Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Steve Turner

Presence of the Lord is the first song for which Eric Clapton wrote the lyrics and featured on the only album released by Blind Faith, the band generally reckoned to be rock's first supergroup. The song was sung by Steve Winwood, and the band also included Ginger Baker and Ric Grech.   

The song is a testimony of faith, a 'song of gratitude'. Clapton said the message of the song was to 'say ‘thank you’ to God, or whatever you choose to call Him, for whatever happens.' I first heard of the song through Conversations with Eric Clapton, a book of interviews by rock writer and poet, Steve Turner. In those interviews Clapton spoke about his coming to faith during Blind Faith's tour to promote the album.

The support band on the tour was Delaney & Bonnie and Clapton's "friendship with Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett in 1969 gave him a real encounter with God": "He said, “Delaney’s persona of a Southern Baptist preacher, delivering a fire and brimstone message … could have been off-putting, if it wasn’t for the fact that when he sang, he was … absolutely inspiring.” One night during the Blind Faith ’69 tour two Christians came to his dressing room and asked him to pray with them. he saw “a blinding light” and sensed God’s presence. Afterwards, he began telling people that he had become ‘a born-again Christian.’

But Eric again became addicted to alcohol during his successful solo years of the 1970’s. He eventually says he hit ‘rock bottom’ in 1987. Following rehab, he “surrendered to God” and his life eventually came together again. He writes, “In the privacy of my room, I begged for help. I had no notion who I thought I was talking to, I just knew that I had come to the end of my tether … and, getting down on my knees, I surrendered. Within a few days I realized that … I had found a place to turn to, a place I’d always known was there but never really wanted, or needed, to believe in. From that day until this, I have never failed to pray in the morning, on my knees, asking for help, and at night, to express gratitude for my life and, most of all, for my sobriety. I choose to kneel because I feel I need to humble myself when I pray, and with my ego, this is the most I can do. If you are asking why I do all this, I will tell you … because it works, as simple as that.”'

It was also Delaney Bramlett 'as much as anybody who coaxed [Clapton] to sing and explained the mechanics of phrasing and how to use his voice ... Delaney told Eric, “God has given you this gift, and if you don’t use it he will take it away.” In his autobiography, Clapton said, “I’ll never be able to repay Delaney for his belief in me.”'

Following Presence of the Lord, Clapton wrote and recorded a significant number of spiritually inspired songs, some original, some covers. These include: We've Been Told (Jesus Is Coming Soon); Give Me Strength; Heaven Is One Step Away; Tears In Heaven; Holy Mother; My Father's Eyes; and Prayer of a Child, among others.  

Steve Winwood joined Blind Faith on the back of success in the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic. He went on to enjoy a successful solo career with a string of hit singles and albums in the 1980’s. Many of his earliest musical influences came from the Anglican Church in Birmingham. He has said: 'I was brought up a Christian in the Church of England. As a young boy I was a choir boy and a server at St John’s Church, Perry Bar… and in fact many of my musical influences come from Hymnals, Psalters and organ music from the English church.' However, like many, he drifted away from the Church although always being 'interested in anything religious and spiritual'.

Ralph Burden writes that: 'Things changed for him in 1985 after meeting Eugenia Crafton. She was a dedicated Christian. Thoughts of a new marriage and starting a family directed Steve back to his Christian roots and brought a fresh zeal for music. He says, “It wasn’t until I met Eugenia in 1985 and began to think about a family that I became again interested in Christianity.”

With the 1986 album ‘Back in the High Life’ and the 1988 album ‘Roll With It’ came a new level of success. The renewal of his Christian faith and the positive, spiritual themes in these two particular albums are more than coincidental. Writing of the 1986 album, the music information contributor ’Rockportraits’ notes,

“The acoustic-based title track, ‘Back In The High Life’, seems filled with resolve and self-assurance. ‘My Love’s Leavin’ comes from this album as does the horn-infused neo-soul of ‘Freedom Overspill’. However, the most important track is ‘Higher Love’. Bolstered by backing vocals from funk diva Chaka Khan, this is a prayer of soulful aspiration:

“Think about it, there must be a higher love
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above
Without it, life is wasted time…”

Lyricist Will Jennings (who also had a church background in the United States) seems to be tapping into Steve’s own renewed Christian faith. ‘Wake Me Up On Judgement Day’ has a deep spiritual overtone.”' (‘Rockportraits – Steve Winwood’ – 2014)

Other tracks of particular interest include Holding on, the second US chart topping single from the album 'Roll With It' and State of Grace. a track from Traffic’s 1994 reunion album ‘Far From Home’. Real Love from his 1997 solo album ‘Junction Seven’ is another song brimming with spirituality, while Someone Like You, also from ‘Junction Seven’, is a deeply reflective song with Christian imagery referring to answered prayer.

It is fascinating that two of those involved with Presence of the Lord later came to faith and wrote powerfully and movingly about that experience.

Steve Turner began writing for BEAT INSTRUMENTAL as features editor and has subsequently written for NME, ROLLING STONE, Q and countless newspapers. His books include Conversations with Eric Clapton (1976), Hungry for Heaven (1988), Cliff Richard: The Biography (1993), Van Morrison: It's Too Late to Stop Now (1993), A Hard Day's Write (1994), Jack Kerouac: Angelheaded Hipster (1996) and Trouble Man: The Life and Death of Marvin Gaye (1998). He is also a well-regarded poet.

Turner says that: 'Though I didn’t plan it this way, all the artists I’ve written about in depth – Johnny Cash, U2, the Who, the Beatles, Marvin Gaye, Van Morrison, Kerouac– have explored issues of faith.'

Hungry for Heaven: Rock and Roll and the Search for Redemption is his acclaimed account of the relationship between religion and popular music. In Turn! Turn! Turn!, Turner, takes an in-depth look at the lyrics and cultural context of 100 of the greatest songs from the 1930s to today to reveal an often overlooked or ignored strand of influence in popular music―the Bible. Indeed, some of the “greats”―including Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Bono, Johnny Cash, Sting, and others―have repeatedly returned to the Bible for such sustenance, as well as musical inspiration and a framework with which they can better understand themselves. From The Byrds’ Turn! Turn! Turn! to Marvin Gaye’s Wholly Holy, some of the best loved and least likely songs reflect the Bible. Looking at the songs in the context of the time it was written, its influence on the culture, and the way that it incorporates or reflects the Bible will give a different perspective on many of the most loved songs of our time.

My co-authored book The Secret Chord explores aspects of a similar interplay between faith and music (and the Arts, more broadly). Posts related to the themes of The Secret Chord can be found here.

Check out the following too to explore further:

• Damien Jurado and David Bazan
• Body Piercing Saved My Life
• The Ocean Blue, Denison Whitmer, Innocence Mission and Sufjan Stevens
• ROCK OF AGES: JESUS IN POPULAR SONGS
• International Times: Dark Intense MusicDavid Ackles and After the Fire
• David Ackles, Chris Bell, Bryan Maclean
• God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You
• Jesus Music - 1 & 2
• The Jesus Rock Revolution and the Jesus Movement
• When Jesus Met Hippies
• A Rough Guide to Christian Art
• Looking down the wrong end of a telescope
• Pop's holy rollers
• Perhaps the most underrated band ever
• Rock gets Religion
• Ed Kowalczyk and Scott Stapp: Angels on a razor
• Hidden Gems - Bill Fay & Michael Morley
• Electric Eden and the New Folk Revival
• Salt and Sweetners
• The mystery at the heart of music - 1 and 2
• Inspiration from the Psalms
• 'Tryin' to throw your arms around the world' click here - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blind Faith - Presence Of The Lord.

From turmoil and disturbance to peace and contentment

Here's the sermon that I shared at St Mary’s Runwell this morning:

Steve Turner’s poem ‘History Lesson’ is simple, short and blunt:

History repeats itself.
Has to.
No-one listens.

Remembrance Sunday is an attempt to ensure that people in the UK do learn lessons from our experience of two World Wars, as well as remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in wartime. On one level, we could perhaps argue that lessons have been learnt in that there have been no more wars on the global scale that was experienced during World War II and yet conflict has continued to bedevil humanity. Russia’s attack on Ukraine has brought war, once again, to Europe and Israel’s war on Hamas and Hezbollah threatens to bring the Middle East, more widely into conflict.

Why is conflict so much a part of our human existence? Why, despite the devastation and loss of life that we saw in two World Wars, does it still seem that we are so far from the ability to live in peace with one another? I want to suggest a partial answer to us using the story of Jonah (Jonah 3.1-5, 10).

The story is both well-known and relatively simple. Jonah is tasked by God with preaching to the Ninevites but instead turns tail and takes a ship heading in the opposite direction. A violent storm leads the sailors to throw Jonah overboard. The storm then calms and Jonah is swallowed by a great fish. Inside the fish Jonah repents and, once spewed out onto dry land, travels to Ninevah where he delivers the message God gave him. The Ninevites hear him, repent and are saved from disaster. Jonah is angry with God because the Ninevites are the enemies of the people of Israel and so he wanted them destroyed.

That hatred of the Ninevites was the reason why Jonah rejected God’s call on his life and took a ship in the opposite direction to the place God had wanted him to go. Protection of his people - the people of Israel - by the destruction of their enemies - the Ninevites - was more important to him than doing God’s will. Jonah was angry with God because he thought God should only be on the side of and care for his people and, therefore, he wanted to try to frustrate God’s plans to save their enemies from disaster. He was angry with God because he wanted to possess God by keeping him only as the personal God of his people.

Jonah had actually completely misunderstood God’s relationship with the people of Israel and the reason for it. The choosing of the people of Israel as God’s chosen people and the gift to them of the promised land was not so that they would be protected by their own personal God in a land that was theirs to own. Instead of being their property, the promised land was a gift from God which enabled them to be a light revealing God to the nations around them. So, whenever they thought about themselves and the protection of their own possessions, they were actually wandering away from God’s will for their lives.

When Jonah did this, his lack of surrender to God’s will and God’s way caused disturbance - the storm - in his life which also affected the people around him. It was only when Jonah recognised that the storm - the disturbance in and around him - was directly connected to his lack of surrender to God’s will that the storm died down and he had time and space in which to repent and return to God’s way.

It is the same for us. When we are concerned with what we think of as ours - when we are saying this is mine, my property, my church, my nation - we are automatically anxious, worried and fearful because we are in defensive mode and we experience disturbance; disturbance which affects others because we are trying to protect what we think of as ours from those we think will take it from us. By contrast, Jesus calls us to give up our lives and let go of our possessions by handing them over to him - to let go and let God. When we genuinely do this, we find we are at peace because whatever we have and wherever we are and whatever we do is then in God’s hands - everything is his and his gift to us. We experience contentment with what we have and where we are and what we do because it is all God’s gift to us.

We read in the Letter to the Philippians, ‘I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.' (Philippians 4.11-13)

Conflict and disturbance arise in our lives and in our world whenever we, like Jonah, have not surrendered to God’s will. Again, like Jonah, this occurs whenever we want to possess or protect things for ourselves, our group or our people. Instead, God calls us to let go and let God; to simply acknowledge that we own nothing, that all is God’s creation and gift. When we let go of our claim on the things around us, including our own lives, we start to genuinely trust God and learn the secret of being content in any and every situation. In this state, there is no disturbance or conflict because there is nothing to possess or protect and, therefore, we can know and share peace with others.

Jesus shows us how to do this by laying down his life for the sake of others and his resurrection reveals the new life that results. Just as he called his first disciples, so he calls us to follow in his footsteps by taking up our cross and losing our lives for his sake; letting go and letting God.

Will we be like Jonah and resist the call of God which leads to turmoil and disturbance in our lives and our world or will we be like Jesus’ disciples who gave up everything to follow him? Before deciding, we should reflect that to follow him is the way that leads to abundant, peaceful, contented and eternal life. It is as we surrender to God and to his will for our lives that we come to know his peace in our lives and are enabled to share that peace with others.

I began with a poem so I’ll also end with one too. This is ‘Silence’, a poem written by Malcolm Guite immediately following the commemoration of the two-minute silence:

November pierces with its bleak remembrance
Of all the bitterness and waste of war.
Our silence tries but fails to make a semblance
Of that lost peace they thought worth fighting for.
Our silence seethes instead with wraiths and whispers,
And all the restless rumour of new wars,
The shells are singing as we sing our vespers,
No moment is unscarred, there is no pause,
In every instant bloodied innocence
Falls to the weary earth, and whilst we stand
Quiescence ends again in acquiescence,
And Abel’s blood still cries in every land
One silence only might redeem that blood
Only the silence of a dying God.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

O God, our help in ages past. 

Unveiled - To date and upcoming

We've been enjoying a great Unveiled programme at St Andrew's Wickford this Autumn and have more exciting events still to come. 

Our first event was an exhibition viewing evening for the 'Trials & Tribulations: Modern Interpretations of Iconography' exhibition at which artist John Paul Barrett spoke about his work. He spoke about his career to date, how he became an artist, the spirituality that informs his work and his interest in Eastern European iconography. His work has a sculptured and textured look and he told us about the technique he uses to achieve that look. He also spoke about some of the artists that have inspired his expressionist style and why they are important to him. He ended by telling us about some the other themes and topics he addresses.

To view the exhibition, St Andrew’s is usually open: Sat 9am-12.30pm; Sun 9.30am-12 noon; Mon 2-3.45pm; Tue 1-4.30pm; Wed 10am-12 noon; Fri 10am-1pm. See https://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for more information.

The next event saw Dave Crawford in concert with friends. Popular local musician, Dave Crawford writes engaging/melodic songs in Americana/ Alt-Rock/Indie-Folk. He has performed at the Leigh Folk Festival, Pin Drop Sessions, & Music for Mind together with Kev Butler. We have also enjoyed his powerful vocals & guitar at our Open Mic Nights. This was Dave’s second concert at Unveiled. He was ably supported by Ben (on bongo's), Jimmy Sharp and Mr Shed.

Robson and Tony Coke gave a fascinating presentation about the Napoleonic Wars and historical re-enacts. Robson (2nd 95th Rifles & Drum Major of the Band of 1st Foot Guards 1815, Napoleonic Association) talked about the Napoleonic Wars, explained how re-enactments are organised and showed uniforms and equipment used in reenactments.

In her concert Eva Romanakova performed a wide genre of music - Musical Theatre, Arias, Pop, Jazz, Movie Songs and also Folk - in her concert. She also sang music from various countries and different times. She performed with accomplished pianist Andrew Palmer.

Our upcoming events are:

• 8 November (7.30 pm) – Open Mic Night. Everybody is welcome to come along & play, read, sing or just spectate. See you there for a great evening of live performance!
• 22 November (7.00 pm) – An evening with Steven Turner. Hear about the career of local dancer Steven Turner, who has trained in a variety of dance styles, including contemporary, street, mime & moving with props. Steven founded his own organisation, Next Step Creative, to promote collaboration between dance & other creative arts. He also regularly choreographs & teaches for Dance 21 (a dance company for children & young adults with Down’s syndrome). He has performed across the UK and Europe including Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, & France.
• 6 December (7.00 pm) – Broomfield artists in the Basildon Deanery. Find out about artworks in Basildon & Nevendon by Thomas Bayliss Huxley-Jones & Rosemary Rutherford. An illustrated talk by Jonathan Evens.

These events do not require tickets (just turn up on the night). There will be a retiring collection to cover artist and church costs. See http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for fuller information.

I will be talking about Unveiled in a HeartEdge EdgeExchange - Art in and for churches together with Laura Moffat on Tuesday November 26th at 2pm. Register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0rcOihqTMvHtRJy25xYAAnEVMlCyYCcOt0. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dave Crawford - My Last Lullaby.

Steven Turner - One Beautiful World dance performance

 

Today, as part of the One Beautiful World Arts Festival, Steven Turner gave the premiere of a wonderful new dance, exploring the creation of the world and the science that holds it together. The performance included 8 new music tracks, 29 minutes of graphics edited and over 100 lighting cues programmed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steven Turner - Mess.

Start of the One Beautiful World Arts Festival

 

There is a feast of The Arts beginning this Friday in Wickford and Runwell with the One Beautiful World' Arts Festival, which has churches in Wickford and Runwell as its venues. Art, collections, dance, music, photography, poetry. Art trails, concerts, exhibitions, performance, readings, talks.

The One Beautiful World Arts Festival includes the following: Art Trail - 20 May; Concerts - Six Hands Together (12 May), Emma-Marie Kabanova (14 May), Yardarm Folk Orchestra (19 May), Festival Music Event (21 May), Simon Law (26 May); Dance - Steven Turner (13 May); Exhibitions - Tim Harrold (12-26 May), George Morl collection (12-14 May), Jackie Burns (16-26 May), Compass Photography (19-20 May), Wickford Christian Centre (25 & 26 May); and a Poetry Reading (20 May).

The Festival begins with the following events:

Friday 12 May, 2.00 – 4.00 pm, St Andrew’s Church - Six Hands Together
An afternoon tea with entertainment from Six Hands Together at St Andrew’s Church and Centre. A retiring collection will be taken.

Friday 12 May 7.00 pm, St Andrew’s Church - Talk: New Town, New Collection
Join British artist and curator George Morl for a talk about their collection as displayed in the exhibition New Town, New Collection. Reflecting on experiences as an artist and through their role as Programme Assistant at Firstsite in Colchester, Morl shares their joy of acquiring art, and motivations for building a collection to share for others. New Town, New Collection features works by contemporary artists such as Grayson Perry, Michael Landy, Elsa James, Madge Gill, Rosie Hastings & Hannah Quinlan, Uma Breakdown, as well as work by Morl.

Saturday 13 May, 4.00 pm, Miracle House: One Beautiful World performance by Steven Turner (Next Step Creative)
The premiere of a new dance, exploring the creation of the world and the science that holds it together. Steven Turner has trained in a variety of dance styles, including contemporary, street, mime and moving with props. He founded Next Step Creative to promote collaboration between dance and other creative arts. Choreographing and teaching for Dance 21 (a dance company for children/young adults with Down’s syndrome), he has taught in Rotterdam and performed in UK and Europe.

Sunday 14 May, 3.00 pm – 5.00 pm, St Mary’s Runwell (Runwell Road, Runwell, Essex SS11 7HS)
A unique event combining performances of new sacred music with discussion. Performed by acclaimed violinist Emma-Marie Kabanova, this interactive event features new psalm-inspired works written by an international collection of Jewish and Christian composers. Curated and produced by Deus Ex Musica.

One Beautiful World is an Arts Festival exploring aspects of our one beautiful world from the creativity of human beings to the beauty of the natural world, while remembering the challenges that human activity poses to the planet. The Festival is a mix of art, dance, music, photography, poetry and spoken word. Churches are providing venues for the Festival events and the Festival has received funding from Essex County Council’s Locality Fund. For more information about the Festival see https://onebeautifulworldfestival.blogspot.com/.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emma-Maria Kabonova - Divine Light.

The Encounter - extra performance

Next Step Creative's Steven Turner has scheduled an extra performance of The Encounter, a show that explores the story of Christmas in a fresh way using dance and mime. This performance will be on 28 December at 4.00 pm at Miracle House, Silva Island Way, Wickford SS12 9NR. To book tickets go to https://www.nextstepcreative.co.uk/events/. The show will also be streamed to Zoom for those that can’t make it to the venue.

Through the show you will experience a variety of Christmas stories in contemporary and engaging ways for the whole family. The performance is a creative mix of multi media and physical theatre appealing to a variety of ages. This is a great community event with a range of dynamic and engaging pieces, including Mime, Contemporary, Ribbons, Ballet, and Banners combined with bespoke video graphics.

Steven Turner has trained in a variety of dance styles, including contemporary, street, mime and moving with props. He attended a Laban boys course, as well as attending summer schools with companies including Springs Dance Company, Movement in Worship and Chantry Dance Company. In recent years Steven has founded his own organisation, Next Step Creative, to promote collaboration between dance and other creative arts. Regularly choreographing and teaching for Dance 21 (a dance company for children and young adults with Down’s syndrome). He has performed at Project Dance Paris and travelled to Rotterdam to teach in connection with his role as ICDF Refresh Coordinator. He has performed across the UK and Europe including Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and France.

Next Step Creative is a relational organisation with a vision to create a platform to support creative people. Working within the UK and internationally using multi media, live performances, workshops and teaching; making their artists work more accessible through a collaborative online shop.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Step Creative - The Encounter.

Next Step Creative: The Encounter

On Friday our first term of Unveiled events at St Andrew's Wickford ended with a wonderful evening in which Next Step Creative's Steven Turner performed The Encounter, a show that explores the story of Christmas in a fresh way using dance and mime. Through the show we experienced a variety of Christmas stories in contemporary and engaging ways for the whole family. The performance was a creative mix of multi media and physical theatre appealing to a variety of ages. This was a great community event with a range of dynamic and engaging pieces, including Mime, Contemporary, Ribbons, Ballet, and Banners combined with bespoke video graphics. 

Steven Turner has trained in a variety of dance styles, including contemporary, street, mime and moving with props. He attended a Laban boys course, as well as attending summer schools with companies including Springs Dance Company, Movement in Worship and Chantry Dance Company. In recent years Steven has founded his own organisation, Next Step Creative, to promote collaboration between dance and other creative arts. Regularly choreographing and teaching for Dance 21 (a dance company for children and young adults with Down’s syndrome). He has performed at Project Dance Paris and travelled to Rotterdam to teach in connection with his role as ICDF Refresh Coordinator. He has performed across the UK and Europe including Switzerland, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and France.

Next Step Creative is a relational organisation with a vision to create a platform to support creative people. Working within the UK and internationally using multi media, live performances, workshops and teaching; making their artists work more accessible through a collaborative online shop.

2023's Unveiled events will begin with:

• From Rettendon Turnpike to Halls Corner: A Journey in Time, A talk by Geoff Whiter of Wickford Community Archive, Friday 13 January, 7.00 pm.
• The Blind Jesus (No-one belongs here more than you): Exhibition viewing evening, Friday 27 January 2023, 7.00 – 9.00 pm. See this exhibition of Last Supper images created by: Alan Stewart; (Still) Calling from the Edge conference; WAVE (We are All Valued Equally); & Schools in Hampstead and Barnet. Hear from artist Alan Stewart, project lead Celia Webster (co-founder of WAVE), and Revd John Beauchamp, Disability Ministry Enabler for the Diocese of London. The Blind Jesus (No-one belongs here more than you) has been commissioned as part of a project in which it seeds other images of the Last Supper that are truly for everyone. Schools, churches and community groups are invited, as part of this project, to create their own Last Supper images.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve Taylor - Innocence Lost.