Bio

[b]NEWS FLASH!!!!!![/b] I'm happy to announce that [b]Shekinah Glory[/b] of Tulsa, OK have just released a new CD entitled [b]"Going Home Soon"[/b]. The title track was written by myself with [b]Pam Thum[/b] plus [b]Ray and Lois Taucher[/b]. Though we penned this song many years ago, Ray and Lois recently picked it back up, dusted off and recorded it with [b]Cindy Duvall[/b] on lead vocals. Cindy, Lois and Ray comprise the internationally loved "[b]Shekinah Glory.[/b]" They are all graduates of [b]RHEMA Bible Training Center[/b] and base their ministry out of [b]Rhema Church [/b]in Tulsa. They are gaining great momentum in France and continue to bless and encourage all ages in the US and other nations with the their stirring delivery of music and preaching. I have no doubt you will greatly enjoy this sweet song about the eternal hope we all share in meeting Jesus face to face. Sit back and listen to a few of the other songs I've written over the years. Hopefully this will give you a good overview of my work and insight into what gives me great joy. Enjoy. Here's my story... Gerald "Jerry" Piper, grew up in a musician's home. My father is a bass guitar player and worked with regional R&B groups, recording original songs and giged on the college circuit. I watched rehearsals and writing/recording sessions since childhood. My love of music came early with piano lessons at age five from Aunt Jean. She would play as my mom would add her beautiful soprano voice singing some old standard. Those days were awe-inspiring. I carried on the family tradition by singing in church and playing drums in the school orchestra. At the age of seventeen I began writing protest songs on the guitar my parents bought me for Christmas. Somehow, being the next Bob Dylan just didn't quite fit my personna, so I turned to what I knew and loved best, Gospel music. Not long after I put together my first gospel group of school friends. This experience put me on the path of no return and set the course of my future. Through the years I continued writing and singing my songs whenever the opportunities were available. At the age of eighteen I moved to Tulsa, OK to attend Trinity Bible College and met many people who had great influence on my work and career development. During my first year in Tulsa I went to an [b]Andrae Crouch [/b]concert at ORU. The group that opened the show was Terry Law's [b]"Living Sound, Intl."[/b] I was amazed by their presentation, missions-based focus and contemporary sound and thought to myself, "I'd love to be in a group like that." As I continued singing around the Tulsa area my songs were heard by a man named [b]Dony McGuire [/b]who was in Gospel music's #1 group in the nation, [b]"The Downings."[/b] They also happened to be my favorite recording group as well. Within two weeks I was on a flight to Nashville, TN and signed contracts for The Downings to record two of my songs. On the Downings next two consecutive projects they recorded [b]"Mary Had the Sweetest Little Lamb"[/b] and [b]"Lift Him Higher"[/b] which was published in the [b]Greentree Songbook vol. 2.[/b] The ball started rolling for my musical career at this point. In the spring of 1978 I was asked to join an experimental team with Living Sound called [b]"Miracle Song"[/b] featuring veteran Living Sound singer [i]Bev Schmidgall[/i]. Later that year I was teamed up as lead male vocalist with [b]Living Sound's Team 2 [/b]and travelled Australia, New Zealand, Canada and United States doing evangelistic musical missions outreach. When my tenure with Living Sound ministries came to a close, I attended [b]RHEMA Bible Training Center[/b] in Tulsa, OK and became one of the [b]"RHEMA Singers." [/b]After graduating I set my sights on continuing in music ministry going solo. My first recording project was soon released with [b]Castle Records[/b] and I began traveling across the States offering concerts and teaching ministry. This continued for a period until my heart took a turn for working in the local church. I became a worship leader and have continued in that element ever since. Periodically I have done some work outside of that element, such as becoming one of the founding members of [b]"Fortress"[/b] whose ministry is still thriving under the direction of former nationally syndicated Gospel music DJ [b]"Dr. D." [/b]Through the years my songs have been recorded by many various artists and sung on virtually every continent on the globe. My music education brought me back as a non-traditional student to [b]Southern Illinois University [/b]where I studied "Music/Theater" under the direction of [b]Dr. Jeanine Wagner and Richard Best[/b], former soloist with the [b]Metropolitan Opera[/b]. While in school I enjoyed working in their equity [b]Summer Playhouse[/b] where I played [b]"File"[/b] in the Broadway musical [b]"110 in the Shade"[/b] under the direction of [b]Cash Baxter[/b] and [b]George Penny[/b]. Recently, a new recording by [b]J. Michael Carter[/b] entitled [b]"Broken People" [/b]has been released with six songs that I have written or co-written. The project is very uplifting. Also, [b]Ann Downing[/b] (former founding member of the [b]"Downings") [/b]has recently contracted three of my songs for her [b]"Sweet Scarlet" publishing house[/b]. Things continue to look up!!!! Last, my brother, [b]Kevin Piper[/b], is beginning to come into his own as a writer/singer with the help of some friends at the Elkville Christian Church. I've included one of the tunes I helped him write for his first CD entitled "[b]Surrender All[/b]." [i]Jerry and his wife, Lonnie, live and work in Oklahoma City, OK[/i].[b]