How long has the Daryl Williams Trio been trucking around the country singing Gospel Music?
The trio was formed in February of 1995 but Karen and I began traveling around the country and singing as a duet in January of 1994 just after I left the Speer Family. I went from being on a nice bus with my own bunk and a driver to jumping in a two-door Toyota Tercel with my wife and a very cranky 2 month old.
Who were the people in your original group?
Myself, Karen, and Mark Hall from Hope Arkansas. Mark moved to Nashville to attend Belmont College. He sang with us for two years and then moved back to Arkansas in 1997. He is now married and has three children.
Anyone who has ever been to a service with the Daryl Williams Trio knows that you get pretty excited about what you are singing. Where does all that emotion and excitement come from? Mom, Dad, or are you different from both of them?
Mom and Dad both sang in church, but they were not nearly as loud as I am. My voice teachers always told me to sing from my diaphram.
But my Mom always told me to sing from my toes up. She was trying to teach me to put everything I have into it.
But first, she taught me about the Christ I was singing about. The excitement and emotions come from my personal relationship with the Person Who gives the song.
Does that exuberance come through in your songwriting?
I hope so! I want my songs to reach people right where they are in whatever circumstance they are in.
You are such a phenomenal song writer, but you do occasionally sing someone else's song. As an example, you do an outstanding job on "I've Come Too Far To Look Back", written by Nancy Harmon. How is it different singing a song written by another songwriter?
There are so many great songwriters that have written things that I want to say. And I am amazed at how much better some writers are able to articulate what I am trying to say. I certainly didn't become a songwriter because God didn't have enough good one's already. When I hear a song that takes me by surprise or says what I want to say, then I'll usually sing it.
What's your favorite song to perform that you did not write?
I love to sing old Hymns. "Glory To His Name," "At The Cross," "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," and "Standing On the Promises" are some of my favorites. I often pull some of these out in concert and sing them from the piano.
But some songs that I have recorded and still love to sing are "I'VE COME TOO FAR TO LOOK BACK" by Nancy Harmon and "HE'S STILL IN THE FIRE" by Tim Hill. I recorded "HE'S STILL IN THE FIRE" with the Speer Family on their 70th Anniversary album. Although the song had already been recorded in the studio and released as a single with Bill Itzell singing the lead, many people assumed that when they heard me singing it on stage, that I wrote it. It had already been a #1 song before I ever sang it the first time. We still get requests for it on the road. Even last week, someone else came to me and told me it was their favorite song I had ever written. I usually just say, "thank you." Tim Hill is a friend of mine and he'd do the same thing.
Speaking of your songwriting, what song has made you the most money....... no, just kidding, but what song have you penned do you feel has been the most successful, and what in your opinion has made it such a success for you?
"Glory To God In The Highest" has been a song that just won't seem to die. I wrote it in December of 1992. In the Spring of 1993 I put it on a solo project. About the same time I was recording my project, Don DeGrate and Strong Tower cut it on Homeland Records. It was then recorded and singled by the Mike Speck Trio. It charted in the top 40 for them.
About the same time that Mike Speck Trio had it on the charts, it was also recorded by the Inspirations. Later it was recorded by the Booth Brothers and Brian Free and Assurance. It was then recorded by the Old Friends Quartet and put out as a single again. Again it charted in the Top 40. Bill Gaither then used it on three Homecoming Videos. Then Ernie Haase and Signature Sound recorded it on their Christmas album. Bill Gaither used it again on his Canadian Homecoming video. It was also used as the opening song on Signature Sound's top selling video. Last year the Inspirations recut it again on their latest CD.
It has been published in several Christmas Choral compilations, and octavos. Word Music still has a Lari Goss arrangement of it in their current catologue.
I have had many songs that were recorded multiple times, but "Glory To God In The Highest" has probably had the most major label licenses than any other of my songs.
Are there any songs that you have written, that after you heard someone record it, you sort of wish you could get that song back? It better NOT be "Absolutely Free"!!!!! LOL
(For anyone who might not know, Sunday Edition recorded "Absolutely Free".)
Yes, and it was not "Absolutely Free." I can tell you though, it has happened but not often. I'm usually thrilled with the recordings I hear.
Do you have any idea of how many songs you have written?
I wrote over 400 songs before I ever had one published. I don't have an exact number, but I can safely say that it is over 1000.
Karen is certainly the beauty of the group. How in the world did you manage to marry that far above your head? LOL
Believe it or not, I used to be young, thin, and fairly good looking. When we got married, we decided to grow old together. I've just got a head start on it. A couple of years ago my little boy looked at our wedding picture and asked "Is that Mommy's first husband?"
And..... if I may ask of Karen, what in the world were you thinking???? How long have you two been married, tell us a little of how you got together.
Karen: It was complete and utter blackmail. Daryl knew things about me that I didn't want exposed to the world. What do mean what was I thinking? I was head over heels in love - still am!!! Plus, I knew that if he was in Gospel music he must be rich, right? Daryl and I have known each other all of our lives. I was friends with his sister (much younger sister, I might add) and he wouldn't give me the "time of day." Of course, I was 11 years old and the biggst dilemas I had faced was choosing Donny Osmond over Keith Partridge and deciding what color of lipgloss I would wear that day. A few years later, I showed up for his sister's wedding (with a date). I caught his attention that day! (must've chosen the right lipgloss). Then I played hard to get. I had every intention of letting him catch me, I just wanted him to have to run a little. Let's see, 15 and a 1/2 years, three kids and a bunch of lost and dead animals later, here we are.
Since it is the Daryl Williams Trio, we tend to mostly talk about Daryl Williams, however, there is a third member of this fine group. Tell us about Shannon Knight. What does he bring to the group? I've heard that he is the only yodeler in Southern Gospel Music? What other attributes do he bring to the group?
Shannon joined us in May of 1997. He left the group for two years but rejoined us in 2005. He is a wonderful singer!But what he brings to the group goes far beyond his talent. He is an exceptional Christian man, husband and father. He is an ordained minister who is able to flow in the Spirit, whichever way the Holy Spirit leads us at the time. I have thrown him a lot of curve balls on stage over the years, but I can truthfully say that he caught every one of them.
As far as the yodeling, I never thought we'd get so many requests for that. Many years ago Shannon learned the little tune that they use on the Price Is Right, where the little mountian climber goes up the side of a mountain and falls off if you've overbid. When we first heard Shannon singing with another group in Alabama, they had him sing this little yodeling song, and I thought it was hilarious. So I started having him do it on stage with us. And now, anytime we sing at a place where someone has heard him do it, they always request it. We even have people ask which CD of ours has it. Maybe if we do a live album someday, we might put it on there. But I don't know how I feel about having to pay royalties on a yodel.
I know that you are originally from California. Do you guys sing much out west?
For many years we made at least two west coast trips a year. Sometimes we would go out there three times in one year and stay as long as one month. As our family grew, those long trips became much more difficult, so in recent years, we have cut it down to one trip a year. Some of our favorite churches are out there and we still have a lot of family in California so it will always be a part of our touring schedule
Tell us just where is the Daryl Williams Trio prepared to travel in order to minister?
Karen recently shared the Gospel with a fellow passenger on Southwest airlines on our way home from Chicago. Shannon just led an elderly man to the Lord in a resthome in his hometown. We are prepared to travel anywhere and minister on the way there and back or we are prepared to minister right at home. It's not as much about the geographical location as the willingness and the opportunity. We have sung from the East Coast to the West Coast. Anywhere someone gives us an open door to minister the Gospel in song, we will go. I would love to take our ministry outside the United States. We have had reqests for places as far away as Scotland, and Austrailia. But we have not yet been able to put the tour together and make the trip. The Lord has allowed us to be a part of TBN's Unfolding Majesty for the past 7 years which is broadcast around the world. But we still await the opportunity to visit other nations in person.
If someone wanted to book the Daryl Williams Trio, how would they go about that?
Contact our office at 615-260-8032
If someone books the Daryl Williams Trio, what can they expect to see when you hit the stage?
Three people. That's why we call ourselves a trio - it means three. Oh, you want a serious answer!! We do like to have fun and we have a lot of it on stage. It is our first goal to make friends with the people we are singing to because then we can lead them to our ultimate goal which is worship and a time of ministry. It's hard to lead someone if they don't trust you. And when you laugh with someone, you tend to ease up a little and begin to relate to them. Our programs are seldom the same. Because we want to relate to the specific people we are singing to which might mean different songs and different testimonies, stories, etc. Different audiences have different needs and we want to always be sensitive to the individual situations. But the one thing you will see on every stage is three uniquely, gifted individuals that love the Lord with all their heart and can't help but overflow with excitement everytime they get the opportunity to sing and tell about that love that has forevermore changed their lives.
As an award winning songwriter, do you have any advice for up and coming songwriters?
Study the music and lyrics of writers who move you to tears. Examine the songs that cause you to rejoice. Look at how they are put together. And then get away by yourself and spend some time with God. Pray for the anointing to fall on you. Pray for the talent to rise up in you. And above all, give God the Glory for it all.
If you could only write one more song, what would the theme of that song be?
Wow, that's a new question, that I don't remember being asked before. If I knew that I only had time to write one more song, I guess it would have to be about Salvation through the blood bought sacrifice of Christ on the cross. I don't know of a more important message that anyone would need to hear. I know that messege has been written over and over again but as long as their is still one person out there who has not given their heart to the Lord, I'm gonna write about it, sing it, and share it!
Visit The Daryl Williams Trio online at http://www.darylwilliamstrio.net
Author: SGN
| Author's Website: http://sogospelnews.com/
Written: 01/15/2008
| 
Category: Feature Articles
Comments: 6
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Great interview! We love you guys, keep up the great work. Daryl, thanks for being willing to teach the art of songwriting to me--I think I'm getting it!--I know, I know, Dig Deeper...
DW knows what I think about him and his trio. We have been blessed everytime we have had them in AR. They are some of God's BEST!
Paul Jackson / The Prophets
Paul Jackson / The Prophets
http://www.pauljacksongroup.com/blog
Great interview. Some of us have not had the opportunity to see/hear DWT but this sure makes me want to.
Earl
Fabulous inteview! Thank you for sharing this wonderful and heartwarming article with us!
Blessings,
Angie
Amazed in His presence and humbled by His great love!
“God makes everything happen at the right time.” (In His Time) Eccl. 3:11
That was a well-written article.The Daryl Williams Trio is probably the hidden group of Southern Gospel music.They're just as good as the top groups!I can't wait 'til they come to my area!
AMEN...AMEN...AMEN!
Paul Jackson / The Prophets
http://www.pauljacksongroup.com/blog
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