: You bring up a point there because I've also been commissioned to do an article on Roberta Martin for the . Derricks's twin sons, Cleavant Jr. and Clinton, were born on May 15, 1953 in Knoxville. He was born on May 13, 1910 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to John Thomas (Dirk) Derricks and his wife, Ora Mae Kinamore Derricks. Elrod indicates that First Corinthians included "I Want the Light From the Lighthouse" on its independent release Bill Gaither Shares His Thoughts on Rev. . . Just two hours before he was to catch a plane on January 14, 2008, Mr. Gaither telephoned me. He passed away the following year on April 14.Rev. I think the Derricks story is certainly worth telling because . While he was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1984 for his outstanding contributions, sadly, to many, Derricks is little more than a name attached to a few songs in traditional hymnals. Derricks, who passed away on April 14, 1977, had spent a lifetime laying up treasures in Heaven. Another Derricks' favorite is "We'll Soon Be Done With Troubles and Trials."
(Laughing). Subsequent meetings with an astonished Aaron Brown resulted in Derricks being signed to a recording contract with Word's southern gospel label, Canaan Records.Reverend Cleavant Derricks and Family Singing His Own "Just a Little Talk With JesusAt first glance, the recording opportunites, recognition by peers and financial dividends afforded the songwriter late in life might appear to have arrived too little, too late, but Rev.
According to Butler, a great song "became a sugar stick for a certain person or a certain group . . Winsett were among the top publishers of singing convention songbooks, and songs by black writers like Dorsey, Charles A. Tindley and Kenneth Morris would wind up in these widely distributed books.
I do feel as though I am [preserving] a very important part of the black culture. His father, Cleavant Derricks, Sr. wrote the Christian hymn "Just a Little Talk with Jesus" in 1937. But when you catch yourself singing the lines, "Just a little talk with Jesus makes it right" or "It makes me laugh and it makes me cry . he did it in the '30s or '40s. In June, 1920, his family was living … . Unfortunately, because of the term of his publishing contract, Derricks didn't receive any royalties until the late '70s. They have four children. Musically gifted, the boys made their way to New York where they studied acting with Vinnette Carroll at the Urban Arts Theatre. For example, the greatness of Thomas A. Dorsey, the "Father of Gospel Music," is undisputed. Here in upstate South Carolina, I used to tune into his every Saturday evening. He is an actor, known for Sliders (1995), Moscow on the Hudson (1984) and Dreamgirls (2006). Derricks distinguished himself as a songwriter most notably in the singing conventions of the white churches throughout the American South. , in spite of its worn condition, is a cherished item in my songbook collection. In (1984), Cleavant played the role of Lionel Witherspoon, a Bloomingdales's department store security guard who befriends Russian immigrant Vladimir Ivanoff (Robin Williams). I found out about his background some time later while reading an article about famous gospel songwriters!" Subsequently, he changed his last name to Derricks-Carroll. Reiterating the points made by Butler and author James R. Goff Jr., Elrod expresses, "We knew Derricks was a prolific songwriter . It was a handshake deal or a guy would sign a little bitty piece of paper, saying he turned his song over to such-and-such publishing company. ", Derricks's second and final project with Canaan Records, was released in 1976. The twins' association with Carroll would lead to roles in Broadway musicals, solidifying their acting career foundations.Originally aspiring to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue songwriting, Cleavant was inspired to enter the world of acting after seeing his brother, Clinton, perform onstage. : Because he was one of the first ones to make that jump . in those days there were no contracts like there are now, you know.
And, in doing some research, I read where---back in the '60s---Jessy Dixon was, of course, really big in the world of black gospel, and he wanted to gather some younger friends to pay homage to Roberta Martin. Won Broadway's 1982 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Musical) for "Dreamgirls." Though an African American, Rev. . With his father, he … Cleavant Derricks would later answer the Lord’s call to preach. More importantly, it proclaims the joy of salvation and hope of eternal life that only Jesus Christ can give.Don Elrod, music director at Gainesville, Georgia radio stationGood News from the World of Southern Gospel Music with Don Elrod). One important songwriter, whose songs remain vibrant and enthusiastically received, was the Reverend Cleavant Derricks.Born on May 13, 1910 in Chattanooga, Rev. Reflecting on the songwriting income that he missed out on for decades, as well as the injustices and indignities he must have suffered in the era of Jim Crow racism, Prolific gospel songwriter Clevant Derricks' best known song, the standard "Just a Little Talk With Jesus," has been recorded by Elvis Presley (found on Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings),… For more than a decade, Derricks pastored the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., before returning to Tennessee where he built Knoxville's Ebenezer Baptist Church in the late 1940s. Even the Charles Tindley stuff didn't really---I can't say this with utmost assurance---but I think the Tindley stuff didn't really take on until the '40s, am I correct? In 1986, he received a Best Actor (Musical) Tony nomination for "Big Deal." He is an actor, known for They would accept them and pay him off in songbooks. And that was it." . Roberta Martin was . His subsequent Broadway credits include (1981-1985) for which he won a 1982 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical; Performing alongside Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal in his first television series, CBS's (1994-1995).