John P. Kee

The Reunion New Life Community Choir featuring John P. Kee

As recounted by the Apostle John, in the 10th chapter of his Gospel, Jesus spoke one day, to all who would listen, a simple but profound truth about His purpose on earth: "I have come that you may have life," He said, "and have it more abundantly."

Almost two-thousand years later, in the early 1980s in Charlotte, N.C., another child of God named John turned his troubles over to Christ, and from the ashes of self-annihilation received that same promise of new life. And he was gifted…and gifted abundantly.

Since that time, John P. Kee has not only prospered as a songwriter and singer, record producer, entrepreneur and pastor, with a hit-filled repertoire of songs as leader of the renowned, chart-topping New Life Community Choir; he has become one of the most influential and beloved figures in Gospel music.

John’s deeply felt songs have always spoken to the heart, mind and spirit, and he was among the very first to bring together the worlds of traditional Gospel and modern R&B music into the mix known today as “Contemporary Gospel.”

New Life Community Choir (NLCC), formed by John and officially named with its first major-label release in 1987, has undergone numerous changes in personnel over its nearly twenty years of existence, each adding its own distinct and dynamic imprint to the ensemble.

Still, in the minds of many, no gathering of talents in NLCC has ever surpassed that of its original configuration of core voices, a number of whom have some time ago moved on to successful solo careers, including Gospel great Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Isaac Caree and Lowell Pye (now of the hit act Men of Standard), Lajuene Thompson, Sheila Lakin, and Rhonda McLemore. Realizing a dream that has been “percolating in the back of his mind” for a number of years, Pastor Kee, in the last year reassembled that very roster of singers to join him and the current choir on what is now the latest release from NLCC featuring John P. Kee, The Reunion.

The two-disk set of 26 songs consists almost entirely of Kee classics from the last 20 years, two-thirds of which were recorded live, and all reinvented with an ear towards maintaining the timeless integrity of each NLCC favorite while also filtering them through up-to-the-minute, modern sensibilities and sounds. And the results are nothing less than spectacular. In a sea of sound-alike artists, NLCC and John P. Kee have always been - and remain today - an always fresh and exciting voice.

In just a small sampling of the many riches of The Reunion, “Wave It Away,” is a soulful, heart-tugging ballad with a sinewy saxophone interwoven throughout. “I’m Covered” rocks in Holy Spirit overdrive, with John, Lowell and NLCC trading fiery call-and-response vocals. “We’re Back” moves with a steady rolling Gospel/R&B groove, while “Survive” begins with a cool, bluesy sax as John, Isaac, Lowell, & Lajuene deliver the message atop a smoldering bed of jazzy, quiet-fire R&B. “Wait on Him,” like the entire Reunion project, resounds with explosive energy, with a hand-clapping, toe-tapping, dare-you-to-sit-still Sunday morning exuberance. “It’s Possible” is a rafter-rattling, roof-raising workout, while “Glorified” begins at a soulful mid-tempo pace, but continues to build, and build, and build even more, as Vanessa and Lajuene carry the song to stratospheric heights with almost otherworldly, powerhouse vocal performances. Contemporary Gospel hit-maker Tye Tribbett guests with NLCC & John on “High Praise,” a relentless, breakneck burst of glory and honor to the Lord, and Rhonda McLemore turns in a soaring, breath-taking vocal on “Rhema Word.”

“I have entertained this idea for quite a while,” says John, “and for some reason I felt it impressed upon me that now was the time to do it. I wasn’t sure why, but I obeyed that call. It wasn’t until it was finished - and horrible natural disasters and tragedies, with immense human suffering, had occurred in the interim - that the need for the messages of hope, and healing, and victory in the face of defeat of these songs all suddenly took on a power and relevance even beyond what they had originally.”

John also reflects, with an obvious sense of gratification, that The Reunion fully put to rest any unsettled feelings that may have lingered with the coming and going of artists who, for a time, were deeply integral parts of NLCC.

“When you have something going musically that’s really working, it can’t help but hurt a little bit when someone who’s an important part of that moves on,” he says. “But with time, and reflection you can see that there’s a season to everything, and we all move through life as we feel led. And things have worked out well for the members who’ve gone on to solo careers, or success in other pursuits, and New Life has continued to flourish and prosper, too.

“Just getting onstage, or in the studio, again with everyone relaxed and happy to be doing this was a beautiful experience. And it all came together beautifully. The Reunion is just what it says it is, and it was a truly joyous reunion for us all, and that comes through very clear and strong throughout the album.”

John was a prodigiously gifted child, born and raised in a strong, church-going family in Durham, North Carolina. The next-to-youngest of 16 children, his talents for academics, as well as singing and playing the piano, were shown at an early age, and his future looked bright. He was placed in a school for gifted children and completed high school at 14, going on to major in music at Yuba College in northern California, where his skills quickly brought him attention and acclaim.

Gigs with several jazz and R&B notables over the next few years brought him recognition, but also swept him into a fast lane of drugs and high living that nearly proved to be his demise, as what began as a casual flirtation with drugs turned into a full blown cocaine addiction. John returned to North Carolina after college, this time to Charlotte, with his cocaine habit unabated, and his main source of income derived from the trafficking of the deadly white powder.

John's life turned around by his early 20s when the senseless violence that surrounded him became intolerable, and his material possessions no longer offered solace. Giving his life to the Lord at a revival meeting in 1981, he entered into successful and complete recovery, returning to the church and offering his musical gifts on a regular basis. He was asked to lead a local vocal ensemble, the Combination Choir, and spent much of the '80s directing that group, as well as writing hit songs for Gospel luminaries that included Daryl Coley, the Hawkins Family, and James Cleveland.

As one of the early musical visionaries behind the '80s marriage of a traditional choir sound and soaring soloists, with a modern, R&B rhythm section, John and his choir were received with the overwhelming enthusiasm of his audiences and congregations, giving him confidence that he was onto something major.

John's own star rose as the Combination Choir grew and blossomed into the first incarnation of NLCC in 1987. A major label recording contract, and John and NLCC’s debut release, Yes Lord,followed in 1987. The album was a respectable ice-breaker for a new act, but it was Wait on Him, two years later, that vaulted John into the monarchy of modern gospel.

In 1994, John surrendered to a spiritual tugging toward church ministry that he'd been feeling for some time, and founded his now-thriving, 3,000-member-plus, New Life Community Fellowship, in Charlotte. John says that his dual roles now in music and church ministry have nurtured each other, and served only to strengthen his resolve to truly make a difference in the world around him and the lives he touches.

With a trophy case full of Grammy, Stellar and GMWA Awards, and John still holds a vision that goes far beyond personal acclaim and achievement. "There's so much hurting and suffering in this world," he says, "and the only way to not be overwhelmed by it is to know you're doing something about it. Our church is reaching out to the community with tutors for school kids, food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless and elderly, a late-night basketball program for teenagers.

“After Hurricane Katrina hit, I was just unable to sit here and watch it on CNN and not get up and do something,” John continues. “Our church adopted a little town called Varnadeau, which is a community just outside New Orleans, and we went there. We got all our shots, and went right in. We took food, and various goods, and thousands of dollars of seed money to help people get back on their feet. And all that time I had been wondering why now was the time for The Reunion, and bringing all these songs back to the fore. And there was my answer. The songs are really touching the heart of what’s happening right now. You could say we made this album, and only understood exactly why after the fact.”

And as dramatic and thrilling a musical experience as The Reunion is, its implications go even deeper than the landmark musical event it is sure to become. In fact, John sees this compiling of his greatest work with NLCC, and its most celebrated members “from the day,” to be both a summation and a modern-day call to a whole new era of outreach and ministry by the Church to the world.

“We can’t just be here, in this church in Charlotte, North Carolina, to show the love of Christ to all who are in need of it,” he says. “We have to locate those needs - wherever they are - and take that love to the people. That means more to me than awards, and deals, and business. That's the business of the Lord, and that's what we're here to accomplish.

“The needs are of monumental proportions, and no one church, or individual has any hope of achieving them alone,” John concludes. “We, the Church, have to put petty differences and bickering aside, and come together for a common purpose and calling. My dream is to see the body of Christ standing as one. We'll all be singing the same song, and walls will fall down. Personally, I don’t know just what the Lord’s got in store for me, but whatever it is, I do know He's not finished with me yet.”