An inspiring tale of Gospel music
Caribbean Life, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2020 43
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
Every Sunday morning, you
get to do your favorite thing.
You get to sing.
You know the words to all
the songs without even looking.
Every tune is one you’ve
sang before, one your Mama’s
known since she was little, one
your Grandma sang once upon
a time. All you need is to hear
the first few notes and your
voice is lifted high, and as in
the new book “By and By” by
Carole Boston Weatherford,
illustrated by Bryan Collier,
your praise rises beyond the
clouds.
Though you’ve always liked
to sing, Charles Albert Tindley’s
entire life was a song.
It started as a sad song,
when he was born in Maryland
nearly 170 years ago: his father
was a slave and his mother was
a free woman. The law said
that Charles was free like his
mother and so, when she died
and because his father had no
rights, the boy suddenly had
no parents! His aunt took him
in, and sent him to work on
nearby farms.
The work was hard, but
singing gave Charles something
to think about. He first
learned “chants in the field”
and then he heard spirituals
sung between the crops. This
inspired him to want to learn
and so, by the light of an oil
lamp and fire in the hearth,
he taught himself to read the
newspaper and then, a Bible.
Young Charles was inspired!
Soon, he started looking for
a church to attend and when
he found one, he went – and
even though he had no shoes,
the preacher there welcomed
him and let him testify before
the congregation. Charles
promised himself that nothing
would ever come between him
and God, ever.
As he grew with God,
Charles Albert Tindley became
Reverend Tindley, who had
a wife and a church and a
congregation all his own. His
church helped people during
the Great Depression. They had
an orchestra. And every Sunday,
the songs that Reverend
Tindley wrote were lifted up to
God – just as they are now, this
week, perhaps, in your own
church…
If your household is like
most, music surrounds your
child from a variety of sources:
oldies, new artists, classics, and
hymns. Some come from what
may be a surprising source,
and “By and By” tells the tale.
And yet, use caution when
introducing this story to your
kids: for the smallest reader,
the story of “The Father of
Gospel Music” might need a bit
more explaining. Author Carole
Boston Weatherford’s poem-biography
tells a lot but perhaps
not enough so that preschoolers
will easily understand, particularly
in its significance.
Parents and grandparents will
find notes at the end of the
book to be of further help – or,
alternately, you can let the lush
artwork from Bryan Collier
teach your child everything he
needs to know for now about
this inspiring tale.
The 4-to-8-year-old child
who loves to sing, who loves
to dance, and who loves her
church will want you to read
this book. “By and By” could
become her favorite thing.
“By and By: Charles
Albert Tindley, the
Father of Gospel Music”
by Carole Boston Weatherford,
illustrated by
Bryan Collier
c.2020, Atheneum
Books for Young Readers
$17.99 / $23.99
Canada 48 pages
Book cover of “By and By” by Carole Boston Weatherford.
By Nelson A. King
The Jamaica Tourist Board
(JTB) has hailed as “a resounding
success” the 27th staging
of Rebel Salute in Ocho Rios,
Jamaica, on Saturday, Jan.
18.
JTB said on Wednesday
that about 20,000 local and
international fans attended
the two-day festival, billed as
“The People’s Show,” at Grizzlys
Plantation Cove in Ocho
Rios.
JTB said it was among
the sponsors of the festival,
“which, for nearly three decades,
has made a significant
contribution towards the preservation
of reggae music.”
One the major highlights
of this year’s show was the
Dub Plate Display, featuring
one of the pioneers in Jamaica’s
sound system arena, Jack
Scorpio, alongside Dynamq,
also known as the Sudanese
Child/River Nile Crocodile, a
multi-award-winning sound
clash selector from South
Sudan, Africa, JTB said.
“In an out-of-the-box
moment, both selectors showcased
their skills playing their
‘dubplates’ in a clash-like
atmosphere, which left the
reggae music fans wanting
more,” JTB said.
JTB hails Rebel Salute
‘a resounding success’
Reggae singer Beenie Man.
Frank Micelotta / Invision / Associated Press, File