Author: Rochelle S. Andrews
Published: December 31, 1969
Tool: [ email ]
Minister Byron Cage is fast becoming known as one of the leading Praise and Worship leaders in the country. He has spent more than 15 years as a Praise and Worship leader first at New Birth Cathedral in Atlanta, GA, and currently at Ebenezer A.M.E. Church in Fort Washington, MD. At Ebenezer A.M.E. he is the senior minister of church worship and music administration. He is also the international minister of music for the Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship, a major organization of Baptist churches.
Minister Cage began singing at an early age, and performed his first church solo at age four. Growing up he became a vocal soloist, choir director and instrumentalist as well. Early in his career he was a guest artist on a Commissioned album, and starred in a Michael Matthew’s drama production. He toured with Thomas Whitfield in the mid-80s before attending Morehouse College in Atlanta on a full music scholarship.
In the mid-90s, Minister Cage recorded two albums, and was then asked by Gospo Centric’s Vicki Mack Lataillade, to write and perform a song on the Full Gospel Baptist Fellowship album. That song “Shabach” took the churches of America by storm. When another song he penned, “Yet Praise Him”, also became a hit on the second Full Gospel CD, it was time for Cage to do a solo project.
That project was the self-titled album the came out in February 2003. Produced by Kurt Carr and with songs penned by Carr, Donnie McClurkin, Michael Brooks and Cage himself, the album was recorded live at New Birth Cathedral in Atlanta.
The reception of the CD has been phenomenal it has become a top seller on the gospel charts. Also, the CD has been nominated for five Stellar awards, including “Male Vocalist of the Year” and “CD of the Year.”
Known as the “Prince of Praise”, Minister Cage is wrapping up touring the country on the Evolution II Tour 2003. The Evolution II Tour 2003 also includes artists: Percy Bady, Tonex, Virtue, Lisa McClendon, Corey Red and Precise. The tour began in October and went through 20+ cities.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of doing a phone interview with Minister Cage. We spoke as Minister Cage was preparing for a concert in Huntsville, Alabama. Below are excerpts from the interview.
RA: Minister Cage, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Congratulations on your Stellar award nominations. It must have been exciting to hear about the nominations as well as the number of nominations.
BC: God is good, and I am very flattered.
RA: Can you tell us a little bit your background, you are known as the “Prince of Praise” tell us a little about how you got where you are today?
BC: God is good, I originally grew up in Grand Rapids, MI and later my major music influence happened in Detroit when I was singing with Thomas Whitfield, doing things with Rev. Donald Vails, and the Clark Sisters. The lord really blessed me to grow up in Detroit in a time that I call the Golden Era of Gospel music. I knew that is what I wanted to do in that particular time. When went to college with a music scholarship in Atlanta, I said okay Lord I am going to move to Atlanta and do my thing there, and of course music followed me in a strong way there. I got a chance to meet and work for Bishop Eddie Longs church (New Birth Cathedral) at a time when it was a smaller church and then ten years later it grew into what it was and going from there to Washington D.C (Ebenezer A.M.E.)
I guess I always knew music was going to be my thing, it is what God had gifted me to do, every area of my life has taken me down that road, the plays, doing different television shows, working with large performers like Michael Jackson, Natalie Cole and Quincy Jones and those kind of guys. I just watched God take my musicianship and my music gifts to the masses and not even just the church walls, but even stretching beyond that, but all the while still taking the name of Jesus Christ wherever I go.
RA: You mentioned Bishop Longs’ church being a smaller church it is hard to think of it ever being a small church. What was it like then?
BC: I got there in 1988, it was a Missionary Baptist church at that time and they were at about 300 members. Bishop Long had only been there 10 months before I got there.
RA: I became acquainted with your ministry when I heard “Shabach” at the Full Gospel convention. That song became so popular that I think I heard of some clubs that played the song.
BC: I didn’t hear that but I wouldn’t be surprised though, it was a fun song, I originally heard it in a slower version and I picked it up and made it what it is today. I think it was a time when people were beginning to learn different languages for what praise was, so it was a teaching tool at the same time. I believe it was a catalyst for the Baptist churches especially to embrace Praise and Worship instead of the traditional Deacon kneeling on the chair doing the song. This was actually a new kind of revolutionizing concept musically.
RA: Can you tell me some of your musical influences both in Gospel as well as if you have some in R&B or secular area.
BC: I think I really have always respected and thanked God for my mentor who probably spoke more into my life musically than anyone else, and that would be Minister Thomas Whitfield, and I am just grateful to God for all the impact he had on me. As well as Rev Donald Vails, both of them have gone home to be with the Lord. But they both impacted my musical life so tremendously, and I am the director I am today because of Donald Vails, but I believe I am the music and worshipper I am today because of Minister Thomas Whitfield. You know I have always liked different secular artists but I can’t say that they have impacted me, I can say that I enjoy them, but they don’t impact me like gospel can.
RA: You spoke about going to Morehouse for musical training. So you received your degree in music?
BC: I received a music scholarship and I majored in vocal performance. I used to sing first tenor in the glee club and also in the Morehouse College Quartet.
RA: Can you speak a little about the training and the hard work it takes to be a professional singer. A lot of young people want to sing, they want to be like you, but they may not understand what it requires to get the job done.
BC: You can have a degree in almost anything and the training really help you get ahead when you need to get ahead in that particular area. But music is different, those degrees are great, but if you have the musical gifting and talent, book knowledge does not equal the ability to do music. I have been gifted to sing, so singing came as a natural thing to me. However, I knew singing wise, what was going to get me where I needed to go was being faithful to God and what He required me to do. Also being faithful in perfecting my gift and my craft. I knew that my talent would be marketable and something that people would want to hear, so I trained for years and years and years. Though I always knew that music was something that I love to do and I have been gifted to do, I did not necessarily need a degree to be successful at it.
What I needed was persistence and the ability to be able to go forth and work very hard and not be satisfied working in corporate America. I worked in corporate America and then I stopped in 1989 and I decided that music was what I wanted to do completely and full-time and I did not want to do corporate America anymore. I did not want to be guilty of succeeding at doing the wrong thing. Though I could be in corporate America, I am an articulate African American male, who is intelligent, I could do all that, but I knew deep down in my heart, that is not what satisfies me, that is not what makes me happy at the end of the day. Mother always told me if you wake up doing something and you go to bed doing something that is what you are supposed to be doing, whatever your passion is. And I knew that my passion would eventually bring forth my purpose, and my purpose is music and that’s what I have been doing.
RA: In talking about purpose and walking in your purpose can you tell our audience about walking in purpose and not compromising in your music. While your songs have great cross over appeal, there is no doubt that you are singing about the name of Jesus.
BC: My intentions are clear I am a worship leader. And when I lead people in Praise and Worship on my CD’s I don’t want anybody to misconstrue or get anything else from it. Though it is the Apostle Paul that said “…we are to become all things to all people that we can win some…” God does call some people to go out there to go on the side and win souls that may not come into the church. So you have your hard-core rappers and urban singers that are talking about the message of Christ. You have the Kirk Whalum’s that are saved, though he is a Jazz saxophonist. He may do a jazz concert, but in between the songs he talks about the love of Christ and that’s why he plays the way he does.
Those are witnessing tools that God has gifted some people, not everybody, with He gives grace to them to go out on that level and speak to secular people at the same time that they might hear the message of Christ. They didn’t come to the concert to hear gospel music, they came to hear jazz and Kirk Whalum, but in the course of the concert he deposits the seeds of Christ. I am thankful for the Donnie’s, Yolanda’s and Kirk’s, because God has really used them to go out there and bring a whole new level to this thing that we call Gospel music, and I am just honored to be a part.
RA: God is blessing tremendously in your life right now. You have some of the highest number of Stellar nominations and your song “The Presence of the Lord” is nominated for song of the year. That song is being sung everywhere. What are your thoughts on reaching those who may not come to the four walls of the church, but may be touched by hearing a song like that, or any of the songs on a gospel CD?
BC: The word says they shall know that we are Christians by the display of love that we show one to another, that even if I don’t go into my workstation and sit down and browbeat Jesus, Jesus, Jesus over your head, the love that I display and the way that I am towards people, brings out the light of Christ. Jesus Christ said He was a servant He came to serve man. As such, we should have a servants’ heart so that in everything that we have been called to do, we are servants unto the Lord. And as we serve God and as we serve people He will draw them and we will not necessarily have to preach, but the light will draw them and they will want the peace we have. God will open up opportunities to witness and minister on another level that normally people would not come to church to receive.
You can minister to somebody at your job that your pastor cannot minister to. When you think of it that way it is a humbling experience to think that there you were just a year ago, two years ago, ten years ago etc. when you once were lost, then the Lord brought you to the marvelous light of His salvation. So now it is our job and duty to live the kind of life so that people know that we are different, and then they find out that we are Christians, we are walking with the Lord. And if they see light, and when light comes into darkness it exposes the darkness, it takes over the darkness, and people can’t help but notice that light is in the building and they want the light we have.
RA: Can you tell us a little about what is going on with Byron Cage in the future? What is next after the tour and into next year?
BC: The Lord is opening some great doors that I am very thankful for. After the Evolution II tour is over, I go to Japan and do a tour there with Pastor Hezekiah Walker. Then I have a couple more things in December, then I am taking the rest of the month off to spend time with my family and relax. Next year I start a play called “When Mother Jenkins Prays…” it is David Talbots new play. That starts in January and I have a starring role in that on a four-month tour. I will also be playing in a movie called the “Alternate Sunday.” Those are the next major things I will be doing after this tour and that should keep me busy well throughout 2004.
So I have just said to the Lord, wherever I can take your name Lord. He knows I desire to be in television and to do movies and to things at different levels that maybe we as gospel artists don’t always get the opportunity to do. So He is opening those doors now, and you know I am not closed. The only thing I am closed to is if they want me to compromise who it is that God has called me to be.
RA: Minister Cage, I appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. Do you have any words you would like to give our audience or nuggets that can inspire them in their life?
BC: One of my favorite scriptures says “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” understanding that the kingdom of God is worship, the kingdom of God is provision, in the kingdom of God are His divine will and purpose that He has established in our lives, no matter what obstacles come our way. He said that He will that we prosper and be in good health even as our soul prospers unto Him, so seek first His kingdom, His righteousness, and everything you want will be added unto you, everything you need shall be added unto you so just be encouraged and never be to busy to praise him.
