Daddy, The Singing Sensation

This morning I am thinking about my dad’s wonderful gift of singing.  It was one of many things that made me incredibly proud to be his daughter.  When I was very young, I had the unique privilege of getting to see my dad singing on TV on Sunday mornings with a quartet called The Gospel Tornadoes.  Daddy’s rich, melodic bass voice was a special feature of the group’s songs.  In local music circles, he was given the nickname “Thunder,” to characterize his powerful signature sound.  He had numerous invitations to share his amazing gift of song, both from inside and outside of our city.  He even got a gig as a soloist at a local Presbyterian church, where he was the only Black person there on the days when he sang.  My favorite thing was when I got to hear my dad sing with our own church choir.  His voice had astonishing range, and he could sing mezzo soprano notes with the same perfect pitch and control as he could baritone or bass.  Besides the beautiful quality of Daddy’s voice, the beauty of true passion and joy were infused into the songs he sang.  It was quite typical for the congregation to be on its feet whenever he led a song.  It makes me smile today as I recall how singing seemed to energize my dad.  Not only was he very good at it, he genuinely loved it.  Not surprisingly, music and singing were an integral part of life for my siblings and me.  We listened to and sang different kinds of songs by different artists, everything from the Dixie Hummingbirds to James Taylor to the O’Jays.  Honestly, Daddy could sing any and all of it very well.  The rest of us, not so much.  It’s not that our voices were terrible…it’s more that we were just so-so, while he was sensational.  And that’s okay.  It seems that none of us has inherited my dad’s awesome singing gift.  However, without a doubt, he willed to each of us the gift of song.  I am grateful for this legacy, which enriches our lives and keeps us connected to each other.