I have had an interesting journey as a musician. Like so many, when I was starting out I thought that I would go bigger and further than I have, whatever that means. I got my first taste of singing in front of large audiences in Mississauga, Ontario at a church called Mississauga Gospel Temple, now Portico. At 15 I moved to BC with my parents and started attending another very large church named Christian Life Assembly. I was formed there musically, getting involved in singing R&B styled soul gospel, singing lots of solos and singing in large and small groups. I was involved in a typical teenage garage band, and of course I remember that we were awesome. Kevin Birch was the drummer, and I was the keyboards and singer, so we must have had some potential. We are still doing something with music! It was at that age I had my first taste of the studio with the church youth choir I was in called "Sure Foundation". I sang my first recorded solos and had a great experience.
In high school I played jazz trumpet as well as singing in the jazz choir. That led to eventually singing with a great big band, the Ron Davis Big Band, from time to time and getting all kinds of opportunities to play including in a couple honour singing and playing groups in high school.
University led to some classical education and other opportunities including a chamber choir tour to Europe and several opportunities to sing with professional choirs and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. I even tried out for the Metropolitan Opera in Vancouver and made the first cut. Not bad at 22 or 23, but classical did not hold it for me. Mainly because of the lack of new music being created, and my lack of ability to create that kind of music. Who knows, maybe ten years from now?
Parallel to all of this I was doing plenty of singing and writing of tunes on the solo front. I sang at camps and weddings, the usual stuff.
In university I did lots of solo singing from the piano and in my second year I was asked to fill in for a group then named "Men with Shades". That ended up being a life changing experience and a 7 year run. We did tonnes of singing when I was in university including at least one tour for the school, and then we re-formed after university and recorded two CDs, the second produced by recording artist and Juno winner Paul Janz. After university we renamed ourselves Heart Mind and Soul. It was also in and a little after university that I was befriended by Carolyn Arends. I ended up doing several demos with her back in her songwriting days which was a great experience. She went on to do some great things, still is doing them, and I went my own way. Heart Mind and Soul peaked at Sonfest in BC warming up on the mainstage for the Newsboys, Four Him and Susan Ashton.
After university I did a short stint at 100 Huntley Street and led a group that sang everyday at their new location in Burlington. The group and I have sung many times on Huntley Street (See archive Nov 17, 2005). We also sang every week on the show. After that contract was up I went back to BC to form Heart Mind and Soul. While I was there I made some in roads into the session work business, mostly with Roy Salmond of Whitewater Productions. I did several sessions on my own, but also had the priviledge to sing with Christine Duncan and Connie Scott, two amazing singers.
I left Heart Mind and Soul in 1997. That was a hard decision and led to some weird things musically for a while. During that time I actually sat at a grand piano and sang for Amy Grant in a great club in Toronto. I recorded a seven song jazz EP at Emmanuel Studios with some killer jazz musicians from Toronto (Gord Webster, piano, Duncan Hopkins, bass and Kevin Dempsey, drums). I also recorded a 5 song EP (The Apartment Sessions) in the same studio of some original tunes I had written.
It was also during this time that my wife and I started attending a church in Oakville ON named Oakridge Bible Chapel. I was asked to lead worship in regular rotation at this church. It was the first time in my life I had ever led worship in that way. Four years later I found myself leaving Oakridge to be a full-time worship leader at a church called Valley View Alliance Church.
It was there I ran into a producer who graciously produced my latest CD, Noticing the Sky, for free.
Being apart of the Alliance led to many amazing opportunities and a massive amount of learning musically, as a leader, director, producer, and even as a speaker. Although I was a music pastor in name, one of the big things I started doing that I had never done before was preaching. Five years later though, I found myself leaving Valley View and heading into a non-musical role with a charity called FTC Canada.
So the journey continues. I am currently producing my own CD with no fixed release date, but plenty of progress going on. Surf the site, buy a song or CD and spread the word if you like. I really love doing music, so more resources from sales means more music faster for everyone to listen to.
Peace,
Cliff