Small Groups Making Big Differences
I’ve known Bryan Duncan for decades. I wasn’t yet a man when I met him but even then I recognized in him more than his prodigious talent. He was unfiltered like few people I knew and much more open and accessible than most performers. I connected with him right away.
Years later, Bryan still has amazing talent. He’s become more self-aware and less self-absorbed. He’s picked up some great insights and considerable wisdom, much of it while being knocked around a bit. In short -- and everything with Bryan is in short -- he has more to offer his audience now than ever. That’s saying something for an artist who has the talent and history Bryan has.
I’ve alway been a bit troubled that Christian and Gospel music are SO focused on developing and promoting young, attractive artists almost to the exclusion of anyone who doesn’t fit that mold. Pop, rock and country music have plenty of radio stations that play songs from the past and many older artists who are thriving.
The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Sting, Dolly Parton, Van Morrison, James Taylor and Reba McEntire are all still widely known and earning great livings through their talents. Tony Bennett had some of his greatest success after age 60. U2 is the most successful band in the world more than 35 years after they formed. Where are their equivalents in Christian and Gospel music? How many Christian artists over the age of 45 could say their careers are thriving?
Sure, some of Christian and Gospel music’s major talents from the past are still around. A few are doing pretty well. But most who are still writing and performing get little to no radio airplay and are not on the established record labels. As a result, their audiences are much smaller than when they were heard on radio and received marketing and tour support. If they are lucky enough to have a good and faithful managers, like my friend Ray Ware, they probably earn some semblance of a living with their musical talents, but each year likely is much harder than the last.
That’s why I’m glad there are platforms like Kickstarter, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Internet radio and the web. Artists like Bryan Duncan can work directly with their audiences to do some of their best work long after the Christian music “industry” has lost sight of them in the rear view mirror. People like me, who hope talented artists can continue to record -- even if they aren’t as young and outwardly attractive as the once were -- can actually do something to make that happen.
I talked Bryan Duncan into doing a Kickstarter campaign and offered to run it for him. It was a risk I’m glad he took. Hundreds of hours of work later, now very emotionally invested, we’ve exceeded the goal. Bryan Duncan will get to record a new album and re-issue some out-of-print recordings. Dozens of fans have enthusiastically promoted his campaign and several hundred backed it. That’s not a lot of people, but it may be what is most encouraging about this. A small group of people can make a big difference for gifted artists. Oh, and there’s all the great stuff we get for doing it.
Christopher Redner
Christopher Redner is CEO of Children In Need, founder of World Week and an award-winning producer and journalist. He is an advocate for child sponsorship and has worked to find sponsors for thousands of children, including hundreds with Bryan Duncan. He produced the Big Voice Tour with Ray Ware.