Darrel Petties / Interview / May, 2006 on BlackGospel.com

Interview with Darrel Petties
May 2006, BlackGospel.com (By Christopher Heron)

There’s an exciting new buzz emanating from the hub of the Bible-belt. It’s directly linked to a new artist from Memphis, Tennessee with awe-inspiring energy, discernable gifts in artistry and a double dose of the Holy Ghost. Darrel Petties may be the most charismatic figure to emerge from the River City since the late O’Landa Draper.

With two hit songs from Petties that spun in heavy radio rotation back in ’05 from the blockbuster WOW Gospel 2005 and Look Up Sing Out, Vol. 1 releases, anticipation grew for this new artist with an old soul. And now, with the release of Count It All Joy (EMI Gospel), Gospel fans across the country are heralding the sound and style of Darrel Petties & Strength in Praise, as a perfect blend between old-school, Sunday morning church music and new-school, Contemporary Gospel expression.

From his very difficult upbringing as a child to his newest status as one of the bright new stars on the Gospel music circuit, Darrel Petties has learned to trust and believe in the words he sings about with such passion. In our recent dialogue with Minister Petties, we touched on his artistic influences, his transition from anonymity to hot commodity and how he’s learned to really count it all joy.

Christopher Heron: You’re a product of the Memphis area, a city that has produced a number of very talented artists over the years like Kevin Davidson and the late O’Landa Draper. Who are some of the personalities that have influenced you both as an artist and as a choir director?

Darrel Petties: I would have to say Pastor Hezekiah Walker. Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr. is one of my biggest influences in both the preaching and music ministries. And from a distance, Kirk Franklin has really inspired me.

CH: Few artists get the opportunity to go from being a local celebrity to signing on with an established label like EMI Gospel as a new artist. Your single was also featured on the WOW Gospel 2005 compilation release. How did this journey unfold for you? And how are you handling this exciting new season in your life with all the changes and visibility?

DP: First off, Pastor Smokie Norful was instrumental in introducing me to EMI Gospel. Once I signed on, the favor of the Lord just rained down on me. That’s how I became a part of the WOW Gospel project. I’m glad to now make EMI my new home, with Larry Blackwell, Ken Pennell and all of the gang. It’s wonderful for me. I’m approaching this new season simply as humble as I know how.

I’m just preparing myself for when God is ready to make use of me. I try to live daily by giving God my gifts for whatever His will is. That’s what I want to do. That’s what I want to accomplish. I’m taking it really one day at a time. I’m excited about meeting my new brothers and sisters around the world and all the members of the Kingdom of God. I’m just enjoying myself, Chris.

CH: I’d like to discuss something a little personal. Could you share your testimony about growing up in a dysfunctional, fractured home? Tell me how that experience shaped your faith, your spiritual walk and your character both as a man and as a servant of God?

DP: It’s very simple, Chris. As I mentioned to another person the other day, it is when we are in our low places, what I call drought, in our lowly position, when we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, that’s where God meets us because that gives God an opportunity to prove Himself. Our God wants to prove to us that He is God and He can do what people say He can’t do. He knows that if He can prove Himself to us one time, we will spend the rest of our lives with Him.

And out of all the things I have been through even going through things in my childhood, being raised in a single parent home, God has really conditioned me to know…I actually ministered this message to my choir the other night…that God is absolutely all you need, all you can ever imagine. He’s most definitely everything to me. That’s what I try to tell people all the time, “Don’t be afraid of your low places because it is in your low places that you really find the treasures with God.”

CH: You’re a very young man yet you speak as though you have an old soul. How are you balancing your academics pursuit and your growing chorale ministry, Strength and Praise? And tell us a little about Strength In Praise and what makes this choir so special?

DP: Well, I’m balancing pretty well Chris. Thank God for good management and others who have helped me along the way. Other than that, I’m managing pretty well with school. All of these important steps is allowing me to better fulfill the calling that God has ahead of me. Strength In Praise is one of the most talented group of people I’ve been apart of. These young people are absolutely dedicated to God. And like me, they have been through struggles, hardships, pain and agony and we all celebrate each other’s victory together. I was telling my Mom the other day that I could never have asked for a better group of choir members. They actually inspire me into being a great leader because they are such great followers.

CH: Finally Darrel, tell us a little about your new album, Counted All Joy, and why everyone needs to hear the ministry of Darrel Petties and SIP.

Well, Chris, I wrote and arranged all the songs on this album. But the best part of this album is that I did what a lot of Gospel artists should do, which is write songs. We need to learn how to write our music out of thing that we’ve experienced. Then, we can better help others because people listen to music as a source for healing. They listen to music to explain their emotions when they can’t find the right words. I wrote these songs out of my own personal pain, agony and suffering. Then, I began to write out of my own personal victory that God gave me.

That’s one thing that I can admit. I really admire the secular world for their song writers. They write about lessons they learned in life and they write about what they feel. I think that’s what Gospel music needs to return to. If we’re going to penetrate the heart of people, we have to be as real as possible. We have to let people know that we have not always been saved as we are right now. We’ve been in broken places. We’ve gone through hard times. People need to know about that experience because they’ll be blessed with that testimony that another person has been where I am. So, that’s what really excites me about our new project. There is something in it for everybody. I try to bridge the gap between old school and new school. I really can’t explain how excited I am about this project.

For more information on Darrel Petties & Strength In Praise, visit www.darrelpetties.com and www.emigospel.com. To contact Darrel Petties for booking or questions, send your emails to nd@churchhowse.com or call 323-298-8862.