My Thoughts About Daryl Coley

Many of us who follow, sing and study Gospel Music are in deep reflection this week as to what Daryl Coley meant to Gospel Music and to our lives. He sang so many songs. He was so good. He was humble. He sang songs with substance. He could take anybody's song and make it worth something and if it was already worth something he could turn it into a Gospel classic. He was supportive of others. He was fashionable. He was transparent. He was a friend to many. He was even controversial. He was a Pastor.

Many times ones impact is not truly felt until they are gone. The ironic thing about Daryl Coley is that his music bridged two generations. The 30 and younger crowd was too young to remember his days with James Cleveland and the Gospel Music Workshop Of America, his participation in the Soulful Messiah, his voice on the Simpsons but they have heard some of his more recent performances and thanks to Youtube anyone can catch up on anybody's body of work.

Daryl Coleys own music was different. It was thought provoking and it required a skilled vocal technician to handle it and that's why you don't hear many repeating his music. His music took time to develop. It had form to it and one would have to analyze it before attempting to perform it. He was also a virtuoso pianist and I wish he would have played more.

I believe, and I thought long and hard about this, that Daryl Coley was the greatest male Gospel Singer of his time. He came before Auto Tune and delivered jaw dropping, anointed performances that too this day people remember where they were when they heard it. We will never forget Daryl Coley. He like Thomas Whitfield and so many others will be remembered as "Game Changers" and "Trendsetters" in the Gospel Music Industry and Ministry. Long live the memory and legacy of Daryl Coley.

                                                                                                                    Sincerly,
                                                                                                                    Phillip Carter

Independent Artists- Building "Coalitions" and "Collectives" for Greater Results

It's a great idea to build a coalition and here's why. You don't have to do anything on your own anymore. Although you may be great, grand and glorious the truth is you don't have enough capital, connections and support to become the big super star  you planned to be when you got started. Even if you just wanna work in your region a "coalition" and/or "collective" is a great booster for you

Teaming up with like- minded individuals/artists can be huge benefactor for all involved. Ticket sales, cd sales and social media presence would go up substantially because everyone in the collective would ban together with their audiences to aid in making event(s) or anything else pertinent happen. If you manage to build a "coalition" or a "collective" you want to make sure that everyone is not just in it for themselves so it's important to push and promote a team concept at all times.

Team work makes things happen in the music industry. Build a collective or a coalition and watch how things move in your career. The details as to how you build it is up to you and your team but there are a number of ways to come together to make it happen. Just do it.


                                                                        Phillip Carter
                                                                        President of SOV INC
                                                                        Founder of the IGAA Conference