THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 25, 1994 TAG: 9409230264
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: AHOSKIE LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
If it weren't for Little Ricky - Lucy and Desi's little drummer boy - David & The Giants might have giant-sized drug problems today.
Keith Thibodeaux, the pint-sized actor who portrayed the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz on the old ``I Love Lucy'' TV show, introduced his fellow performers to Christ.
That resulted in an introduction to the world of contemporary Christian music, and in 1977 David & The Giants made the switch from secular offerings.
They are still performing original contemporary Christian music. They will perform Wednesday at the Carpenter's Shop, First Assembly of God Church, in Ahoskie.
``Our message is the message of hope,'' said David Huff, the 50-year-old guitarist-lead vocalist.
The music is the message. Unlike some similar groups, very little preaching is involved, Huff said.
``Preaching is great, but you get somebody who's lost coming to a concert - you have to be very, very careful about how much you preach.We hit it hard and quick and let God do the preaching.
``Keith was the first to come to know the Lord. That was in 1974. We thought he flipped out on drugs,'' Huff said. ``He'd been playing with us since 1969, and during that time he was a very depressed person - lonely - always trying to escape with drugs or alcohol.
``One weekend, in his hometown, Lafayette, Louisiana, the Lord filled him with the Holy Spirit,'' Huff said. ``We couldn't communicate with him then. We weren't on his level. We weren't born again.''
That would soon change.
``One night I was loaded on drugs. Keith, who had quit the band, told me I needed Jesus,'' Huff recalled. ``I closed my ears to that but he didn't stop talking about this Jesus Christ.
``After coming down off drugs, I realized I was listening to what he had to say, and what he had to say made me feel better,'' said Huff who listened, but did not heed.
His brothers, Rayborn and Clayborn, gave their lives to God first, Huff said.
``I had three car wrecks and a drug bust before I surrendered to the Lord in 1977,'' said Huff.
Some members of his family - Rayborn plus David's son, Lance, and Denon Dearman, the only non-family-member - comprise David & The Giants.
At one time the group had contracts with such major labels as MGM, Capitol and United Artists.
``I was in recording studios with the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder,'' said Huff, whose contributions were in the writing department. ``I wrote some songs on Stewart's album, but never got credit.
In some areas, some of their songs hit the Top 10. In most areas they found homes somewhere on the pop charts before the group's 1977 switch to contemporary Christian charts.
They put that style to good use ``to win people to the Lord - to communicate - to tell people we love them and God loves them.''
Thibodeaux rejoined David & The Giants in 1979, leaving 10 years later to join Ballet Magnificat, a dance group featuring his wife, Kathy. MEMO: David & The Giants will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday at The Carpenter's
Shop, First Assembly of God, South Catherine Creek Road in Ahoskie.
Admission is $5. For information call (919) 332-6113.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
David & The Giants will perform Wednesday night in Ahoskie.
by CNB