Grammy award-winning artist Brent Jones is known for creating and leading mass choirs across the country, sometimes with hundreds of voices. The LA-based gospel artist will be in Wichita Thursday night, looking for singers to take part in a workshop that will culminate in a gospel concert this Sunday.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You've conducted workshops in the past, but most recently, you were the headliner for GospelFest during Riverfest 2023 in Wichita. When you hit the stage, it was absolutely electrifying. People were on their feet. We have these high schoolers called the Prairie Schooner Mates and they were dancing the whole time to your song, “Open Your Mouth and Say Something.” What is it about your music that really engages listeners?
From a writing perspective, it is important that I write hooks and songs that are catchy immediately. It's important that in the first 60 seconds of my song, you kind of know where it's going to go. I guess that's kind of pop music. I've been told, “Brent you’re the gospel pop artist.” Okay, well, I'll take it — writing infectious hooks that people can sing and remember. When I have band rehearsals with my music director, I say, “Anything that we do has to be rememberable, from the intro to a bridge to the outro.” I like big intros and big outros.
Tell us about the song “Keep Your Mind”, because when I first heard it, it immediately grabbed my attention.
You know, I think that's important: “Keep your mind, keep your mind on spiritual things, keep your mind, keep your mind on spiritual things.” Well, from a concept perspective, I think it's hard to do that now, but it's a necessary thing. There's so much going on in the world, in our government, in our country, in our own cities, in our own churches. Oh my God, it's hard to keep your mind with social media. I think it was meant for good, but like anything else, sometimes the enemy gets it and takes it ... to a bad place, but you’ve got to keep your mind on spiritual things. And so, it’s just a reminder, with a house groove behind it that says, “Keep your mind on spiritual things,” whatever is true and honest and lovely, keep your mind on those things. I’m going through a season right now where I’m struggling to keep my mind, but I’m doing it, and that’s how I get through.
You've been candid about a health challenge that you're facing, your cancer diagnosis. How are you feeling? And secondly, what song is getting you through these days?
Oh, my goodness, you are really asking a good question. Okay, so, yes, I've been diagnosed with cancer. The cancer has spread to my lungs, so they have to call it stage four. But cancer is not the [same] cancer that [it] was 40 years ago. My oncologist is brilliant. I've already had a treatment, my first treatment. I did not have to do chemotherapy, and I had some mild symptoms, very mild, but Brent Jones is strong. I am jumping on stages! I'm teaching. It has not affected my voice. I'm singing better, to me, [than] ever, and I'm just excited to see what God is going to do with this little setback of mine. Health is wealth and the Bible talks about your health being prosperous as well as your soul. So how my soul is prospering through this, the song that's getting me through is, “Keep Your Mind,” and there is a song on my current album called, “Go Through The Storm,” and the hook says…
“You’re about to be stronger/You’re about to be wiser/Anointing is about to be greater/Territory is about to get wider/You’re about to be richer/so that you can be a lender/your about to shine brighter/because the Holy Ghost is gonna give you power.”
That is getting me through, too and I feel good about myself.
I’m grateful for that. Recently, my son and I were riding in the car, he's in his 20s, and we were listening to “Rich,” and his head was just bobbing. Tell us about that particular song.
My best friend … [of] 35 years, he's been rolling with me — Rasta GT, his name is actually Stephen Dolphin. He is from Guyana, and I had to write a hit for him because he is a star. When you see him perform that song, oh my God, it's over. He's all over the stage! And when I wrote it for him, I knew the hook and what I wanted to talk about, what does “really rich” mean? Ferraris and stars and ballers and money and girls ... it’s not all that, you know? What makes you rich?
“Life is so sweet. I'm so rich and complete. Everything that I need, my daddy gives to me,” you know?
You began playing piano and directing music in church at a very young age. How did those early experiences shape your unique musical style and ministry?
I think my early piano lessons, especially my early musical journey, were very classical. I played Bach and Beethoven and Mozart, very important to how I understand melody and harmonies now. I'm very attracted to melody, especially counter melodies that join together, maybe in the middle, and then move away from each other and then go parallel together. I love all of that. Those are my first, probably five, six years of piano. And then I was introduced to jazz. So once all of that clicked with me, it was smooth sailing for me.
You're on the heels of winning a Stellar Award for Project of the Year for The Fire, one of your gospel groups.
The Fire is a group of teenagers in LA that want to be in the music industry. And the rule was, with making music, everything has to be life affirming and positive. So, we brought these kids together. Some were church kids. Some were not church kids. I didn't care. I love that project, and I was amazed when we won the Stellar for that. I didn't know that was going to happen, you know, and I'm glad. I think God is kind of whispering in my ear, “You need to do more youth stuff,” you know? Because sometimes I shy away from [that] because I think I'm too old to do young stuff anymore. But they said, “Brent, do it. Do it for those kids in Wichita at Riverfest.” Those kids are still hitting me up on social media, and they are like, “Oh my God, we love you.” I promise you, there's going to be another Fire record. How about a Fire in Wichita?
Yeah, we would love it. Sometimes in your records, you mention west coast, east coast. Why not Midwest, right? Why not Wichita?
You’ve collaborated with so many people, I mean, a wide range of artists. Coko from SWV, Justin Timberlake and Childish Gambino. What was that like working with Childish Gambino?
Oh, so fun, you know? What was fun about it? He respected me for what I did. He said, I hear you're the king of this vocal arranging, especially when it comes to gospel and making a song just big. He says, “Will you just put your thing on it?” And I said, “Cool.” So, I thought it was just going to be one song. Well, it turned out to be six songs. We just kind of stayed in the studio all night, and he just said, “What do you think? What should we do on this?” I said, “Well, try this. We'll try these harmonies. Well, let's go here.” And then he just trusted me and his co-producer, Ludwig Goransson, who produced the soundtrack for “Black Panther.” He was even enamored with me. So, a great relationship, a great guy. Very proud of the record that we did with him.
When you come, what can people expect? What will your workshop be like?
Well, when I come to Wichita, it is really to pay homage to Grant Chapel AME Church, Mrs. Claudette Harrison and my brother Kevin Harrison. They were the first. Kevin was a fan, and he loved my music. Kevin is a renowned musician as well. We were young, 17, 18, maybe 20. Kevin said, “Brent ... can you come to my city to do a workshop?” This is before social media. I came and the people came to the rehearsals, and I started teaching music. And the people just loved it right there in Wichita. I was kind of developing my teaching thing and developing my personality; my whole swag when I taught music.
I know exactly how I want it to flow. My rehearsals are action-packed. The band is there; the singers are there. I'm able to teach. I'm able to pour in. So, when you talk about those kids at Riverfest, I want to see those kids. I'm going to try to connect with them via social media and ask them to come, because that youth energy is so needed, and youth is in all of us. It has really nothing to do with age. It has everything to do with your mindset. ...A Brent Jones rehearsal is fire. Get to these rehearsals, because I'm teaching some very powerful music. We’re doing the Brent Jones hits, but I'm gonna do some of the new stuff, and even the stuff that nobody has heard before. I need to see all of you. I don't care what age you are.
The gospel workshop with Brent Jones will be held Thursday and Friday, September 18th and 19th, at Wichita’s Grant Chapel AME Church at 27th & Hillside at 6pm. The concert will be Sunday, September 21st at St. Mark UMC at 14th & Lorraine at 5pm.
