Two Roads Converge
By Deborah Evans Price, senior music editor, GospelMusicChannel.com
Singer/songwriter Don Poythress has been blessed with gifts that have opened doors in two different musical communities. Country music fans appreciate the hits he’s written for Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Kellie Pickler, Diamond Rio and Travis Tritt, among others. Christian music lovers recognize Poythress’ name from tunes he’s had recorded by hit-makers such as Jaci Velasquez, Brian Littrell, Mark Schultz, and the Martins, who earned a Dove Award for Southern Gospel Song of the Year in 2006 for Don’s song “The Promise.”
Now with the release of his new album Wash Away, people are discovering the voice and the heart behind the hits. “I’ve done a couple independent projects myself, but I’ve never done anything on this kind of scale,” he says of his first release on Integrity Music. “I’ve never written a whole record of congregational worship material that I really, really liked. I’ve written a lot of country stuff and some Christian music, but most of the times it’s been things that I felt like other people were supposed to do. Then over the last couple of years, I wrote these songs from life experiences I was going through and really, for the first time, it felt like this was stuff that I wanted to share myself.”
Recording a worship album seems a natural step for Poythress, who has been the worship leader at Abundant Life Church in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. for 16 years. “When I first started, I was young and had never led for a congregation, and at that time, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith and Jack Greene, were going there,” he recalls. “It was like a small version of the Grand Ole Opry. I was very intimidated to be up there and leading worship for these people, but they were so encouraging and so nice. They would come back and encourage me and that’s why, when I did this CD, the first person I asked to be a part of it was Ricky Skaggs.”
Skaggs is featured on “The Faithful Love of Jesus.” Recorded live at Christ Church in Nashville, the collection also features a guest appearance by noted worship leader Paul Baloche on “Brand New Day.”
“For many years, I really felt like what I was supposed to do was only country music,” the Meridian, Miss. native explains. “Even though I was a Christian, I just felt like God had called me to the country genre, and he was blessing me in it. So other than leading worship on Sunday morning, that’s what I did. All of a sudden, I started doing worship projects. I felt like God had told me to do that this past year and so I’ve gotten to [perform at] the Ryman Auditorium, recording a worship project for Time Life and Integrity with Ricky [Songs4Worship: Country]. It’s been really, really neat to get to do that stuff.”
