
There is only one word to describe this young exciting group.
WOW!!!!!
After you hear this family perform, you will be wondering if there is any end to their talents.
I thought of another word to describe the Collingsworth Family.
DIVERSIFIED!!!!!
One thing that you will never be at a Collingsworth Family concert is BORED. Just about the time you think you are about to settle into what they are doing, they slip into another style of singing or playing.
They PLAY a great variety of instruments. They not only play them, but they play them very well. Phil plays the trumpet extraordinaire, while Kim not only makes a piano talk, but she makes it speak in several different languages. You will be hard pressed to find anyone, anywhere, who can top Kim's mastery of the 88 ivory keys. Brooklyn and Courtney both play the violins and Phillip is learning the guitar. Little Olivia is still trying to choose the instrument she wants to learn. Needless to say, they have a very broad range to take their performance from, and they use every bit of that range keeping you on the edge of your seat during their concerts.
Oooops, there's another word that describes the Collingsworth Family, they SING with perfect harmony. Not only are their voices individually strong and vibrant, but their blend has that unique family closeness that just cannot be matched.
Not only are their vocals strong and pleasant, but their song selection is most interesting. They sing a great mixture of classic hymns and spiritual songs as well as new material that Kim does most of the writing on.
Phil started his musical journey at God's Bible School and College in Cincinnati, OH. He thought that he would be a music teacher, but after trying it for a while, he decided that God was calling him to a music ministry. While singing with one of the college groups, his sister introduced him to a young lady who was the daughter of the Dean of the college. His first question to his sister was “Does she play the piano?” Phil just knew that God was giving him a wife who would play the piano. As soon as her father would let them date, and as soon as Phil heard her play the piano, he KNEW that Kim was the woman for him. A few years later they were married, and the rest is history. Kim had been using her God given gift of playing the piano for the Lord since she was a very young child, and didn't even start to sing until after they were married and started performing together.
The Collingsworth Family is not from the usual Pentecostal or Baptist background that you think of with Southern Gospel Music. Phil comes from a Wesleyan background, and Kim comes from a Quaker background. They now find themselves ministering in a lot of the Nazarene churches. This religious background gives you some indication of their conservative style of singing and playing Gospel music. While you are going to be thoroughly entertained at a Collingsworth Family concert, you easily see that their goal is to point everyone to Jesus.
For the first several years The Collingsworth Family traveled singing in mostly church revivals, campmeetings and special services like that. In the year 2000 they made the move to the concert setting and have been growing ever since.
I asked Phil who mainly makes up their audiences. He quickly responded that they seem to attract families, which in turn keeps young people involved in their music. Their goal is to reach the young families with a message of keeping the family together with a spiritual bond. They are wisely building a fan base of young families. Now that is the way to keep a group running on the road for a long time.
This fine group recently did a Christmas tour in Kosovo, where they ministered to the US Troops. They have already been invited to return for ministry again. Southern Gospel groups and artists could learn a lesson from this group. They are reaching out to spread God's message wherever they can.
Two more words that describe the Collingsworth Family.
CAPTIVATING AND EXHILARATING!!
If you ever get a chance to see and hear the Collingsworth Family make sure that you do it. You will receive a blessing that you will not soon forget.
Visit the Collingsworth Family online to learn more about them and their music:
www.philandkim.com
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