Because he's been singing the Lord's praises for over three decades,
Daryl Coley can easily be classified as an elder statesman of gospel music. Like a master artisan, Coley blends a plethora of palettes into his gospel stylings -- from blues and jazz to classical and baroque. According to Coley, gospel music is the most innovative music in the world, because it can take on hip-hop, country, jazz, or any other form of music but still be gospel based on its lyrical content.
In recent years, gospel has become more popular, some say because of its more secular presentation. Yet, many in the gospel community still don't think gospel gets the recognition it deserves. Coley weighs in on the debate and talks about his work with the
American Diabetes Association, making him a proselytizer not just for the Lord, but for the importance of healthy diet and exercise.
Is there anything wrong with blending secular and gospel music?No, not really. Some people have a problem with quote-unquote secular artists singing gospel music, but so many of our artists are born again and their job is a secular job, but they love the Lord. It's a matter of heart and a matter of purpose.
The message of the gospel is real and sometimes when we're restricted by the idioms of religion, and we're afraid to send the message of the gospel to the arenas where people need to hear it. We end up preaching and singing to the choir. Literally. [Just] because somebody is not singing quote-unquote gospel music doesn't mean they don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ. So we have to be very careful not to sit in judgment because we don't know who God is bringing into the kingdom.
What are you listening to now? Just depends on my mood. It sounds really funny, but I don't listen to a lot of gospel music, because I don't want to fall into the same patterns that's out there. I listen to a lot of jazz music as opposed to a lot of gospel, but my favorites are basically the same ones that everyone else has.
Talk about your work with the American Diabetes Association. As of August, I was chosen to be a national spokespersons for the American Diabetes Association, and it is very important that we get out and get tested. Some of us have diabetic problems because of our diets. The American Diabetes Association is aware that we as people of color like certain flavors and certain nuances to our food. So they're busy developing recipes that will help us maintain our flavor and our flair, and still be very healthy for us to eat. And so I'm glad of that.
Where do you see the future of gospel music? Well, gospel music has always been a powerful music. It is probably one of the reasons why it is never given the proper platform in other award showsbecause it does have such power and speaks of Jesus Christ and his authority. And it is light that has to dispel darkness. So sometimes it is not readily received. Like in television, they keep doing gospel music with the "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen" people, [so there's that] concept of gospel music but gospel music is the most innovative music in the world. You get the big war between contemporary and traditional gospel without understanding that what is now considered traditional gospel was at one time considered contemporary for its time. [Some audiences] have no idea of all the things we've done with gospel music and that we're not stuck back in the early years that they remember from their grandmamma and their great-grandmamma playing it on the Victrola. It has grown just as any other music form has grown.
