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Derek McDaniel Sings the Good News |
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Derek McDaniel sings before a full house at
Grace Baptist Church in McKenzie, Tennessee.
Derek McDaniel’s smooth vocals have won the
17-year-old Greenfield youth at least two
outstanding honors, yet he declares there is
a greater purpose to his talent than mere
accomplishment. Performing before a full
house at Grace Baptist Church in McKenzie
Sunday evening, November 24, he declared,
“I’m not here to entertain you, I’m here to
tell you about a man named Jesus.”
Grace Pastor Fred Morris captured the
essence of Derek’s performance in a few
short sentences, saying, "Derek is one of
the finest young men I know. He combines
talent, warmth, and humility in a way that
causes his listeners to reverence Jesus
Christ, the One he sings about. I believe he
will go far in gospel music while
maintaining his strong Christian
convictions."
At Grace, Derek performed several songs from
his upcoming album, including “Wake Up
Sleeping Giant”, written by several-time
Dove award-winning songwriter Gerald Crabb.
The collection will also include two sings
written by family friend, the late Danny
Owen of Gleason: “Calvary’s Hill” and “The
War is Over”. Derek’s first CD—entitled “The
New Beginning”—features his top 80 gospel
hit, “If God Wrote You a Letter”, as well as
“Master of Mercy”, “Special Job for Me”, and
others.
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Derek sings about the message of
the Bible.
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Derek grew up in Missionary Baptist
churches pastored by his dad, Freddie
McDaniel. These days, the elder McDaniel
works alongside Derek, managing his career
and preaching revivals at which Derek sings.
Singing professionally since he was 14,
Derek was just four years old the first time
he sang for a live audience. He tells how
watching his cousin, Jenna Orten, sing in
church emboldened him to perform on his own.
Says Derek, “One morning when I was four
years old I got up and said, ‘I want to sing
at church today.’ I picked ‘He’s in the
Midst’ and I’ve been singing ever since; I
guess that’s just what I’m supposed to be
doing.”
His mom, Lynn Oliver McDaniel, formerly of
McKenzie, remembers the morning well. “It
made me feel so proud, I was so proud of
him,” she says. Now when she listens to
audio tapes of him and his brother, Travis,
singing as children, she laughs, “They sound
like chipmunks.” He also sang in earlier
years with another cousin, Brittany Wallace.
Over the years, despite no formal voice
training, Derek’s career has grown rapidly
in a chain of opportunities. After hearing
Derek sing a capella at a revival in
Indiana, organist Rich Burton offered to
make a soundtrack for him to sing along
with. Later, at Chalk Hill Church in Camden,
Derek met promoter Roy Sharp, who asked him
to perform at a gospel singing event in
Parsons. He opened the event for gospel
greats The Glovers, Terry Terrell, and
Christlike. There he met Les Butler, host of
Solid Gospel radio (solidgospel.com). Butler
invited Derek to perform at the state fair
in Nashville, where he met producer Russell
Sims, who produced Derek’s first album.
Derek has performed alongside other gospel
talents like Ivan Parker, the Dixie Melody
Boys, Dottie Rambo, and Carol Robinson. He
is now working on his second album with
producer Shane Roark of Chapel Valley Studio
in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, near Knoxville.
Following the Parsons event, Derek bypassed
an opportunity to perform on the stage of
Grand Ole Opry when discussions faltered
after he insisted on performing a gospel,
rather than country, showcase. But in 2006
he was named Northwestern Tennessee Quartet
Convention Soloist of the Year, followed in
2007 by the Northwest Georgia Soloist of the
Year. Currently, he is under nomination at
the SGM (Southern Gospel Music) Fanfare Fan
Awards for the title “Young Excelling
Individual”. This once in a lifetime award
honors the artist under the age of 30 that
shows the most progress in southern gospel
music.
In the meantime, he’s managed to mix the
business of soul-saving with an extra
measure of pleasure. Performing every first
Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Replogle Sawmill’s
chapel, Derek met owner Nathan Replogle’s
granddaughter, Katherine Dycus. The two have
struck up a special friendship, witnessed by
a kiss waved her way as she entered the
foyer of Grace Baptist Church before the
concert.
At times, Derek’s brother and sister, Travis
(14) and Jazlyn (9) join Derek to form a
trio onstage. But while Travis and Jazlyn
attend Greenfield school, traveling for
events keeps Derek from attending
conventional classes. Instead, he keeps
apace of his peers through a home study
course provided by Maranatha Christian
Academy. In his spare time, Derek enjoys
hunting, paintball gunning, swimming…and,
says his mom—testimony to the era—his
telephone. Unsure of what the future holds
at such a young age, Derek ponders careers
in the medical field, law enforcement—or
music.
“I like to sing; the Lord’s blessed me with
singing,” Derek says.
Locally, gospel music lovers can see Derek
sing at 100.9 “Fun on the Farm Jamboree”
Christmas Show Saturday, December 8, at 2
p.m. The event takes place at The Dixie
Carter Performing Arts Center. Also
performing will be Carl Mann, Chad Bradford,
Katy Kiefer, The Gospel Edition, Double
Edge, and more.
He’ll also be singing at lakeside Retirement
Center December 18 at 12:30 p.m. and at Mt.
Nebo Baptist Church in Buena Vista on New
Year’s Eve at 7 p.m. |
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The
McKenzie Banner
3 Banner Row, PO Box 100
McKenzie, TN 38201
731-352-3323 FAX: 731-352-3322
editor@mckenziebanner.com
copyright 2006-2008 by Tri-County Publishing Co., 2007
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