{"id":23285,"date":"2026-03-11T14:30:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/singing-from-the-soul\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:15:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:15:58","slug":"singing-from-the-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/positive-living\/singing-from-the-soul\/","title":{"rendered":"Singing from the Soul"},"content":{"rendered":"

Music was in my family\u2019s blood: I was a piano player and Mom was a violinist. But no one in my family loved\u2013or even seemed to know about\u2013soul music. The Beatles were more popular in upstate New York, where I grew up.<\/p>\n

I remember practicing \u201cWhat a Friend We Have in Jesus\u201d in the living room, and adding a bluesy riff. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t try to jazz it up,\u201d Mom warned from the couch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not jazz, Mom,\u201d I said, rolling my eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s soul music.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was an adult when I first heard Aretha Franklin on the radio. I felt giddy, like when I discovered Motown as a teenager. Her Amazing Grace <\/em>gospel album came out in 1972 and I spent every evening after work learning the piano parts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never been much on that kind of music,\u201d my fianc\u00e9 said as I practiced. How I wish someone in my life understood my love of soul music!<\/em><\/p>\n

Years into our marriage we moved to Utah. Exploring my new neighborhood, I met an African-American couple. \u201cWe\u2019re starting a church,\u201d the woman said. \u201cWould you like to join?\u201d<\/p>\n

Walking over that Sunday I heard music wafting all the way out into the street. Soul music! Soon after I joined the congregation, the piano player left. God had led me to just the right church. And he\u2019d brought the church just the right piano player.<\/p>\n

Listen to Aretha Franklin’s recording of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus<\/a>“!<\/em><\/p>\n

Download your FREE ebook, Angel Sightings: 7 Inspirational Stories About Heavenly Angels and Everyday Angels on Earth<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Music was in my family\u2019s blood: I was a piano player and Mom was a violinist. But no one in my family loved\u2013or even seemed to know about\u2013soul music. The Beatles were more popular in upstate New York, where I grew up. 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