Larnelle Harris: I Love to Tell the Story
A look at the career of this Grammy and Dove-winning artist as he re-releases seven of his classic albums digitally for the first time.
Milestone!
I just wanted to say a quick thank you for your incredible support of this newsletter which crossed 1,000 subscribers this week. I recognize that I don’t always cover the biggest or most obvious names in the genres I write about (which are already considered sub-genres). That there are 1,000 people interested in the things I write about makes me very happy. Thank you for keeping the music alive…and for telling your friends about this little project. I am grateful!
If you grew up listening to contemporary Christian music in the eighties, then Larnelle Harris’ name was inescapable. His duets with Sandi Patty, “More Than Wonderful” and “I’ve Just Seen Jesus,” catapulted his already groundbreaking career, making him one of the leading male vocalists in the genre. His voice is a breathtaking thing. Yes, he’s a skilled vocalist with a multi-octave range that plays with dynamics and colors in an exquisite way. He also made great song choices. But underneath that, it’s the passion and conviction that he sings with that made him stand out in such a singular way.
I’ve written extensively here about the challenges that many Black artists faced in CCM, but Larnelle was a front-runner, winning five Grammys and ten Dove Awards in categories that Black artists were typically not nominated in during those years (Male Vocalist of the Year, Inspirational Album of the Year, and Songwriter of the Year).
Two weeks ago, seven of Larnelle’s albums that have never been digitally released were made available for the first time, including 1980’s Dove-winning Give Me More Love In My Heart (produced by Paul Johnson and Howard McCrary), 1982’s Dove-winning Touch Me Lord, and 1987’s Grammy-winning The Father Hath Provided.
To coincide with these exciting re-releases, Larnelle did a rare, deeply personal interview with Dusty Wells and Dave Clark for their podcast I Love To Tell the Story (highly recommended!). I encourage you to listen to this dynamic conversation with an artist whose music deserves to be celebrated and re-discovered.
Below are some articles and videos that provide a timeline of Larnelle’s career.
You are literally always right on time! This past Sunday, I really dug deep into his discography! I had only heard his “I’ve Just Seen Jesus” album and wanted to explore more of his work! His albums have extremely high production value, sounding like something straight off of a Disney movie soundtrack! His rendition of “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is just top tier! Thank you for sharing with us and God Bless You!
Grateful for this introduction. Listening to Give Me More Love (In MY Heart) as I type. Yes!