Rusty Watson is known for his work as vocal director with Bishop Walter Hawkins’ Love Center Choir and for penning For My Good on the choir’s Grammy nominated Love Alive V disc. The St. Louis native who now resides in Oakland, California begins a new chapter with the long awaited release of his solo debut single, God hitting digital retail outlets on August 5th. The track serves as the first single from Watson’s forthcoming CD The Right Time.
“I am a lover of the Word”, Watson emphatically declares. “God has equipped and conditioned me to be able to write music that reaches the heart. I have been so blessed being a part of the ministry of Love Center and gleaning at the feet of Bishop Walter and the Father of Contemporary Gospel Music, Edwin Hawkins. It is such an honor to follow in their footsteps and serve as minister of music to a group of talented minstrels. Genesis, the book of beginnings adeptly opens with these words, in the beginning God, so I wanted to make that my place of beginning this new chapter as well. God is a song that I wanted everybody to know who I was talking about with no confusion. Its a song that honors God the great and God the magnificent, the Supreme God of the Universe in all of His sovereignty. When we stop and think of all that God is, its enough to make you shout, He’s the Alpha, the Omega, Jehovah, El Shaddai, no one greater, no one above Him, no one before Him and definitely none like Him.In addition to his work as vocal director, Watson’s credentials include a long standing career as background vocalist with the who’s who of the music industry including New Kids On the Block, Natalie Cole, Stephanie Mills, BeBe Winans and the late Reverend Daryl Coley. He has toured Africa with the late Andrae Crouch as well as sang for Oprah Winfrey’s Legend’s Ball and Sunday Gospel Brunch. Under the description of composer, Watson’s compositions have been recorded by the Edwin and Walter Hawkins Music and Arts Seminar Mass Choir, Bishop Walter Hawkins, Lady Tramaine Hawkins, the GMWA Women of Worship, the Whitfield Company, Rodnie Bryant and CCMC and Bishop TD Jakes and the Potters House Mass Choir.Watson heads to Louisville next week for the 83rd convening of Professor Thomas Dorsey’s National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses with additional performances at Oakland’s 16th Annual Art and Soul Festival on August 20th and promo stops in St. Louis and Chicago in between before heading overseas to Germany.
