I dont think I can describe the effect Andrae Crouchs life, and music has had on me. Nor can I describe the great impact his home going has had on me this week. I remember my first meeting with Andrae like it was yesterday. It was 1966 when I was traveling as a young single evangelist and I was invited to preach at a chapel service at the Teen Challenge Center in Los Angeles. This was before background tracks, and Andrae Crouch, (who was Minister of Music at Teen Challenge and directed the Addicts Choir), accompanied me as I sang before preaching that day. I dont remember what I preached about, but I remember singing with Andrae! He had an infectuous personality that just drew you in. I ended up spending the day with him singing until I was sung out. I ended up spending the week-end with him at his Mom and Dads house as he was still living at his parents house at this time. He and I began to go to different Jails and prisons in the Los Angeles area singing together and then I would preach. In those days, I stayed often with him in his home when I was preaching in the Greater Los Angeles area or in between meetings. I also preached revivals for his Dad at the church in Pacoima, Christ Memorial Church of God in Christ. This continued well into 1967 until in September I was married to Nancy Lile. He flew to San Jose and sang at our wedding. When he finished singing, you could have given an altar call. My new wife and I had an apartment in San Jose and he would call me when he was coming to the San Francisco Bay Area and I would usually pick him up at the airport and then he would stay with us. Through these many years, we have mostly been apart geographically due the call of the ministry on his life and mine, placing us in different locations, but I have always felt close to Andrae even though we were apart. I rejoiced with him in all of his victories and wept with him in times of sorrow. I remember, in those days he kept a little tape recorder with him at all times because he said, I never know when God will give me a song. I was with him when he wrote Through It All and I dont think he ever shared the true reason he wrote that song, but he shared it with me. However, thats a story that shall remain private. There were times Andrae went into the studio with no songs planned for a new project, and he would sit down at the piano and God would give him 10 or 12 songs right there on the spot and they were GREAT songs! I will miss you Andrae but Soon and Very Soon, we will sing together again! https://youtube/watch?v=3Sz9w8pUrpM
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 07:42:11 +0000
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