Elliott McCoy of Three Bridges
(Pictured L-R: Elliott McCoy, Eddy Bolton, Scott Johnson)
by Alicia Carson
We all surely know how easy it is to focus on our own bad habits, only to become frustrated and discouraged because the change we desire seems too far-fetched to hope for. And some of us – although we are Christians – find ourselves secretly persuaded that we are irrevocably sentenced to our present dark circumstance, despite the hope we should have in Christ. Maybe we’ve determined that we have earned our lot, or that our poor choices exceed the reach of God’s grace and mercy. But according to Romans 5:20, where sin abounds, God’s grace abounds even more. This is our hope; this is what Elliott McCoy, general manager and baritone vocalist for the Southern Gospel trio, Three Bridges, discovered after he gave heart to Jesus Christ in 1967.
“I felt I was so deep in sin that Christ would never forgive me,” says McCoy. “After I confessed my sins and asked Him to come into my heart, it honestly took me as many as six months to realize that, wow, God did forgive me.” It was after McCoy accepted God’s forgiveness that his life began to change in unbelievable ways.
In this week’s High Notes, Elliott McCoy shares how God’s abounding grace transformed him into an altogether different man, husband and father; he also explains how Bill Gaither’s song, Thanks to Calvary, inspires him and tells the story of his life.
A. Carson: Have you always loved to sing?
Elliott McCoy: Oh yes. When I was young, I sang all through school, but after I got out of high school, I sang rock ‘n roll music. Just like a lot of young people, I was raised in church, but I took the wrong path after I got away from my folks.
A. Carson: How did your folks take your decision?
Elliott McCoy: Oh, they didn’t like it. I’m sure it broke their hearts. But I knew they loved me, and when parents tell you, “No matter what you’ve done, we still love you,” that’s pretty powerful. Let me just add that I was actually raised by my grandparents. You see, my dad was killed before I was born; he was buried on May 11th and I was born on June 11th.
A. Carson: Wow.
Elliott McCoy: That's not all, Alicia. Shortly after his death, my mother left home and left me and a brother of mine with my grandparents. We never saw our mother for years after that. I guess I was probably a teenager before I ever saw her.
Having said all that, my grandparents were my parents; they were the only parents I knew. The only dad I knew was my grandfather and the only mother I knew was my grandmother. They treated me like I was their son. They were just tremendous people, and I can never say enough about them.
A. Carson: Eventually, you married and began a family of your own. Tell us about life for you as a family man.
Elliott McCoy: To be perfectly honest, I was just a young kid still drifting in the wrong direction. I took the wrong road and got involved in alcohol and things like that. And even though I got married and had a couple of kids, I was still living the wrong lifestyle. Now, looking back on things, I can admit that I was focused on myself, not my kids, and not my wife. It was all about me and what I wanted to accomplish.
A. Carson: So then, what led to your conversion? How were you led to Christ?
Elliott McCoy: An old high school buddy of mine invited me to go to church with him, and man, I didn’t want anything to do with church because I remembered how my grandparents lived, and I didn’t want to live that way. I was happy doing what I was doing. But my friend was persistent, and he kept inviting me until I finally went with him just to get him off my back!
A. Carson: What was that church experience like? Is that when you got saved?
Elliott McCoy: Oh no! In fact, I said I would never go back to that church because they were really preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I didn’t want to hear it. You know, when you’re sitting in church knowing you are a sinner, knowing you are living in sin, knowing you are going against everything you were taught – I just didn’t want to hear it, and I didn’t intend to ever go back. But my persistent friend kept on me until I finally said, “Alright, I’m going to go one more time, and I’ll bring my family with me.” So I did, and as far as I knew, that was going to be my last time in church. But God had a different plan. That Sunday morning, my wife and I went to the altar together, and we gave our lives to Christ, and we've never looked back since that day!
Not long afterward, another Christian friend introduced Elliott to music by Gospel groups like The McDuff Brothers, The Statesmen Quartet, The Blackwood Brothers, and Bill and Gloria Gaither. This is when Elliott fell in love with a song that is now so very meaningful to the entire McCoy family.
Elliott McCoy: At that time, I had three sons, and I heard a song Bill Gaither wrote called Thanks to Calvary. The lyrics say, “Thanks to Calvary, I’m not the man I used to be. Thanks to Calvary, things are different than before.” I just fell in love with that song, and I took my three little boys – they were just little guys then – and we started singing that and working on it at the house, and eventually, we sang it at our church. I would sing the first verse; then the boys would sing the next verse that says, “Thanks to Calvary, he’s not the dad he used to be” and wow! What a tremendous song! And what a tremendous blessing it is to know that thanks to Calvary, I’m not the dad I used to be! Without Christ, I really didn’t know how to love those little guys, but thanks to Calvary…wow…I’m getting emotional…
A. Carson: Your testimony is beautiful, Elliott. What are your sons’ names?
Elliott McCoy: Well, I’ve been blessed. My oldest son is Bryan, and my second-born is Ty. Then, I got saved and my third son came along, and we call him Matthew, and my forth son, his name is Aaron, and my fifth son, his name is Mark. Then, 14 years later, we had a beautiful daughter named Amanda. And I just feel so blessed. I give all the glory to God, not only for saving me, but for saving my family, my home, and my marriage. God is so good!
Not only did God create a new family life for the McCoys, but He also fashioned a new full-time music ministry for Elliott. Seven years ago, Elliott organized Three Bridges, now one of today’s premier Southern Gospel trios. He is the group’s manager and baritone vocalist; Eddy Bolton is the tenor vocalist; and Scott Johnson is lead. Their latest project is Breakin’ Chains. To learn more about Elliott McCoy and Three Bridges, visit www.threebridges.net.
