Search - Tramaine Hawkins :: Search Is Over

LONG B4 MARY MARY n KIRK THERE WAS TRAMAINE HAWKINS!!

B. Robyn Donison | Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan Canada | 02/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1983, after studying all kinds of world religions and isolated tribal beliefs from all over the planet, I was convinced that Jesus Christ was the way for all mankind to heaven, and I accepted Him in my heart as personal Lord & Saviour.



As I was so into secular music prior to that, I prayed to the Lord to introduce me to some good Gospel music. Not long after, my brother gave me a Tramaine Hawkins cassette tape - The Search is Over... This was the start of a fantastic journey in Gospel music!



The Search is Over was not accepted by many church-folk because it was so funky and danceable. Sadly, those church folk failed to realize that this music was an offspring of the rock n roll that was inspired by the Black Gospel church. Little Richard took inspiration from Sister Rosetta, Mahalia, and Marion Williams, and introduced funky Gospel flavoured rock n roll to the world in the mid-1950s. Because he was backslidden and the lyrics of the music he recorded were secular, the church turned its back on its own music. No more did artists record Sister Rosetta-like music for the Lord for many years. The devil stole so many years of musical joy and fun from the church. (Praise God that Little Richard ended up returning to the Lord and recording his own Gospel Rock music).



Tramaine's 2 recordings on A&M Records in the early/mid 80s gave the Christian world a chance to dance unto the Lord like never before! But because the major hit from this 1983 album "Fall Down" also began playing in the clubs, many in the church rejected it. It took many more years before the church finally embraced its own music with artists such as John P. Kee, Tonex, Kirk Franklin, and Mary Mary.



If you love to dance unto the Lord to music with a funky, rockin edge, this is the album to get - if you can find it. The second album on A&M - Freedom, with the super-funky "The Rock" may be even harder to find. And after my old cassette of this recording has faded, I can hardly wait to get this hard to find CD in the mail!!"