Author: William Carter, Jr.
Published: December 1, 2005
Tool: [ email ]
(My phone rings….)
William: Hello?
Vicki:: (excitedly) Hi! This is Vicki Yohe!
William: Well, hello Vicki, How are you?
Vicki:: I’m fine thank you.
William: Fantastic! Fantastic! I’m ready to begin our interview if you’re ready…?
Vicki:: I’m ready!
William: Okay, great. First of all let me begin by telling you who I am, because it’s just amazing that this interview came around. I’ve been doing some work with joe538.com and you know we’ve been reviewing music and interviewing artists and when they contacted me and asked me if I would interview Vicki Yohe I almost jumped –
Vicki:: OH!
William: - but let me tell you – I have to tell you who I am. About a year or so ago my godson (age eleven) passed away (in a car accident.).
Vicki:: Mmm Hmm.
William: And at the last minute I called your offices and asked if you would be willing to come and sing his favorite song at the services (Because Of Who You Are) – and you came!
Vicki:: YEEEEEES! Oh, my goodness! Now I know!
William: Well, I’m the guy who put in that humble request.
Vicki:: Awesome! This is really neat!
William: It IS really neat that our paths crossed again.
Vicki:: I’ve never done that before – or since – but we just felt we should, ya know? I had the time to do it and…….….WOW! This is so cool!
(mutual laughing)
William: Actually his (my godson’s) name came up at out church’s state convention and people are still talking about you. You just have no idea how well respected you are in our national church organization. A lot of people knew who he was and everyone was just blessed that you came. That tells us that you have a heart for ministry and you’re not just in this – ya know - for the professional aspects of it. And your track record speaks that as well.
Vicki:: Praise God.
William: So, just know that you’ve been a tremendous blessing in our lives.
Vicki:: Well, I’m excited to know who you are now. Thank you for telling me that. That’s great. You know we got that call and it was like, why wouldn’t I go? Ya know? It was just a few hours of a trip and I had to leave so I could get somewhere the next morning but I just really felt compelled to do that. When that happens to me, I have to do it, ya know?
William: Wow. That’s beautiful. That’s awesome.
Vicki:: (smiling) I have his picture - they gave me pictures of him!
William: Oh yeah? That was nice.
Vicki:: A nice young man. How long has that been now?
William: I think it’s been a year… Oh, no – no – no. It’s coming up on a year.
Vicki:: How’s his mom doing?
William: His mom is doing perhaps a lot better than you would expect – that being her only child. I think she’s doing very well in that she deals with her grief in a very healthy way. Ya know - lots of pictures and stuff like that. She talks about him a lot and does whatever she can to honor his memory and the church has really embraced her as well. So, she’s doing pretty good.
Vicki:: Wonderful. That’s good to hear.
William: Well, we’re really excited about your new project. I know a lot about you already so… (smiling) I’m trying to figure out where to begin! Let’s back up just a little bit. I noticed that there’s a little bit of difference in the new project and the previous project. I noticed songs like, “Highest Praise” and “In The Sanctuary” –
Vicki:: And “Deliverance!” (laughing)
William: Yes! Yes! “Deliverance!” So, what differences did you feel and what do you expect from the community as far as embracing this project is concerned? It’s a little different – a little more diverse than your previous project…
Vicki:: Right. We’ll obviously with all of my projects the Lord has really blessed with great producers and with this project I really wanted it to be… more “gospel.” And you know I’m a praise and worship person. I love to praise. I love to worship. I’m a worship leader. But… I’ll just go ahead and tell ya. I was really excited that Sanchez Harley was able to produce my CD.
William: Ah! I was going to ask about working with him.
Vicki:: I’ve never had a black producer. That was one thing I’ve always wanted. I’ve always wanted to be a part of the gospel music culture and the industry. The record companies that I was with, they were great. Don’t get me wrong because they were wonderful. But I always decided that if I could ever get into the black gospel market – ya know?
William: Right!
Vicki:: And thank God that CeCe Winans a couple of years ago signed me. The last record had something there and I love it. That’s actually one of my best CD’s “I Just Want You” “Because Of Who You Are” but I knew that there was another place I wanted to go. And thank God that Sanchez Harley produced eight of the songs.
William: Oh, wow!
Vicki:: Deliverance is available…that song is actually the first single released. Sanchez Harley has produced for Kirk Franklin, Aretha Franklin, Rizen, just a lot of people. He’s worked with Luther Vandross.
William: Mmmm!
Vicki:: And so when you listen to the CD and listen to some of the songs like “Deliverance” – see Sanchez has produced for Shirley Caesar – so when they got the deliverance song I teased Sanchez. I said, ‘You must think you’re recording for Shirley Caesar – you need SHIRLEY singing that song!
(mutual laughing)
That song was a stretch for me, but I believe that it’s going to be one of people’s favorite songs. I’m just believing God that as people are going down the road listening to that song on the radio, if they need to be delivered from anything that they can just be delivered. The song is just so anointed. In fact when I got to singing it towards the end, I was thinking about the different things that people need to be delivered from and there were so many things that came to my mind that the word ‘foul’ come out – delivered from every foul thing. That covers a lot of things.
“Highest Praise” is becoming a favorite and then on the other hand there are also two huge ballads. One is called, “He’s Been Faithful” and (the other) “In The Presence Of Jehovah.” A dear friend of mine, Geron Davis, he did those two songs and on “He’s Been Faithful” Brooklyn Tabernacle (choir) sang with me on that one.
William: I think that was the other song that you sang at the services. I think it was, “You’ve Been Faithful.”
Vicki:: Yep. “You’ve Been Faithful” and the track that I used was actually a Brooklyn Tabernacle track. Now this new CD has a new track. In the middle of it we put “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” This new track – oh – it’s just so much fun to sing and just to see the people join in and really respond and really, really thank Him for His faithfulness.
William: Great! Well, I was going to ask you what it was like working with Sanchez Harley. I know that had to be awesome. He’s so accomplished. You’ve pretty much already answered that question. Did he push you quite a bit?
(laughing)
Vicki:: Yes! Sanchez pushed meeeeeeeeee. He really did! Especially at the beginning, he really pushed me. And, that’s what I want. I don’t want a producer just to let me go in there and sing. I want to be challenged. Every CD that I do, I want it to go to another level. He sure did that.
William: I want to talk a little bit about “I Just Want You.” I know that you’ve been in ministry for quite a while and you’ve been singing for years but that just took the African American community by storm. There were so many people, and I was one of them, who went to the store to buy the CD and our jaw dropped (laughing) when we saw the cover! Not that it mattered, but we just did not know that you were not African American. We still we embraced your music. That is something that is very exciting to us when someone embraces our culture and is able to minister to us and do it effectively. So, I think it was interesting when you said that it was something you wanted to get more into. I know that’s what people are wanting more of from you. I mean, they absolutely loved that project! I just left a convention and someone sang one of your songs from that project. Another one of my godchildren sings “You Amaze Me,”
Vicki:: Awe….
William: My church youth dept. did a little praise dance off of it and it was beautiful.
Vicki:: Awesome!
William: And we were looking forward to your next project. So, I think you’ve done well.
Vicki:: Well, you know what? My father pastored a seventy percent black - can I just say ‘black?’
William: Sure.
(Brief pause followed by some hard laughing)
Vicki:: You know? People call us white, but we’re not really white WHITE white, ya know?!
William: We say it. We say black too. Okay?
Vicki:: Okay. It just don’t take so long, you know? We’re doin’ this interview and all.
(both still laughing)
Vicki:: But, my father pastored a seventy percent black church. I grew up and I didn’t even know anything about racism until I was probably in my teens.
William: Wow.
Vicki:: It doesn’t matter to me – black or white. And I’ve always had soul. My father and mother had a trio that sang the black gospel music a cappella. And so I was around that my whole life. But when I got to where I was going to be recording, the smaller companies that approached me that I signed with were more contemporary. So, they kinda took me and did with me what they could do with me. But, thank God you know the last couple of CD’s, God has just taken it to a whole new level. But, I appreciate what they did. God is so faithful and in time God gives you the desires of your heart. He IS faithful!
William: Absolutely, true. So
Vicki:, how did it feel to be nominated for a Dove Award?
Vicki:: That was a neat thing! That was really neat. How does it feel? I probably bought eighty tickets for every family member I’ve got around the country.
(laughing)
They all came in and you know CeCe actually won that Dove Award which that was fine with me, you know – all in the family – we’re on the same record label so it was just awesome. I always said from the beginning that just being nominated was awesome. You know, I’ve been traveling now for fifteen years and that was actually my seventh CD. So, finally for them to recognize that – that was just really, really exciting for me.
William: That’s funny you say that because a song that I wrote was nominated for a Dove Award in 2002 and it was in the same category with CeCe Winans, “Anybody Wanna Pray” and she won that one too -
Vicki:: Oh yeah?
William: and not that we expected to win! (laughing) But it was ironic that you said that.
Vicki:: What song did you write?
William: The name of the song is “’Bout It.” It was recorded by Willie Norwood – pop artist , Brandy’s father.
Vicki:: Yes!
William: He did a gospel CD with Atlantic Records and it snagged a Dove Award nomination. I was shocked. Everybody was shocked. But it really was a great experience just to be in that atmosphere and have an opportunity to meet so many people.
Vicki:: Yeah. It was a wonderful night. I went down to the GMA office (Gospel Music Association) and bought all those tickets – they were just like, ‘Wow!’ I said, ‘Hey! I’m gettin’ ‘em!” Ya know?
William: Of course!
Vicki:: You can tell I was nominated – all those extra tickets.
(more laughing)
Vicki:: So, it was a great experience.
William: Okay, so let’s back up a little bit further. I know that you had some releases prior to the one that we know so well, but you actually started back in the early 90’s recording. I want you to tell me what it was like working with an independent label and what it was like when you made that switch to more of a major label. We have a lot of people now that I’m sure will be reading this interview and they’re recording independently and you were able to make that transition. But, just talk about the differences, pros, cons, or what that whole experience was like.
Vicki:: Well, my first CD I did on my own. It was independent. I was just by myself. I never worked with a record company or anything – even independent. I did it on my own; a custom album. And then, my next album, I actually did that one also on my own. Then a record company, which owned a studio, that we asked to do the mixing for it actually signed that one. So, I was there for several years. You know, I think it’s all a process. It’s all a learning thing. I think God just really puts us through a process and what we have to do is take it a day at a time. I did a CD at a time. Lord, here’s where I am now. This is the door you opened for me now. I’m not singing because I’m hoping to get a record deal. I wasn’t singing a song hoping that someone would sign me. I never sent one of my CD’s to any record company asking them to sign me. I’ve never done that because I firmly believe that God has a plan for our lives. Sometimes people get ahead of Him and they mess things up completely. So, I knew it was a process. I was traveling for more than twelve years before I actually got signed. It’s a new company but it’s done what God wanted it to do. It’s major to sign with a woman like that – a powerful woman of God like CeCe Winans. So, it was all in God’s plan. I advise people that did a custom album or are with an independent label to just wait. Just be content in where you are. I did probably three…four…five… I did six CD’s on a small label. I knew God was taking me somewhere. But, I sing not because I want to sign with a major label. I’m singing because I love it. You see, you do what you love to do and if I never got anybody to sign me, I would still continue to do singing because that’s not what I do it for.
William: That’s the beauty of it.
Vicki:: I know that when you get your heart right and when you get your focus right, God honors that. I was a music director at a church for five years and only missed one service in five years. The pastor knew and I knew that it was just a season for me and that in time God would move me on. People say, ‘I wanna travel and do what you do.’ I say, ‘Well, are you plugged into your local church?’ ‘Well…no….I just wanna traaaaaaaaaavel.’
(laughing)
Then I say, ‘Well are you involved in the music program at your church? I go to churches that have great music programs’ They say, ‘Nah. I don’t wanna be doin’ that. I just wanna do what you’re doing.’ God’s gotta see that you’re faithful to Him in small things. God wants to see your heart and see that you can be faithful.
William: There are so many people who do want that. I don’t know if it’s the fame or the glory of it all or wanting everyone to know their name but they just wanna jump there. But, I think it’s beautiful that you did what you did and would have continued to do that regardless. Your fans know that that’s true because they can feel it in your music. They can see it when they look in your eyes – you know, when you’re on stage - that you do embrace it as a ministry and you’d be willing to do that regardless.
Vicki:: Well, William if it wasn’t ministry… I wouldn’t be singing this type of music.
William: Mmmm……
Vicki:: You know? There’s just no way! I don’t understand. Some singers that sing the gospel just for fame and fortune…why would you sing gospel music? I don’t understand that. It puzzles me so, so much. I always tease everybody because I’m about thirty pounds over weight and I always say, ‘Well, if it wasn’t for God, I’d get real, real skinny and go down there on music row (in Nashville) and REALLY get me a record deal!
(laughing)
I want to tell you something about that CD we were talking about, that “I Just Want You” CD. If it didn’t minister to me, I don’t see how it can minister to other people. I had a lady to e-mail us and she said that she walked into her bedroom and her husband was sitting on the bed and had a gun to his head. She walked in and she went hysterical asking what he was doing. He said he was going to end it all. He was tired of the marriage trouble, the financial problems, ‘I just can’t deal with it; I just want to end it.’ She said oh no no, no no! Oh, Honey no no! Let me go get it. And she went and got my CD and she played the song on the CD called “In The Waiting”
William: Yeah!
It talks about, I want a peace beyond my understanding – I wanna feel it fall like rain in the middle of my hurting. (continuing with high emotions) She said she played that song for her husband. And he laid that gun down. He began to weep and he said, ‘I’m going to wait on God.’
William: Oh, hallelujah!
Vicki:: So, that was just a testimony to me that what we sing is so important. When I put a song on my CD, it can’t be a song that’s just okay, but to realize that people’s lives are at stake and it’s that important. Ministry is the whole focus. My ministry is called
Vicki: Yohe Ministries. You haven’t asked me about this but I’m gonna tell you about this. We’re opening an orphanage –
William: Oh! The orphanage in Uganda! I was going to definitely ask about that!
Vicki:: (Laughing) Yeah! In Uganda. But let me backtrack because in February of this year we spoke that we were going to open an orphanage in Jinja, Uganda. And after being married for nine years, not having any children, desiring to have a baby but it hadn’t happened, a month and a half later after we spoke about the 1.7 million parentless children in Jinja, Uganda, my friend Darlene Bishop who has a home for unwed mothers called Darlene Bishop Home For Life, called me up and said ‘
Vicki:, I’ve got a young girl here. She just came to our home. Her baby’s gonna be born in one week. She wants to give you her baby.’
William: Whoa!
Vicki:: I went there a week later. Walker Winston is what we named him. He’s a biracial baby – just beautiful. This young girl hid her pregnancy for eight months because her parents were racists and she was afraid to tell them. Her family was so upset that they considered abortion. In my thinking, that’s a partial birth abortion at eight months.
William: Well, yes!
Vicki:: But, thank God the girl fought and said, ‘No. I want my baby adopted.” But, Walker is seven months old now. He’s already flown a hundred and two times.
(laughing)
He has is own website: www.walkerwinstonhodges.com and he WILL be the president of the United States one of these days.
William: Cool!
Vicki:: About two months ago, Bishop T. D. Jakes and Pastor Bill Winston out of Chicago, that’s who Walker’s named after – Walker Winston.
William: Ah! Bill Winston. Yes! I know of his ministry.
Vicki:: They dedicated Walker in Chicago.
William: Oh, wow!
Vicki:: So, Walker is like our Moses. In fact, when Bishop Jakes was dedicating him, he spoke of Moses several times and we have a picture of Walker in a basket. But Walker is going to lead people. He’s going to do some awesome things for the kingdom of God. So, you have to go check him out on his website.
William: That is great. I am definitely going to do that. I’m thinking about your song, “You Amaze Me” right now because God just does some amazing things when He starts strategically putting things in place. He knows what He’s doing even from the beginning - with your upbringing, you talked about being in a church that was multi-racial even predominately black.
Vicki:: And look at what God sent me; a biracial baby!
William: Yes! Yes! And I mean how that just shaped your views about society. You didn’t even see color, and then God used your ministry to be there to be a blessing to someone.
Vicki:: This last CD “He’s Been Faithful” has pictures of Walker inside the cover. Every time I look at him I say, ‘You’re going to be the president of the United States’ and he just starts laughing.
(laughing)
But people speak so much doom and gloom in their children’s lives. But your words are so powerful.
William: They are! Especially from the parents. You have to speak positives into your children’s lives.
Vicki:: You do!
William: Well, I have to ask, did you have any idea that “Because Of Who You Are” would be as huge as it was? I mean it’s almost a hymn at some local churches. It’s one of those songs that everyone knows and everyone has heard all across the country. Did you somehow know or expect that or were you shocked?
Vicki:: My friend, Martha Munizzi, she wrote that song about five or six years ago.
William: Yes and she’s quite an artist herself right about now.
Vicki:: She’s wonderful. But, you know we’ve been friends for years.
William: Okay.
Vicki:: Her church actually recorded “Because Of Who You Are” on their church CD. So, I called her and I got the track from that church CD many years ago. I’d been singing that song for probably about three or four years before I recorded it, using their track. Then, when I signed with CeCe, they had heard me singing it on TBN and everything. I said, ‘You know I’ve never recorded it and I think I need to, since I’ve been singing it forever’ They said, ‘Let’s record it.’ So we called Martha and she said ‘Oh yeah! You’ve got to record that song!’ You know, she’s recorded it since, and a lot of people have recorded it since…Was I shocked? (pause) Yeah. I was shocked.
(mutual laughing)
Yeah. I was really shocked. I was thankful, but I was very shocked – pleasantly shocked. It’s really great for the body of Christ to sing that song. We’ve got to come before Him and love on Him because of who He is. Not because of what He’s done, not because of what you want Him to do, but He’s looking for people who will walk into His presence and say I love you just because of who you are. That takes a true worshiper who really loves God to say that. It’s human nature to say, ‘Oh we’re gonna praise you if you do something for us.’
William: And I think that’s why it touches people’s heart so because it really is two fold. Those, like you said, who are true worshipers are going to latch onto that because it’s a part of who they are and what they feel in their heart when they worship God. But, even for those who have it out of context, who are going to church or tithing just for of what they expect out of it – to hear you sing that song just kind of refocuses and humbles everybody and brings us all on the same wavelength.
Vicki:: Praise God!
William: Benny Hinn! You led worship for a Benny Hinn crusade! You know, we see him on TV and often he’ll pull in great singers to lead praise and worship but I’ve never been to crusade. There may be others who haven’t either. I just wanna know what that atmosphere is like; being on that stage among all of those people just worshiping God.
Vicki:: I went to India with him and sang in front of 2.8 million people. To sing in that atmosphere to people who just really need Jesus in India was absolutely incredible. What people don’t realize is that what you see on TV is just clips of people coming up and giving their testimony. But what you don’t understand is before all of that happens, Benny Hinn is leading people in worship for about an hour and a half to two hours.
William: Getting in the presence of God.
Vicki:: Yeah. In fact, what is so interesting is that Benny Hinn doesn’t lay hands on anybody. When everybody is out in the audience and we’re worshipping for an hour and a half or two hours, then they come up and give their testimonies. They are actually healed from being in the presence of God.
William: Mmmmm. And they just come forward to testify about it.
Vicki:: And that’s what’s so awesome! I always tell people in my concert services that the miracle you need in your life is on the other side of your worship. That’s what He wants. He wants your worship. He knows your situation. He knows what you’re going through, but He wants your worship. He wants you to lift your hands and magnify Him and He will heal your body. That is the most incredible atmosphere that I’ve ever been in. His crusade services are about four hours long and all you see on TV is probably about maybe ten minutes. So, anybody who ever judges that has got to be at his crusade from the beginning to the end. Then you will actually see the power of God.
William: Wonderful! We’ll
Vicki: I’d like to know what you would say to individuals out there who have a heart for ministry and want theirs to spread across the world and across the country like yours has…..Maybe…..Maybe finances are a problem for them, they’re looking for a sponsor, just can’t seem to get anything off of the ground. What would you say to those people?
Vicki:: I’ve got something to tell them.
William: Okay…
Vicki:: Be consistent in what you’re doing. Don’t beg. Pray, seek God, continue to sing. God doesn’t order something if He can’t pay for it.
William: Wow….that’s real…that’s real right there.
Vicki:: Yeah! Maybe they’re desiring something in their heart that maybe God doesn’t really want. But, God doesn’t order something that He can’t pay for. You know, there’s a lot of people and they want to travel and sing and have a CD. It might not be God’s will. It’s a personal thing that THEY want to do. I had a situation in my life – and I won’t go into it – but I prayed and fasted about the situation for a long, long time. I got down to skin and bones because I wanted a situation to happen. And God began to speak to me. He said, ‘You can get down to skin and bones and they can bury you. That’s what YOU want to do, but that’s not my will.’ You can fast until you are bones. If it’s not God’s will, it ain’t gonna happen.
William: Mmmm… So, sometimes we fast and pray for God to permit us to do what we wanna do rather than asking Him what His will is for our lives – and accepting it.
Vicki:: Yeah! And it’s not the will of God for everybody to make a CD.
William: True.
Vicki:: And you may be a great singer. You may be a great worship leader. But God has called some people for that local body.
William: That’s so true.
Vicki:: It’s a fact! But, I encourage people all of the time to love what they do, live for God, be real, but let God open doors. Let God do it.
William: Well, one final question, what’s down the road for
Vicki: Yohe? Five years down the road? I know you’re going to get the orphanage off of the ground in Uganda…
Vicki:: Officially in January. We’re excited about that. I’m doing an Easter tour next year coming up. I’m not free to tell you all of the artists that will be a part because it’s in the final stages.
William: But we can look for an Easter tour.
Vicki:: Yes. I’ll just continue to travel and will be doing a lot more overseas stuff. In fact, I’ll be leaving to do a women’s conference tomorrow in London. Our website is www.
Vicki:yohe.org, you can just go on there and see what’s going on in the ministry. Great things are happening and we’re really excited. I’m going to be performing at the Prism Awards that will be December 15th and that’s a new avenue for me and I’m excited.
William: It has been a pleasure and an honor to speak with you. Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. Have a safe trip to London.
Vicki:: Thank you, William. Bye! Bye!
William: Bye!
