Rance Allen is a pioneer in the gospel music community– a vocalist often studied for his before-his-time riffing style and impeccable stage performance. The group he formed four decades ago continues to be a steady source of great music, including his latest release, The Live Experience II.
On the heels of that release, Associate Editor Troy Lilly chats with the legend himself…
* * *
Troy: Dr. Rance Allen! It’s a pleasure and a privilege. How are you?
Rance: Troy, I’m feeling great. And yourself?
Troy: I’m well. Excited to talk with you today. Shall we?
Rance: Certainly!
Troy: We really want to know about The Live Experience II, the latest album from The Rance Allen Group, which hit stores on January 25. Tell about a little about it.
Rance: Well, you know most of us recording artists say this, and I know I may be guilty of saying it about every new one that comes out, but this truly is the best one ever. And I say it because I believe it’s true.
Troy: Ok.
Rance: Here it is a live album. We’ve recorded twenty albums, this being only the second live one. Thus comes the name The Live Experience II. And man, there was just a free spirit moving as the Holy Ghost moved how He would, and with thousands of excited people there, they made us excited.
God anointed myself and my two brothers to sing, and the band to play, and then the great guests we had were second to none.
Troy: Certainly! Tell me about the special guests appearing on this project.
Rance: We had Paul Porter, who’s a great singer himself, and Vanessa Bell Armstrong…I call her “the voice.”
Troy: Yes, yes.
Rance: Then the First Lady of Gospel, the Pastor Shirley Caesar, and a young group named Called to Worship out of Cincinnati.
Troy: Okay.
Rance: It’s just a beautiful piece of music. I want to tell young listeners that all you’ve got to do is put it in the player. You don’t have to search around looking for a song that you like more than the others. It’s the kind of CD that you want to play from track one through track 15.
Troy: Wow. So with that kind of project on your hands, do you have any favorites? Or at least a Top 5, since you can’t have just one.
Rance: Ok, well I hope I don’t mention all 15 to you! (Laughs)
Troy: (Laughs)
Rance: But let me start with “It’s You That I Trust,” the one where Paul Porter joins us in song. It’s an awesome song… you and the listeners will love it. But there’s one that I love even more than that.
There’s a cut called “Holy One.” You wanna talk about worship? This is a song that really reaches down into the reservoirs of a person’s heart…that’s “Holy One.” And these are both kind of like ballads, actually.
Troy: Nice! What else have you got?
Rance: Pastor Shirley Caesar helped us sing another one called “Living for Jesus.” But there’s something I’ve got to tell you about this particular song.
Many, many years ago when I had just started my church, every Sunday one of my members would get up and just turn around and say to the audience– full of excitement– “There’s something about living for Jesus that’s the best thing for me…makes me feel real, (singing) real good.”
After a while, she had said that thing so much ‘til the Lord gave us a song! And you can hear it on this new CD– “Living for Jesus!”
Troy: Wow.
Rance: Yes, but there’s some great music on here. We did a song called “Love Train.” Now it doesn’t sound like the O’Jays! It sounds like the Rance Allen Group!
Troy: Now that’s a sound. (Laughs)
Rance: We also remade “Hear My Voice,” which we originally did way back in 1984. Oh and number 13…that’s going to be one that you and every[one] of your listeners will love, and it’s called “United We Stand.” It goes on for about eight minutes and some change. And basically, it’s our take on “We Are the World,” sort of. Myself, my brothers, all my guests sang with a choir backing it up and it just turned out wonderfully.
I told you, if you keep letting me pick out favorites, I’ll be done picked out all 15! (Laughs)
Troy: I see. But I was actually counting while you were talking, and you only gave me five and a half! (Laughs)
Rance: (Laughs)
Troy: You’re celebrating 40 years of ministry along with your brothers. That’s almost two decades longer than I’ve been alive. Who are some of the new guys or the young cats that you admire or want to work with?
Rance: I’ve been blessed, man. I have worked with so many of these younger fellows. You know about the work I’ve done with Kirk Franklin. I’ve also worked with Joe Pace, The Williams Brothers, John P. Kee, Mary Mary. I’ve been able to share with many of the younger prominent artists of this day.
Troy: And we have enjoyed it!
Rance: They are actually the inspiration that I need for this particular time. All of the young people who come to me asking me to work with them, and praising the work that I’ve done over the last four decades…all of that now is a true inspiration to me.
Troy: Now I know I greeted you as Dr. Allen, but in addition to being a multi-instrumentalist and a singer, you’re also a pastor. How are things at your church, New Bethel Church of God in Christ in Ohio?
Rance: Man, that’s still a great part of my joy. The church is doing well. God is doing a new thing and we are anticipatorily waiting to see what our next move is going to be.
Troy: With that being said, if God were to bless you with 40 more years, what would you do?
Rance: Well, hmmm. I think I probably would just do like some products read on the side of the box and…wait for further instruction! (laughs)
Troy: That is a GOOD answer, sir. Good answer!
Rance: (Laughs) Yeah, because if he lets me live that long, or even half that time…or even a third of that time, I know He has not brought me this far to leave me. I could never tell what God is gonna do because He’s so amazing that he would take the thing that seems foolish to me and just blow my mind. So I’m waiting for further instruction.
Troy: That’s wisdom.
Rance: And as the other box says: for best results, read instructions! Wait on the Lord!
Troy: (Laughs) Absolutely. Well, there’s one more thing I want to ask about as we wrap up. There’s a Live Experience II DVD coming out as well…
Rance: Troy, listen! The only thing that could be any better than the CD is the DVD, because you get to see what you’re hearing on the album. Oh my goodness, I’m telling you the Lord met us there. And I’m trying my best not to sound like I’m bragging. But I am so grateful to God for how He met us there until the only thing I can say is you’re gonna miss out on something if you don’t get the DVD.
Troy: I’m excited about the projects, especially the commemorative nature and all that it symbolizes. It’s good to have an original pioneer who introduced new sounds still around. And not just because I was raised Church of God in Christ, either. But it doesn’t hurt!
Rance: Yes, you’re one of my little baby brothers. And God is using you to perpetuate the best music in the world, and that’s gospel!
Troy: Thank you for your time, man!
Rance: You’re certainly welcome. And I’ll tell you like the old folks told us: come by and see us and we’ll do you good.
* * *
And there you have it folks. To listen to and purchase The Live Experience II by the Rance Allen Group, click here
.
What did you think of the interview???
1. Lift Him Up -Hezekiah Walker
.
