted the advice of their friend Glenworth Pierre, who is convinced that Christian musicians need to use lively, contemporary Rhythm[s] to Rock This Generation (1993).

My brief conference paper is the preliminary step toward a book-length study of Caribbean gospel artists who are striving to develop international audiences. I plan to focus on primary research material including personal interviews, oral histories, performances, unpublished manuscripts and recordings, although published work will also be an important factor. I will be highlighting the vision and work of Glenworth Pierre in the first chapter of my study. I find his life and his art an interesting blend of familiar--and unique--elements. Moreover, he has been a consistently cooperative and articulate subject. His age (31) and the stage at which he currently finds his career (rapidly developing but not yet well-known in most areas outside the Caribbean) set him squarely in the center between so-called "local" artists and those who have reached audiences not only in the United States and/or England but also other nations of Europe, North and South America, Africa.

In his written testimony Glenworth Pierre tell us:

I've been singing ever since I was a little child. From the day the Lord save me he gave me a new song and from that day I have been singing the Gospel . . . to show forth His praises among the nations of the Caribbean and throughout the whole world. ("Vision and Testimony") Pierre's lyrics testify to his vision. His latest release, a tape titled Is Only Now We Dancing (April 1993) features a song by the same name. As the music starts, Pierre says to his listeners, "This song is for every believer thoughout every nation. Rise up in the Lord, your God!" (Side A, opening number).

The titles of his albums reflect the themes that permeate his songs: He sees Caribbean gospel artists today as Radical Soldier[s] (1988) Standing on the Front Line (1989) Ready for War (1990) "against sin and corruption" (23 March 1994 personal interview). Instead of being Criticizers (1990) he believes that Christians throughout the world need to declare with him, We Are Winners (1991), constantly experiencing Revival (1991), "including those Caribbean Christian stations that refuse to air some of my songs because the lyrics contain references to dancing, for example, and so might offend some people" (March 1994 interview): You must bow to Jesus (1992) so that Christ's Love will Reign (1994?).

Like his friend and mentor, Lester Lewis of Jamaica, Glenworth Pierre was not a Christian as a young man. He was born on the island of Dominica and brought up in a Catholic family. But when he left home at the age of 17 for the island of St. Martin he was not searching for God. His goal at that time was simply "to experience life outside" (interview March 1994). Being the lead singer for a local band called "True Roots of I" was no longer enough. He wanted to play the guitar and he wanted to sing professionally in tourist hotels. Within six years he had achieved his dual musical ambitions, although he sometimes found it necessary to supplement his income by working as a painter and carpenter.

But by early 1985 he was a divorced man, no longer living with his beloved only child; without a job. "I did not have even a cent to my name . . . my back was against the wall" ("Vision and Testimony"). Then, on the fifth of February, a Sunday night, he experienced a dramatic conversion when he felt compelled to read the Book of Psalms ("Testimony"). Alone in his rented room, he found himself in tears, praying to Jesus "to come into my heart" ("Testimony"). "I forgot about every plan I had," he explained in a recent interview. "I had to change directions" (18 April 1994 personal interview). He felt compelled to burn the manuscripts of all the songs he had written before he became a "born again believer." He began to attend church and he no longer smoked marijuana, gambled or drank. He also began writing and singing gospel songs. In spite of continuing "financial challenges" (April 1994 interview) he chose to go into full time music ministry.

In 1988 he produced his first album, Radical Soldier. To date he has released nine gospel tapes and plans to release a CD and a video in the near future. He is an ordained minister of music. Pierre describes his ministry in this way:

I am a psalmist. My styles include reggae, soca, calypso, cadence and soul [as well as country and rap]--a big featured variety. I also write, compose and arrange all my songs. I play rhythm guitar, bass guitar, harmonica [drums] and keyboards. ("Testimony")

Pierre writes some of his lyrics in standard English, but most of them are written in Dominican-English dialect and/or Dominican-French patois. His unreleased song"We Need Jesus" demonstrates the linguistic versatility that is a distinguishing characteristic of his work. Whether in the studio or on stage, Pierre performs only original compositions as a solo artist. However, like most Caribbean gospel musicians, he is generous with his time and talent, often performing with other artists, sometimes without compensation, as a backup musician or singer.

Glenworth Pierre's dream is that he and others, such as his friend Piper Laundry from St. Martin and the young Bahamians in System 3, will be able to emulate Lester Lewis and Singing Rose, reaching out through music to impact "the lives of hurting people all over the world, especially the lives of young people" (23 March 1994 interview). It is no coincidence that he dedicated his latest release, Is Only Now We Dancing to his adolescent daughter.

In the book he is presently writing, Man's Reject is God's Best, Pierre relates some painful facts from his own childhood and adolescence. He is one of many "outside" children fathered by a Dominican cricket player who toured the Caribbean. Pierre's mother left Glen and his sister with relatives in Dominica while she went to the States to work. There she married, and started a new family. Meanwhile Glen and his sister were raised in separate homes. They never met their mother's husband or her other children. When Glen was a teenager his mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances far from the Caribbean, and was eventually declared dead. "I'm a living witness and example of being a reject," Glen writes, "But I grew up to be a very blessed young man" (unnumbered M.S. Chapter Two)

In his quest to be a messenger of hope to what he believes is "a dying world" (23 March 1994 interview) Glenworth Pierre has traveled extensively in the Caribbean. When he visited Jamaica Lester Lewis and Rose took him into their home, giving the younger musician much "good advice and encouragement" (19 April 1994 interview). In 1991 Pierre traveled to the United States for the first time, ministering in Baltimore and New Jersey. After 6 months he returned to St. Martin where, ironically, he encountered the dynamic New Jersey based Praise, Power and Deliverance Ministries International for the first time. Pierre has always resisted being labeled as a local artist. Now he was given the opportunity to become part of an established international Christian ministry.

He went with them when they returned to the States, and was soon invited to fly to London as part of the team they were sending there. Although the money and the security they offered were enticing, he was determined to remain loyal to the vision he had of his own ministry. In 1993 he came back home to the Caribbean alone, released a new album, and began to promote it.

It is well into 1994 now and although Pierre has begun to think about making St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands his "home base" (19 April 1994 interview), his travels continue. He plans to visit Trinidad and St. Lucia this year, which are among the islands "where my music is well received but I haven't ministered to myself" (19 April 1994 interview). In September 1993 he was invited to join a Christian crusade in Africa but declined, explaining later in an interview, "If I don't receive a release in my spirit from the Lord I've learned to be still (23 March 1994). He did, however, create a song he titled "Mama Africa" which he dedicated to all the people of that continent (unreleased). He is confident that he will return to both Europe and North America in the near future.

In the testimony he originally gave while he was ministering in the United States, he wrote:

Caribbean Gospel Music is going to make a crossover into the United States of America . . . When I see the way the people here in America are responding to my ministry . . . I see a bright future for Caribbean Gospel Music. ("Vision and Testimony")

"The time is right," he added recently. When I was in England people were listening to Caribbean music everywhere. My own music received more air play than it does here at home. People there couldn't get enough of my music!" (19 March 1994 interview). Like Lester Lewis and Singing Rose, and the trio of artists who make up System 3, Glenworth Pierre has dedicated his life to "fulfilling Christ's Great Commission--to go into all the world and preach the gospel" (19 April 1994 interview). He does this through "the use of the talent" he believes "is a gift from God" (19 April 1994 interview). "I have given my heart to Jesus Christ," he testifies (23 March interview). "Give him your heart," he pleads to his listeners in one of his songs, "for He's a Lover like no other" (Criticizers).

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the basic message of the new breed of singing evangelists?

2. How does reggae fit into the scheme of the contemporary trend called "Reaching Around The World With Music?"

3. Is it your impression from reading this article that System 3 is a progressive group of musical crusaders? Explain.

4. How does musician Pierre manage to use both the language of young music groups and that of Scripture to suggest a method of reaching a wider public?

5. Why was Pierre's religious music banned from some Caribbean

radio stations?

6. What incident does Pierre cite as transforming him from a hotel entertainer into a member of the music ministry?

7. Is there any fundamental difference in the musical styles of Mr. Pierre as church musician and the earlier Pierre as club singer, according to his own words?

8. Is, it apparent that Pierre and his contemporaries in the music ministry are sensitive to the spiritual needs of the youth?

9. Was Pierre's upbringing typical of that of those he is now trying to reach through songs these days? If the answer is "Yes", is he likely to provide a convincing role model for them?

10.How does Mr. Pierre see trends in religious music in the States pointing the way toward developments in the Caribbean?