Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9412300036
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: AIMEE RATLIFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
They even had their own trio - Peace, Love & Joy.
It was 1977, and Johnson and Sanderson, then 10, and White, then 11, were growing up in the Glorious Church of God in Christ. They were often referred to as the "Glorious Angels," because of their singing. Their fathers, brothers Clarence and Robert White, also wrote songs and played the piano with another brother, Cecil White.
But, the girls wanted to be like a Roanoke gospel group known as Faith, Hope & Charity.
"We wanted to be just like them because they sang so beautifully. We even wanted our name to be just like theirs," Johnson said of the group that included her aunt, Barbara A. White, who is Penni and Arlene's mother.
Johnson and her cousins found mentors in the Faith, Hope & Charity singers, who also included Shirlene Wilson and Debra Johnson. They taught the young girls diction, clarity and "really how to make a song come to life."
The girls' musical talents matured with aid from their mentors, and they performed for other churches and some elementary schools in Roanoke. Johnson wrote all the songs and learned to play the piano and organ for their performances.
"The biggest concert we did was up at Virginia Tech. We really felt like we were famous then," said White.
But Peace, Love & Joy stayed together only three years. They grew up and wanted to do things other teen-agers were doing. But, this past April, 14 years later, they reorganized and have been singing again throughout the Roanoke Valley.
The new Peace, Love & Joy includes more singers and musicians. They also are completing an original tape and producing a video for cable TV. They even have a trip planned to New York this month.
It was when the young women entered high school at William Fleming, they found a whole different life that did not include Peace, Love & Joy.
"When we were young, all we knew was church. At home it was church, we even played church, our world was different from others. In high school, we strayed a little. I know that I wanted to go to the movies and dances and wear pants," said Johnson.
After high school the women went their different ways. Each moved away from Roanoke for awhile, but found that their lives led them back home.
Johnson married Steve Johnson and moved to Virginia Beach, where he served in the Coast Guard, for about four years. She went to ECPI to become a medical transcriptionist and had four children. She now works for an eye care company.
White trained in Florida for four months to work for United Airlines and had two children. She is preparing to be a teacher's assistant.
Sanderson went to Virginia State University for two years, married Keith Sanderson, and is working on a cafeteria staff at a Roanoke school. She also is expecting her third child.
During the 14-year separation, each member occasionally sang in church choirs.
However, "for most of this time we were away from our home and church, experiencing the other side of life. I felt that God wanted us to be back together,'' Johnson said. "I tried setting up times with Penni and Arlene to sing, but it just never seemed to work out. My husband, Steve, also encouraged me to get back involved with it."
However, Johnson's husband, who experienced heavy problems with drugs throughout their seven-year marriage, was killed in October 1993. She believes that God gave her the peace and strength for her and her children to make it through this burdensome time, which she said was that final extra push to make a serious attempt to get the group back together.
In late March Johnson sent invitations for an April rehearsal for Peace, Love & Joy to her cousins and some others , she said, God had laid on her heart.
"We realized our singing was a gift and we weren't using it; that we were just letting it go to waste - singing rock 'n' roll, and we knew that wasn't what our voices were for," said White.
On April 19, the new members of Peace, Love & Joy assembled. Their voices blended successfully and created harmonious gospel music, much to the relief of Johnson, who was worried the difference in the ranges may have been a disaster.
In addition to the original members, the group includes ConQuista Jones, Victoria Jones, Pamela Hairston, Tonya Boyd, and Tammi White, who has not been able to join them yet, but is being temporarily replaced by Chanel Burnette.
The new musicians are Jay White (composer, keyboards), Roy White (drums), Mark Walker (drums), and Jerome Buckner (percussion).
Johnson, president of the group, has written all the new songs and revised some old ones. She said that the songs are testimonies of her life - the hardships that transpired from her husband's drug problems - and of the lives of others who grew up around her in church.
Her brother, Jay White, composes all the music. The outcome is a mixture of old-time deep gospel and upbeat, contemporary music that targets persons experiencing such problems as single motherhood, troubled marriages and drug addiction. The music has a message for the burdened and the heavy-hearted, group members said.
By the end of May, Peace, Love & Joy was recording with Brother B's Productions, which is run by Bobby Wilson, who is also the manager. Wilson had been the music director for The Glorious Church of God in Christ when Peace, Love & Joy first began in 1977 and had helped the young girls with their music.
The group has performed at several churches around the Roanoke Valley, including recent concerts at The Glorious Church of God in Christ and Pilgrim Baptist Church. In mid-November, the group will be travel to Brooklyn, N.Y., to sing.
Members are hoping to have a video from one of their concerts shown on the Bobby Jones Gospel Show, which airs on cable channel 32. Their new original tape, "Peace, Love & Joy: It's Your Miracle," and a tape recorded live at the Glorious concert will be available soon.
Peace, Love & Joy practices Monday through Friday and record all day on Saturdays. Members said that although they are moving rapidly, their main goal is to evangelize to the crowds they perform for.
"Some of the members of the group have changed dramatically since the beginning because they realize you can't sing one way and live another," Johnson said. "I always ask them: "Are you worthy to be singing these songs?' because that is a faithful question that the scripture sets forth. I just do not want us to forget where we came from and how we got where we are. No matter how far our singing takes us, the glory will always go to God."
Memo: story also ran in Current on November 13, 1994