MEET MIN. A. KEITH HUNTER
Andrew Keith Hunter is a publisher, recording artist and songwriter who published over 50 songs, Keith Hunter was owner of Aarand Publishing Company. He recorded his first album “God is a Good God” in 1987 and it rose to Number 13 on the National Billboard Gospel Chart and is printed in the African American Baptist Hymnal.
He was the first of five children born to the late Wilbert Lee Hunter and Barbara Johnson on November 10, 1954 in Louisville. After graduating from Manual in 1972, he attended Kentucky State University where he studied vocal music. He also attended Sullivan College where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and an Associate Degree in Travel and Marketing. Simmons College presented him with an honorary Doctorate of Divinity.
In 1989 he became a preacher at Portland Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville and was ordained by Dr. Walter Malone in 1992 at the Canaan Christian Church. He served as Minister of Music at Canaan where he developed the music ministry from two choirs totaling 55 members to five choirs totaling over 350 members. Keith also served as Music Director at Howard Chapel Mission Baptist in New Albany and Co-Music Director at Gilt Edge Baptist Church in Jeffersonville.
His community gospel choir known as “Keith Hunter land the Witness for Christ” was the first from Kentucky to appear on the nationally known program, The Bobby Jones Gospel Hour. In 1995 the group was invited to participate in the Quebec Summer Jazz Festival, one of the largest music festivals in Canada. There they performed several songs in French including three encores. The reviews were spectacular and “highlighted the choir’s wonderful fee and attitude and an instinctive approach to music.”
Keith was also a member of Broadcast Music, Inc. and the Gospel Music Workshop of America. He served on the boards of the Louisville Chorus, the Louisville Orchestra, and the West Louisville Boys Choir and was a member of the Louisville Gospel Choral Union. At the time of his passing in 2019, he had served for 18 years as Worship Director for Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon.
At the age of 7, Joiner was Baptized at the Lampton Baptist Church, Rev. Charles E. Owens, Pastor, after attending Vacation Bible School. He became a devout Sunday School student from beginner through the Intermediate years. He has many fond memories of the old Lampton Church, the Lamptonites and the other power forces in the music arsenal.
In the 9th grade, Joiner began to play the piano by ear. His grandmother, determined that he be all he could be, enrolled him in Piano lessons at Shackelton’s on 4th Street and then he went on to take Organ from Annetta Bellew-Jamison-Styles-Wright-Heygood.
In June 1972, Joiner attended the National Baptist Sunday School & BTU Congress and sat under the tutelage of the great Dr. Grace Burt-Taylor. Other great musicians there were Revs. Ronald Terry, Avis Graves, Doretha and Marsha Wade and others. They embraced the budding musician and showed him tips and encouragement from far away for many years to come.
He has played for many of the great churches of our Commonwealth and is known as a versatile musician who always strives to move singers to the next level. He is at home with choral, hymns, and gospels and is regarded as a hymnologist by many.
In 1981 he founded the Metropolitan Community Choir who have recorded and released the “Spirit of the Living God” project. To his credit he has written 25 songs of which 5 have been published and some featured at the Gospel Music Workshop of America and the National Baptist Convention USA Inc.
He acknowledged his call to the gospel ministry in February 1997 and preached his initial sermon in April of that same year entitled, “What Bank Is Your Check Written On?
Joiner is a 1980 graduate of the University of Louisville with a Bachelors of Applied Science degree in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism. He has been bi-vocational most of his working life serving as a Consumer Packaged Goods Salesman and District Sales Manager for several Fortune 500 companies and leading music departments for churches.
He lives by the premise “I’d rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I’m not.” To that end he is very sincere in his pursuits, blunt, and dedicated to the tasks he takes on. He has a candor streak, that while some consider it offensive, it really boils to down honesty. A trait rarely seen amongst Christians today.
MIN. CLEO JOINER
Min. Cleo K. Joiner, III was born in Cleveland Ohio, October 24, 1957 to Cleo and Rose Marie Joiner. Joiner’s parents were both teachers in the old days of corporal punishment, I’ve got mine, you’ve got to get yours and at 18 you’re going to college, the army or to work, but you’re going out of here. With type of PUSH, he began selling Greeting Cards, gifts and novelties door to door at the age of 10 and began working at 14 in a local retail stores as a stocker.
At the age of 7, Joiner was Baptized at the Lampton Baptist Church, Rev. Charles E. Owens, Pastor, after attending Vacation Bible School. He became a devout Sunday School student from beginner through the Intermediate years. He has many fond memories of the old Lampton Church, the Lamptonites and the other power forces in the music arsenal.
In the 9th grade, Joiner began to play the piano by ear. His grandmother, determined that he be all he could be, enrolled him in Piano lessons at Shackelton’s on 4th Street and then he went on to take Organ from Annetta Bellew-Jamison-Styles-Wright-Heygood.
In June 1972, Joiner attended the National Baptist Sunday School & BTU Congress and sat under the tutelage of the great Dr. Grace Burt-Taylor. Other great musicians there were Revs. Ronald Terry, Avis Graves, Doretha and Marsha Wade and others. They embraced the budding musician and showed him tips and encouragement from far away for many years to come.
He has played for many of the great churches of our Commonwealth and is known as a versatile musician who always strives to move singers to the next level. He is at home with choral, hymns, and gospels and is regarded as a hymnologist by many.
In 1981 he founded the Metropolitan Community Choir who have recorded and released the “Spirit of the Living God” project. To his credit he has written 25 songs of which 5 have been published and some featured at the Gospel Music Workshop of America and the National Baptist Convention USA Inc.
He acknowledged his call to the gospel ministry in February 1997 and preached his initial sermon in April of that same year entitled, “What Bank Is Your Check Written On?
Joiner is a 1980 graduate of the University of Louisville with a Bachelors of Applied Science degree in Communications with an emphasis in Journalism. He has been bi-vocational most of his working life serving as a Consumer Packaged Goods Salesman and District Sales Manager for several Fortune 500 companies and leading music departments for churches.
He lives by the premise “I’d rather be hated for what I am, than loved for what I’m not.” To that end he is very sincere in his pursuits, blunt, and dedicated to the tasks he takes on. He has a candor streak, that while some consider it offensive, it really boils to down honesty. A trait rarely seen amongst Christians today.
Colette Bridgewater
Colette Webster-Bridgewater, Singer, musician, gospel music composer, is a native Louisvillian. She began singing at the age of 4. She began playing the piano at the age of 12.
Her church/ gospel music career spans many decades as she served as church musician for churches in Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Of congregations she has served are such churches as Southern Baptist Church, in Louisville, Kentucky, Pleasant Union Baptist Church in Campbellsville, Kentucky, Galatian Baptist Church in New Albany Indiana, where she served a long tenure as leader of the music ministry under the pastoral leadership of her father the late Rev. William Webster. Collette also served as pianist for the Gilt -Edge Baptist Church, in Jeffersonville, Indiana where at that time, the late Rev. D.L. Motley served as pastor.
Colette also served as musician and leader of her fabulous family singing group, known as the Webster Singers. The group was composed of Colette, her mother, Mary Webster, her brother, Ronald Webster, and her Sister in-law, Connie Webster. This wonderful family singing group was in high demand all around Louisville, and surrounding areas in Kentucky and Indiana for many years.
Colette is also one of Americas most gifted and prolific gospel music song writers. She has composed close to 70 songs. The very first song she had ever arranged was “at last and did”, which is the hymn tune better known as “At the Cross”. The first song she ever composed was a song entitled “O Give Thanks” which still pricks the hearts of believers when sang even to this day.
As a singer, Colette has been affectionately call the” fake alto that really sings soprano”. In her soprano range, she has been known to raise the roof of the church house, singing such songs as, Sarah Jordan Powell’s “When Jesus Comes”, and “Touch Somebody’s life”. Another favorite of the Church, even until this day is the late Rev. Donald Vails’ Arrangement of the Hymn “When we all get to heaven,” which, by the way, was one of the all-time favorite songs sang by her family group, The Webster Singers, when they accompanied her as she sang and played it. There is much more that can be said about this amazing woman of God. We thank God for the life of this Living Legend, Mrs. Colette Webster- Bridgewater. The gospel music and church music landscape of Louisville and the surrounding area is so much better because of her sharing with all of us her amazing gift. Our own, home grown, Mrs. Colette Bridgewater.
MIN. LARRY ADAMS
Min. Larry Adams is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, Began playing the piano at the early age of five years old. Recognizing the amazing talents of this boy wonder as he developed, many artists tapped from this reservoir. Larry was playing for churches and groups in and around Louisville before he had any formal music lessons. When he got to high school , he was given private piano lessons. His creativity was not stifled as he learned to play by notes but enlightened even to stimulate him to major in music in college.
Larry played for many well- known artists and groups such as Rosetta Thorpe, James Cleveland, The Galatian Singers and the WSM Choir. His musical talent has been used in recording with such greats as the Music Masters, Traveling Notes, Gospel Majors, to name a few. He played for his own church choir for eight years and played and directed the church choir of a local catholic Church that sung gospel music. With such musical background, Larry Adams ventured out with his own singers. The writing and/or arranging of all but one of the songs heard on his album was in the Larry Adams style.
Gospel music was an art form to Larry. He said he had “learned to appreciate many different forms of music and has been inspired from the ‘Total World’ of music.” When he had something to say, he said “ The music and tune just fit around the thought”. Designing and molding musical phrases until they ate shaped into a fresh approach to the gospel in song… From the pen and hearts of Larry Adams Limited the song were recorded.
