Happy Birthday, Nuana Dunlap

Five great moments from the fifty-plus year career of this singer-songwriter-musician-arranger's body of work.

If you watched Bobby Jones Gospel in the 1990s, you undoubtedly remember Nuana Dunlap. As a member of New Life, Jones’ flagship group, Dunlap electrified audiences with her fiery, Apostolic presence. She is a singer-songwriter-musician, and Jones frequently showcased her capabilities on piano, organ, bass, guitar, and drums (as evidenced in the clip below).

This past week, Nuana celebrated her 70th birthday, and I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the great moments from this important artist’s career.

with Aretha Franklin circa 1997

1. Little Bit, But Enough—with Elder Raymond Dunlap and the Eliezer Young Adult Choir (1972)

I’m thrilled to share this 1972 recording featuring a 17-year-old Nuana. Recorded with the Young Adult Choir from her father’s church in Flint, Michigan, “Little Bit, But Enough” is the kind of driving, churchy track she’d become known for in the years to come.

2. Eliezer Mass Choir—He’ll Make It All Right (1983)

   In 1983, renowned producer-songwriter-musician A. Jeffrey LaValley joined forces with Eliezer to produce He’ll Make It All Right, an album that, today, collectors pay up to $600 to own. Nuana contributed to the album as a vocalist, arranger, and musician (even playing trumpet!).

3. Edwin Hawkins Music & Arts Seminar Mass Choir—”I Won’t Give Up” (Recorded 1989, released 1991)

Contemporary gospel architect Edwin Hawkins was celebrating the 20th anniversary of his gospel crossover hit “Oh Happy Day” and asked Nuana to participate in the live recording for his Music & Arts Seminar’s annual recording. “I Won’t Give Up” packs a lot of punch in just five minutes with Nuana squalling, preaching, and tongue-talking, giving the Seminar’s audience a glimpse at what they would soon be able to see every Sunday morning on Bobby Jones Gospel.

4. Bobby Jones & New Life—In His Care (featuring Emily Harris and Nuana Dunlap)

5. Bobby Jones & New Life—God Will Deliver (featuring Nuana Dunlap and Beverly Crawford)

This incarnation of Jones’ New Life has been a central focus of my historical work, and this recording is evidence of why that is the case. There have been many great gospel groups, but few have possessed the chemistry that Emily Harris, Francine Belcher (Smith), Angela Primm, Beverly Crawford, and Nuana Dunlap shared. These two videos showcase Nuana in two different settings—a ballad and a shout track—and how the group utilized skill and spirit-feel to support and push her to go higher.

The Flint Journal, May 18, 1996

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