Reflections on Israel Houghton, Crystal Lewis and Anointed

I’ve had wonderful opportunities to share the stage with great singers and musicians. It’s a perk in my line of work that I took for granted at the time. At the height of my career I was simply trying to stay ahead of the grueling schedule. I wish I'd done more to appreciate these people publicly back then but I'm making up for lost time now.

Anointed was a four-member singing group when I first met them. I loved them immediately.

I remember them first opening for me in upstate New York. They were SO good. They blew away the idea of an opening act, which is assumed (and often planned) to be less than the headliner. Steve Crawford and his sister De’dra were the mainstays and they knew all of my songs by heart. What an honor for me.

Anointed brought professional dignity to any presentation. They had seamless vocals and great songs! They were a last-minute addition to my Mercy tour in Holland. You would never have known that the band and I had never rehearsed with them before that gig!

We would tour together again, along with Crystal Lewis -- another fabulous vocalist, on one of the most successful tours of my career -- The Big Voice Tour.

I'd heard Crystal Lewis sing years earlier, when she was about 15 years old, at a small outdoor gig for a handful of people. She had an unbelievable power, especially for such a petite girl. She projected a big personality on stage that was downright riveting! By the time The Big Voice Tour came together I had shared the stage with her many times. I consider her one of the most dynamic female singers in Christendom to this day.

A new artist, simply known as Israel at the time, was also on this tour. He was a late addition to the lineup at the urging of Christopher Redner, one of the tour producers. The label Crystal, Anointed and I were on didn't want him on the tour but "Ready" fought for him and won a compromise - Israel would warm up the crowd before the official concert started and sing and play with the band. It was a humble beginning for an artist who would rise to outshine the rest of us! Just last year Israel Houghton had a huge hit with the song “Love God, Love People” He's won Grammy, Stellar and Dove awards and is popular internationally.