When I uprooted my children and me from very busy lives including school, church and career to move to the Nashville area in 2006 - I had really no idea what we would have for life changes. I came to realize rather quickly that there were 4 "S"s we were going to experience. They are: Steeples - there are soooo many churches here in the Bible Belt, even more than our home, Orlando, FL; Seasons - In FL it cools down a little at Thanksgiving and gets warm/hot in March; Sweet people - this is such a refreshing area, everyone is nice here; and finally, Saturation of Celebrity - I mean, WOW! Imagine running into a different Country, Pop or Christian star at least once a week whether at the grocery store, church or usually restaurants.
About a year after experiencing so many of the celebrity-spotting moments I was working out a local gym and a frequent member who was there every time seemed to always have the right thing to say - always quick to move off of a machine for me or any other patrons around. He always had inspiring things to say, all I knew about him for quite awhile was that his name was "Billy." It was a surprise to eventually discover that he wasn't just a "Billy," but he is Billy Gaines, Gospel, R&B and soul singing star, songwriter and artist. Again, I realized how lucky I was to be in this community of so much talent!
Billy is a 2-time Dove Award winner, a 4-time nominee, with quite a few albums sharing talents with his wife, Sarah. On their first self-titled album in the '80's they were #1 in the Top 40 six different times, with recognized tunes like "A Friend Indeed," "How Great This Heart Must Be," and "I Found Someone." In 2006 he soloed with outstanding album (CD) "Ten Thousand Angels," which was well-known by name alone through the mid-TN area, an area where "everyone" has a CD. Eventually, he was able to bring out crowds by using cover tunes and many of his favorites, which I had the pleasure to learn some of on the keyboard at one time.
Billy hasn't slowed down at all. He is still performing locally and regionally at restaurants, clubs, weddings, social functions and parties, as well as holding down a worship leader job at a local church. He is working fulltime - purely in music - again, in a very music-saturated area, which just proves how vital, inspiring and talented his performances are.
I ventured out to see him a week ago at a local restaurant in the popular Cool Springs/Franklin area - Wild Ginger, a trendy, airy sushi/wok/Asian restaurant with high ceilings, lots of windows and yet a nice stage area for his band's setup. His gig on this particular night consisted of mostly recognizable '70's tunes, starting off his opening set with "On Broadway." Songs following were "Lost in the Masquerade," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," and "Killing Me Softly." His velvety-smooth vocals were not loud or even real easy to hear over a completely booked night this establishment had, but it was perfect, just enough to enjoy the music, the company and good food. It was definitely perfect sound and volume for the type of atmosphere for this performance.
Every memorable song had many patrons wording the lyrics occasionally, but the one song that seemed to have many abuzz was "Heard It Through the Grapevine." It IS amazing the longevity and lasting strength a good tune will always carry. During break Billy took 5 minutes to rest and then jumped on the keyboard to play a few more songs, showing that he doesn't like slowing down or stopping a performance until "the lights are dimmed." That, with the fact that the place was packed, was definitely smart thinking on his end.
This particular night his band consisted of Karlton Taylor, keys; J.C. Teasly, bass guitar; and Wendell Henry, drums. Speaking with the band later, I realized each one of these gentlemen were not only talented, but are every bit gentlemen and fun to be around.
All in all, what a great night! I had experienced a relaxing evening of good food and atmosphere, and talented entertainment with quite a following. I'm looking forward to enjoying Mr. Gaines' talent again sometime in the near future!
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