The Making of a Band: A History of the World Famous Bahama Brass Band
230
The Making of a Band: A History of the World Famous Bahama Brass Band
230eBook
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Overview
The harmonic arrangements combined in the music of the Bahama Brass Band are the culmination of many influences; the most important being our heritage and faith in Almighty God. The world famous Bahama Brass Band was organized in 1925 by four ministers of the Gospel namely; Bishop Hermis Ferguson, Bishop Alvin S. Moss, Bishop James R. Cooper, and Pastor Frank Cunningham. Today, with the combination of its Nassau and Grand Bahama segments, the membership exceeds 100.
This band plays an important role in the ministry of the Church of God of Prophecy as evidenced by its performances at local and state conventions as well as the bi-annual worldwide General Assemblies.
The late Bishop Stanley R. Ferguson, first colonial overseer prophesied that the day would come when this band would play before Kings and the Rulers of the earth. On July 10th, 1973 the prophecy was fulfilled during The Bahamas Independence Celebrations. In attendance to witness the ministry of this band were; Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, representative for his mother Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Sir Roland Symonette, former premier of The Bahamas, Rt. Hon. Sir Lynden Pindling, prime minister of The Bahamas, prime ministers and government representatives of St. Lucia, Jamaica, Bermuda, St. Kitts, Grenada and thirty (30) Latin American countries.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781468545128 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AuthorHouse |
| Publication date: | 02/24/2012 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 230 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
About the Author
G. (George) Sean Gibson is the Author of this book. He has been a member of the band for over 27 years. He is a Lay Minister in the Church of God of Prophecy and is the husband of Christiana Lenora Gibson and the father of three sons; Aaron Jamaal Sean, Avery Josh David and Amos Justin George Gibson. They are third generation band members.
G. Sean Gibson is a marketing/public relations professional and works for the largest news media company in Nassau Bahamas.
Read an Excerpt
The Making Of A Band
A history of the world famous Bahama Brass BandBy G. Sean Gibson
AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2012 G. Sean GibsonAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-4510-4
Chapter One
Humble Beginnings
The same powerful momentum that ushered in the Bahama Brass Band in 1925 similarly fuelled the continued earnest growth of the Church of God of Prophecy in The Bahamas and soon the two were operating as a singularly commanding force in God's earthly army. Back in the 1920s a convergence of events, amidst a steadily awakening economic and social climate in the country provided fertile ground for the birth of a music ministry destined to become like none other. The band was the brainchild of four native sons and its formation marked a defining period in the church's history.
In 1925, The Bahamas was laying the groundwork to become a particularly dynamic force in the tourism industry. Fortunately, the country was in close proximity to the economic superpower, the United States of America, where many of its citizens were eager to revel in the exotic climate of The Bahamas and experience real, native charm. The smaller economies of the islands outside New Providence, commonly called the Out Islands, were primarily thriving off the traditional industries of agriculture, fisheries and smaller scale tourism. Particularly grounded in their faith, Bahamians had come to view their spiritual vibrancy as a crucial part of their overall national development. The black masses were predominantly members of established denominations including the Anglican, Catholic, Baptist and Methodist churches.
The Bahama Brass Band started more than 86 years ago as a fervent desire in the humble hearts and vibrant minds of four church ministers: Bishop Hermis A. Ferguson, Bishop James R. Cooper, Pastor Frank H. Cunningham and Bishop Alvin S. Moss, men whose roots lay in the charming southern islands of Crooked Island and Acklins. The four were astoundingly gifted in music and formerly raised in the Baptist church, but once they embraced their new Pentecostal faith, they used their past experiences to begin an amazing music ministry to the honour and glory of God.
The band's infancy was intertwined with the evolution of the Church of God in The Bahamas where the early years of the Pentecostal church were mired in hostility and intolerance. Pioneering believers were treated with suspicion, contempt and indifference. The new, charismatic and expressive style of worship was not immediately respected and embraced and it would take years before that hurdle was crossed. In 1909, Edmund Barr, a native of Exuma, and his wife Rebecca attended a Holiness Tent Revival under the leadership of Bishop A. J. Tomlinson in Pleasant Grove, Florida, setting off a series of profound events that culminated in the establishment of the first Church of God outside the continental United States of America. While at the worship meeting, the pair received the Holy Ghost and with it a new gift that they were determined to share with the rest of The Bahamas. Upon returning home in November 1909, they immediately began working and eagerly preached the gospel in the vicinity of Augusta and Meadow Streets in Nassau, Bahamas. From this small seed that was planted grew an entirely different local denomination. The freshly converted and others who eventually joined the faith were mocked and called "jumpers" because of the energy and charisma that marked their worship; believers would speak in tongues, dance, sing and shout when overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit which was first referred to in the book of Acts 2:4. In the early years, members of the Church of God of Prophecy also risked imprisonment for worshipping in the way that they did. By then, what had also become very clear was that this religion was particularly attractive to the black masses and adopted by the working class including domestic workers, farmers and fishermen. They became part of a vibrant, worldwide body of believers, working collaboratively to spread the message of salvation and God's love to a broken and selfish world in order to uplift the human condition.
By the 1920s there was exponential growth in this church movement and also a turning point. Satellite churches were being established in many areas in New Providence and the Family Islands. Ministry leadership had oversight for various national gatherings, particularly revivals and conventions. However, 1923 in Cleveland, Tennessee, tension was mounting as a disagreement over matters of church polity and finances reached a breaking point. It caused church leader Bishop Ambrose Jessup Tomlinson to be impeached and ejected from the church's fellowship, forcing him to begin a new Pentecostal denomination. Later that year, he appointed Bishop Stanley R. Ferguson to lead The Bahamas fellowship. This decision caused dissension amongst the pre-appointed local leadership. Bishop Ferguson eventually severed ties under the Church of God and helped to establish a new faith under the leadership of Bishop Tomlinson which was later called the Church of God of Prophecy. The church was legitimized by an Act of Parliament in 1953. Bishop Ferguson organized and constructed a new wooden tabernacle on Taylor Street in 1925, the same year that the Bahama Brass Band was formed.
For a period of two years, strategic recruitment targeted fledgling church members with musical abilities. Using their influence in the Crooked Island community, Bishops Stanley R. Ferguson, Alvin S. Moss and Hermis A. Ferguson encouraged family members and other supporters to relocate to New Providence, the country's centre of commerce, to make a living and simultaneously build the church membership. As time passed, the band's membership grew to the point where in 1927 it was well prepared for public performances. The first Band Director, Bishop Hermis Ferguson, a very established preacher who pastored churches in South Florida, talented arranger and skilled trumpet player lead the band during the 6th Colonial Convention Baptismal Parade in 1927. Bishop Hermis was described as a no-nonsense, left-hand director who insisted that his members were spiritually filled and musically competent. Nothing less was accepted.
Chapter Two
Rules for Membership
"It was no easy thing," opined 95-year-old Stanley Beneby, a World War II veteran and former Bahama Brass Band Director, referring to the band's membership process. From its inception, the threshold of scrutiny for candidates was designed to ensure that new members possessed either the skill level or potential to continue making the Bahama Brass Band a formidable force of ministry.
Being approved as a band member was just as intense as joining the Church of God of Prophecy itself. Covenant membership in the church was a requirement of band membership; to be a member of the Church of God of Prophecy, the individual had to profess at least an experience of salvation, which he or she would publically share with the church body. The verbal covenant uttered by the prospective member symbolically and literally joins the born-again Christian to both the local and international community of the Church of God of Prophecy. According to the church's doctrine, "this covenant does not bring about salvation, but it does serve a much needed role in personal development and spiritual maturity by placing the believer in community with others."
Eligible candidates for membership are typically welcomed into the church during a special ceremony where they are asked: "Will you sincerely promise in the presence of God and these witnesses that you will accept the Bible as the Word of God – believe and practice its teachings rightly divided – the New Testament as your rule of faith and practice, government and discipline, and walk in the light to the best of your knowledge and ability?" Those wishing to join simply reply "I will."
The presiding minister would then explain the guidelines and policies of the church and "extend the right hand of fellowship" to the new member followed by prayers. Established church members would typically greet the new members with warm embraces and words of encouragement.
Brother Stanley Beneby and other pioneering band members recalled that in the early days, many candidates also had to attend a series of church revivals and the elders of the church determined whether the individual was "spiritually prepared."
Getting into the band also required a period of scrutiny where each candidate was tested and evaluated. The band's leadership had its own unique style of matching new members with the instruments that they would play. Veteran band member, seventy-eight-year-old Rollington Ferguson remembered how the band director would make that determination based on existing musical needs and the individual's physique. Recalling his own experience, he recounted how many years ago he went to Bishop Hermis Ferguson's office to express an interest in joining the Bahama Brass Band. Back then, his favourite instrument was the alto saxophone but, Bishop Ferguson promptly told him, "You're too small (for the alto saxophone). You should play the clarinet." Fifty-five years later, Rollington Ferguson is still happily playing this instrument and blessing the hearts of those who listen to the melodious strains.
Becoming a part of this super-talented music ministry meant acceptance into a very special Christ-centered brotherhood, one that shone a critical spotlight on each new candidate well ahead of the collective spotlight that that band was subjected to at every opportunity to minister in music. New members were brought before the band for approval and asked to recite the band's pledge: "I hereby present myself for membership in the Bahama Brass Band and promise to be faithful at all times". The candidates were given specific instructions about regular attendance at band rehearsals, performing at various events and uniforms. Afterwards, they were also prayed for.
Approval for membership not only bound the individual to a special community of musicians, but it also committed him to a demanding schedule of practices, engagements and church activities where faithful attendance was imperative. The ultimate aim was undeniable: to grow the body of Christ.
Chapter Three
Getting Instruments
Committed to a rigorous schedule, a successful band ministry requires an uncompromising devotion to the highest standards of performance and the best proverbial tools of the trade. From the very beginning, procurement of adequate instruments for the band was a critical priority. Initially, the church provided these precious resources, while some members with the financial means were able to purchase their own instruments with high quality brand names like Blessing, Conn, King and Selmer. There was a high return on these investments as the brand name musical instruments lasted for quite a very long time. Horns like the tubas and sousaphones and also bass drums were imported from Cleveland, Tennessee, and the other instruments were purchased and brought in from Florida.
Acquiring instruments was quite a meticulous process as one-hundred-and-one-year-old Bishop Herman Ezekiel Dean and his son Bishop Noward Dean, natives of The Bahamas who resided in Miami, Florida, attested. The pair provided critical assistance in this effort during the leadership of Bishop Alvin S. Moss. Bishop Noward Dean said in the early years of Bishop Moss' leadership, the Church of God of Prophecy's second Bahamas Overseer, he and his father helped Bishops Alvin and Jack Moss to procure the band's smaller instruments from Ace Music Store located NW 7th Avenue 76th Street, Miami, Florida. A business relationship was established with a sales representative named Gus, thereby enabling them to secure prime discounts. Later in the 1960s, it was Bishop Noward Dean, Bishop Arthur Jack Moss and other band members like David Butler, Enoch Cunningham and Vanderson Ferguson who completed the transactions. Over the years, band and church leaders made arrangements for servicemen abroad to regularly service the instruments and complete overhauls and parts replacement in order to ensure optimal musical performance.
Chapter Four
Recruitment/A Men's Ministry
Music is a unifying and uplifting force that stirs people to action. When the ultimate aim is expanding the body of Christ, the channel for achieving that goal becomes that much more valuable to the outcome. In the case of the Bahama Brass Band, recruitment was specifically geared towards both building a men's ministry while also strengthening its capacity to solidify a Christian fellowship. Membership appeals were strategically designed to attract young men. Band members belonging to church parishes were appointed representatives to serve in various capacities as spokesmen and recruiting officers. Male church members were always the target and pastors were asked to support this effort, which they did unhesitatingly.
BAND REPRESENTATIVES WERE:
• Romeo Ferguson- East St. Church of God of Prophecy
• Steve Hepburn, Sr.- Ernest St. Church of God of Prophecy
• Lloyd Hamilton- Meadow St. Church of God of Prophecy
• Rudolph V. Bowe- Englerston Church of God of Prophecy
• David Butler- Freetown Church of God of Prophecy
All other churches fell under the responsibilities of the Commonwealth Music Instructors.
Over the years, there were sporadic attempts to broaden the ministry's membership to include females, but this was not successful for a number of reasons including insufficient numbers and challenges with traveling arrangements for overseas assignments. However, fortunately for them they found good husbands in this brass band ministry. Many Church of God of Prophecy young ladies were said to have prayed for their husbands and a number of them came through the Bahama Brass Band.
The band, with its strong mentorship initiatives, was also fertile ground for aspiring church leaders, building capacity in the area of leadership and producing pastors, bishops, deacons, evangelists, district overseers, ministry directors and teachers, all of whom were former Bahama Brass Band members. Besides playing music, this band has helped to mentor many young males through the Elder support system. Many of the older band men were responsible for the protective care of the younger ones while they travelled abroad. They used those opportunities to help them strengthen their walk with God through practical avenues including Bible studies, devotions and counseling sessions. In return, the younger men respected and implicitly trusted their mentors and their advice. As the band evolved, dynamic interactions also included debates and discussions on church matters, politics and the Bible that would take place following rehearsals. Members were often engaged in spirited discussions while others were content to listen attentively or eventually joined in themselves. All of this helped to lay the foundation for the synergy that made the band such a phenomenal success in Christian ministry that impacted the lives of countless people.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Making Of A Band by G. Sean Gibson Copyright © 2012 by G. Sean Gibson. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
About This Book....................vOwn Our Products....................vi
Dedication....................vii
Our Purpose....................viii
Acknowledgments....................ix
Financial Contributors....................xiv
We Want to Hear from You!....................xvi
Message....................xvii
Message....................xix
Message....................xxi
Foreword....................xxv
Introduction....................xxx
Chapter 1 Humble Beginnings....................1
Chapter 2 Rules for Membership....................7
Chapter 3 Getting Instruments....................11
Chapter 4 Recruitment/A Men's Ministry....................15
Chapter 5 Training Music Lessons & Band Practices....................19
Chapter 6 First International Assembly Trip (1938)....................25
Chapter 7 Dressing the Band....................29
Chapter 8 The Bahamas-Florida Connection....................33
Chapter 9 Defining the Music....................37
Chapter 10 Mission to Bourbon Street....................41
Chapter 11 The General Assembly Phenomenon....................45
Chapter 12 Encountering Racial Tensions....................51
Chapter 13 From The Bahamas to Azusa St., Los Angeles, California....................57
Chapter 14 Mission Trips....................61
Chapter 15 The Leadership Paradigm Selections & Appointments....................65
Chapter 16 Fundraising....................77
Chapter 17 A National Overseer's Years....................81
Chapter 18 Becoming a Generational Band....................89
Chapter 19 Recording Album Treasures....................97
Chapter 20 Touching lives locally-Conventions, Funerals, Rallies, and Local Church Events....................109
Chapter 21 The Grand Bahama Segment....................121
Chapter 22 History of the Bahama Brass Band (Andros)....................127
Chapter 23 Impacting the Bahamian Culture Influence on Junkanoo and Other Band Organizations....................131
Chapter 24 A Price To Be Paid....................139
Chapter 25 Listing of Leaders....................143
Chapter 26 Just for Laughs....................147
Chapter 27 Unforgettable Moments....................153
Chapter 28 Photo Gallery....................173