TUESDAY THOUGHTS: AWARDS (written 11/3/2009)

Felix and The Coveted Awards

 (A Short Story)

Once upon a time there was a musician named Felix who could always be found playing at his local church. 

He played so well one day, a fellow member asked, "Felix, why are you wasting your time here every Sunday? You should be on the stage!"

 

Felix didn't know anything about stages. He saw people on TV, and listened to the radio, but he never thought anyone would listen to his music, or turn on their television to watch him. 

One day, as he watched the Zadok Awards Show, he heard a singing group and thought, "Our senior choir sounds better than they do! 

How in the world did they get on TV?"

Felix and his friends would often get together after church to play and sing, but it was just for fun. 

More and more, people complimented them on how great their sound had become. 

Someone suggested that they record an album. 

When the album was produced, many people bought it, and shared it with their friends...and their friends burned a copy and shared it with their friends...and their friends sneaked cameras into their concerts, posted the footage on YouTube, and shared it with their friends...and so on, and so on...

After performing at a local picnic, Felix and his friends found themselves on the evening news. 

A concert promoter just happened to be in town, and caught the broadcast. 

He phoned the station,  and got Felix's contact information. 

Felix and his friends did an impromptu audition, and were booked on the promoter's tour. 

The tour led to other opportunities. 

Felix and his friends soon became stars. 

Year after year, because of their great music, they won almost every award and honor. 

Soon, however, other musicians and singers got tired of hearing Felix and his friends. 

They got tired of them winning year after year, and decided to make up their own awards show--- The Merari Awards.

 

No matter how much other musicians and singers boasted of their new shows and awards, the Zadok Award was the coveted one.

They knew they could never, ever earn the Abishag award--the one that Ernie and HIS friends always won. You see, there was no category in which their kind of music could win, so they figured, "why bother?" 

Infuriated by the whole thing, and tired of being left out, Skippy and HIS friends began making noise in protest. They took a little from ALL of the shows and established the Malah Awards.

 

And they all lived in their fractured, exclusive music communities, unhappily ever after.

THE END

I admit it. It has taken me a long, long, looooong time to reconcile Christian music ministry with business, money, and awards. 

Perhaps it's safer being a cheerleader, or a seemingly accidental participant than a purposeful, aggressive player in the game. Truth is, I just like to sing.

Awards don't motivate me to buy music. It's the music itself. 

Sometimes, I long for the old days when a Winston Chaney, or other radio DJ would play a tape of someone singing at a church service, or ask listeners what we thought of some song he'd gotten a copy of. 

DJ's used to have that kind of authority, responsibility and respect. 

Being introduced to good music doesn't have to involve hostile effort. 

Good music finds a way, and it doesn't have to push--or win awards.

The soprano from South East Inspirational Choir was always my favorite, WAY before I knew her name was Yolanda Adams.

 

The shipping clerk at the printing company, where I worked in the early eighties, always played the same music. When asked if he had anything else, he said, "There is nothing better than "The Winans" to help me through the day. They soon helped all of us through the day. 

I first heard Richard Smallwood at Union Temple Baptist Church when he played for their Young Adult Choir. He had no awards, but was brilliant then, and even more brilliant now. 

Little Maurette Brown was captivating as she sang in her little blue suit at the old Park Road location of Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church. She was humbly asking, "Why not give the Lord a try" long before she walked across the Stellar Awards stage. 

My daughter Lisa came home from a college break with a John Stephens demo. She told me about the singer she and her friends often went to hear, while she was studying in Philadelphia. Because she shared it, I came to love his music, way before he became John Legend. 

I didn't know Ledisi from lettuce, but when I heard her, I didn't care if she had an award or not.

 

I went to the Kennedy Center expecting to hear Teena Marie at the Mary Lou Williams Women In Jazz Series, but she was a no-show. I'm so glad I didn't leave in a huff as others did. Because I stayed, I was able to hear Lizz Wright for the first time. The young PK from Georgia is now one of my favorite singers. 

I only wish Phyllis Hyman knew how much her voice inspired me. Lack of awards and applause have a devastating effect on those who desire them more than the sheer satisfaction of making good music. 

I could spend hours making a list of musicians and singers who have no trophies, but make the finest music around, and enhance the careers of others.

Congratulations are certainly in order to many independent artists, now that the "vote for me" campaigns are over. 

I have my favorites, who I DO hope come home with a statue-- if for no other reason than their sincerity, tenacity, and excellent body of widely unheard work. Friendship has nothing to do with it. 

I can love you with the love of the Lord, or like you as an individual, but my ears still work a little bit, and won't let me lie about music.

There's been a lot of horn tooting and campaigning going on, and many have emerged victorious-- with plans to take a trip to Nashville sometime around Dr. King's birthday. 

Just how DOES one behave when one has finally gained entry into a system that one has accused of being political, closed, biased, unfair, marked by favoritism, commercial, and exclusionary? 

It’s amazing how people morph once they move into different circles, and begin to rub shoulders with the very people they've admired, criticized, and even envied. 

No matter what the goal is, or the arena, once you're "IN", will your convictions and humility remain the same? Will you quickly assimilate? Will you hurry to the nearest Pimps-R-Us, get an outfit, and make the mistake of behaving the way some misinformed awards show groupie told you that you're supposed to?

My prayer is that the indie experience, set up as an alternative to the practices of the mainstream industry, and embraced by some of the biggest names in music, is not demonized or forgotten. 

It's the same sentiment I have about school administrators who forget what it was like being a teacher. Promotion shouldn't induce amnesia, ignorance, or arrogance. When you set out to declare to an industry that their assistance is not wanted or needed, what is the rationale for desiring their attention, perks, prizes, and rewards?

Many NEW things are established out of dissatisfaction with the OLD thing. 

The Stellar Awards Show was a timely, welcomed idea created as an alternative to the well known awards shows that, for years, failed to acknowledge the contribution of sacred music. 

Ever since the first show at the Arie Crown Theater, lovers, makers and supporters of sacred music have looked to the Stellar Awards Show as the sign of excellence. Church folks couldn't have been happier. 

DC had "Spread a Little Sunshine" and if the TV antenna was positioned just right, we could see Taft Harris's show every now and then. But the Stellar Awards was special. 

Church music on TV was really something. 

You had to find it. You might have had to stay up late, but when you did, it was a sight to behold.

Over the years, it has polished itself, amassed viewers nationwide, and opened it's doors to the dismay of many who feel it has become too mainstream and secular friendly. Everybody wants in for the sheer notoriety of the event, and the possibility of one's own name becoming great--in Jesus' name. 

The sound of the same artists’ names being read over and over, however, caused a stir which prompted others to establish yet MORE special programming and awards shows--so that NEW names could also be heard over and over. 

You would think that with all the Christianity on TV now, that everybody would be super saved, or at least on their way to an altar somewhere. Not so. Notoriety and fame have a way of eclipsing soul-winning sometimes. New shows or not, The Stellar Awards has remained the prize that many Gospel/Christian indie artists still want to attain. I should say BLACK Christian indie artists, but that's a whole entirely separate discussion in itself.

Why does Christian music have so many divisions when the object of our worship is the same Jesus?..... But I digress...

The balloting process has changed a bit, and folks got happy and very busy. In the end, however, the ultimate decisions are still made by a chosen few who will, and hopefully, cannot be manipulated. 

When a reputation for excellence, sponsorship, ratings, and money are at stake, so-called "riff raff" will certainly be weeded out of the process. But then everybody's mama has a way of letting you "go on with your bad self" just to teach you how ill-prepared you really were. Just because you're allowed to play doesn't mean you're welcome in the game.

Gospel music is big business, but the piece of the pie that many smell and desire is not always fairly or rightly distributed. "Retain your rights!" is the indie war cry, but the indie artist still craves the icing on the cake that is an award. Why?

Too often we set out with good intentions to reform a system, but sadly end up maintaining the status quo, and losing integrity because we sacrifice what is truly great, or get distracted by the temporary perks. 

What if there IS an indie artist sweep? When things don't go our way, we do tend to mount our soap boxes and high horses and cry "foul". 

The age old question, "How did THAT happen?" is always going to be asked. Human nature dictates that there will always be a cloud of suspicion hovering over the seemingly sudden achievement of others. When our favorite anything or anyone doesn't win, we never think the winner deserves the prize. We may not jump on stage, arrest the microphone, and make a fool of ourselves, but we sit in our theater seats, or in front of our television sets fuming at the horrible injustice. 

Some may say that there is a bit of bias, and "who-you-know" going on in the Christian indie community as well. Let's face it. We all have self-serving agendas from time to time. The bottom line is that what we make is Art. Art is subjective, and everyone will not appreciate the same things. 

Tacking on the name of Jesus should make a huge difference in what we like, the way we behave, speak, perform tasks, and handle business. Invoking God's name in referencing our work should be the evidence that He in fact inspired it, but that isn't always the case.
In the words of comedian Tim Hawkins:
Singer: "I have a song...God gave it to me!"
Audience: "No He didn't. Maybe you should give it back...Start stacking chairs..."

There was a time when our favorite, repeatedly awarded mainstream artists were struggling, minding their own business, and no one knew their names either. They were choir members, church or community choir directors, church musicians and the like, just engaged in the musical activities that they enjoyed. They probably never dreamed their names would become great, but they shouldn't be punished for being good at what they have been gifted to share. We make the mistake of looking at a person's present success and ignoring the years they spent working in obscurity. I hope an us-against-them climate is not established, and artists so furiously busy themselves with competition that they fail to produce music of substance. 

I hope artists don't forget why the music is made in the first place.
You have to admit, the music that has been rewarded, even if it seems too often, is very worthy. I also hope we are not in the business of promoting lousy music just for the sake of promoting indie artists. 

This year, on social network sites, consumers of sacred music were compelled to--no--they were utterly bombarded with messages to support music simply on the basis of its independently produced status. Is that the way to reform the system? Plan a coup, and then adopt the very ways of the previous administration?
We hear "support, support, support", over and over. But we don't support nearly as much as we steal and line our pockets with the efforts of others. 

 Support can be translated into concert attendance, or the actual purchasing of a CD or DVD, but it also means not neglecting to compensate the indie artist for his or her effort. 

The indie artist is often called upon to open the show and "set the atmosphere", but the mainstream artist goes home with a cashier's check and more fruit, snacks, and water than any one person can consume. 

Love of ministry, and even one's own Christianity has been used to manipulate and maliciously use and exploit many people into enhancing fund-raising programs, musicals, or the latest get-rich-quick scheme. However, PEPCO, Washington Gas,Visa, MasterCard and American Express want CASH, not red church juice, chicken drumettes, and a piece of sheet cake. 

Taking advantage of people, and expecting something for nothing is not my idea of "support". We hear,"Just come for the exposure!" People have DIED from exposure. Exposure can become a bad word when one continually hears, "We can't pay you", but come and bless us with your gift"---at the TICKETED event where the "special" extra offering was taken at intermission, and re-taken because it was a little low. 

"How did you get THEM to come?" Easy. You promised them one thing, and then after the program was over, and all the people went home, you took them in the back, gave them a sob story, and sent them home with less than you promised, or left them empty handed. 

Exposure, without resources to continue producing music, means very little....and people have the audacity to get mad when they see their favorite gospel artist on stage with a secular artist, or singing in a traditionally secular venue! 

Try to pay YOUR bills with a veggie platter, a bookmark, a certificate and a corsage! We seem to want to inhabit certain territories, but our business practices, and the way we treat people, often leaves a lot to be desired.

If the effort is only to receive for oneself the approval of people--if a man-made trophy and TV time is THE goal, then that's all one is going to get. Congratulations. 

Major names listed in the credits is not a guarantee of commercial success, either.

 

We have to decide. Do we seek to minister to the lost, encourage and cheer others, or do we want to be famous? 

Can we have it all? 

Do we want to communicate our feelings, ideas, and experiences born out of our relationship with Jesus, or do we want to be stars? 

I honestly don't think God has a problem with either. Certainly He knows our needs, and has given us varying ways to support ourselves and bless others. His promotion and approval is still, and should be the most desired of all.

Honesty in motive might eliminate the contentious atmosphere we are experiencing.
Men and women tend to be fickle at the most inopportune times. We clap wildly today, and boo viciously tomorrow. We totally forget as soon as the next talented, riffing, running, squalling, note twirling, dancing, swaying, crushing, killing, beat, swaggering, Kirk Franklin-wannabe, church choir graduated, musical wonders appear on the scene.

"In all your getting, get understanding. Pray for wisdom. Be not weary in well doing". None of that sounds good when your motives aren't pure, and you're looking for applause and the next professional hook-up. 

Some of the most celebrated artists in EVERY genre of the Fine Arts from Dance to Sculpture have NEVER received the pinnacle award of their craft, or if they did, hey received it posthumously, or in an honorary fashion upon reaching old age.

The criteria that people use when handing out their limited prizes, have no bearing on the excellent body of work created decade after decade. 

 It would stand to reason, then, to concentrate on the quality of one's work and the satisfaction of a job well done. 

When something is good, you can be sure it will be found out sooner or later.

Accolades are wonderful, but must not be the goal. Not convinced? Ask the people who have had to hock their awards, or those who found themselves out of a job, dropped, or virtually forgotten soon after receiving one.

Change is never easy--especially for those who have benefited legally or illegally from business as usual. I hope, though, that when new voices gain a seat at the table, they don't close, lock, and barricade the dining room door behind themselves. 

Hopefully the climate in the Gospel music community will not be likened to Black folks moving into a predominately non-Black neighborhood for the first time. 

Hopefully, mainstream, established artists won't be so appalled, and so fearful of the value of music declining, that they begin quietly, but quickly moving out of the old neighborhood to establish newer, more guarded, more exclusive, more standards driven communities.

When money drives the music, the listeners suffer--but I sincerely believe that lovers of good art will ALWAYS find it, and share it with others-- whether it is christened with an award or not.