Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408120058
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis-Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When he was 10, he began organizing and directing musical groups and choirs.
When he was in his early 20s, he was releasing his own R&B singles on CBS Records and playing keyboard with Billy Preston, Al Green and Jose Feliciano.
But by the time Brown reached 30, he was wasted.
Cocaine. Crack. Heroin. Brown did it all.
It was in 1989 that Brown turned his life around. It was the third Sunday in August, to be exact.
"I knew I had to turn around that particular day," he told reporter Cody Lowe in an interview for the Roanoke Times & World-News.
A friend had referred him to a drug treatment program in Newport News. Brown made so much progress during his treatment, he went on to become director of the men's facility there. Later, he met the Rev. Quigg Lawrence of Roanoke's Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit at a Christian men's retreat, and the two became friends. When Lawrence asked him to serve as music director at the church, Brown accepted.
"All of my life, I've been a Christian," Brown said, noting that he never stopped going to church even during the time he was addicted to drugs. He said he made a new commitment to his faith, however, when he realized he had to be free from drugs.
Since he has been working in Roanoke, Brown has developed an outreach program through his music. He visits high schools, colleges, youth groups and civic groups with his message. Sometimes he takes it right to the street.
Brown writes music for other artists and sings his own blend of jazz, pop and contemporary gospel music.
No matter where he goes, he says, he tries to follow his personal motto:
"If I can help somebody as I pass along; if I can cheer somebody with a word or song; if I can show some traveler that he's traveling wrong, then my living shall not be in vain."
Brown will perform for a coffeehouse concert Saturday at Straight Street Youth Center on North Franklin Street in Christiansburg. The doors open at 7 p.m. and close at 11 p.m.
The coffeehouse concert is open to all ages, and admission is free.
THE BLUE, BLUE GRASS OF HOME: If you like good old bluegrass music, mark your calendars now. Local bands will perform the second Saturday of each month at the Riner Volunteer Fire Department.
The get-together this Saturday runs from 7 to 11 p.m., and everyone is welcome. Bring a lawn chair so you can take a load off while you enjoy the tunes.
The fire department is beside Auburn Middle and High School in Riner. For more information, call 382-5540.
THE GOSPEL TRUTH: Four popular local gospel groups will perform Saturday at the monthly gospel sing in Fairlawn.
The Highland Gospel Singers and The Gospel Strings will be joined by Friends in Jesus and The Farley Brothers. The singers perform a variety of traditional and contemporary hymns.
The music starts at 7 p.m. at the OCAW Building on Peppers Ferry Road. Admission is free, and you're welcome to bring your video camera.
SNEAK PREVIEW: Rehearsals for the Summer Musical Enterprise production of "Mame" are rolling right along. The community theater group will stage the peppy musical Aug. 24-28 in Blacksburg. A second run is Sept. 2-5 in Radford.
The performers have put together a sampling of some tunes from Jerry Herman's musical score, and they will be giving several sneak preview concerts this month.
You can catch the first one tonight in Pulaski's Jackson Park, starting at 6:30. Another is scheduled Tuesday at the gazebo in Radford's Bisset Park. It starts at 7 p.m.
Admission is free. All you need to bring is a blanket or lawn chair for the outdoor seating.
COOL WATERCOLORS: A sure-fire way to beat the August heat is to step into the gallery at the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley. Paintings by Marty Overton-Davidson offer a refreshing respite.
Overton-Davidson, a graduate of Stephens College and West Virginia University, strives to create moods of peace, ease and tranquility in her abstract and original styles. She paints in all media but prefers watercolor.
Her exhibit will be on display through Aug. 30. You can see it weekdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., or Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Admission is free.
The gallery is at 21 W. Main St. in Pulaski.
SET'S UP! "Theatre: Design" is the simple title of the new exhibit opening Monday in Virginia Tech's Wallace Hall Gallery. The display features sets and costumes from more than 20 stage productions of the university's theater department.
Curators for this project are Eric Wiedegreen, assistant professor of interior design, and Felice Proctor, associate professor in theater arts.
The exhibit will be open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will remain at the gallery through Sept. 16.
by CNB