Soul Tempo: “Put God First and Just Keep Moving”

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Talk with Jeremiah “Jerry” Brunson of Soul Tempo for one minute and you can’t help but become infected with his genuine joy of life.

There are lots of reasons Brunson is happy, not the least of which is the success of Soul Tempo. The New Haven, Connecticut-based group has gone from four friends singing because they loved it (and it made girls scream) to experiencing a major contest win, recording success, and a singing role in the now-classic film The Preacher’s Wife. 

In addition, Soul Tempo’s new CD, Trust In God, is slated for release September 4.  The video of the single and title track debuts tomorrow, July 16, on selected websites, including The Black Gospel Blog.  

The four members of Soul Tempo—Brunson, Anthony Burnett, and brothers Kevin and Philip Mitchell—grew up on the same New Haven street.  Becoming friends, they attended the same grammar, middle, and high schools, and the same college.

They joined their high school chorus and learned classical music literature, but they also enjoyed singing a cappella whenever they could.  The group even secured a gig at a New Haven club called Soundtrack II.  Brunson told TBGB that they knew they were onto something special “when we sang songs and girls started screaming!”

Beginning in 1985, the group rehearsed five to six days a week—“we loved to sing”—and honed their harmonies and vocal blend so both were air tight.  “We got to know each other’s voices inside out,” Brunson said.  He added that while Soul Tempo sang all genres of music, when members got “deeper and deeper into the church, we focused more on gospel.”

The group’s career jumped a few squares when they met Reverend Run (aka. Joseph Simmons) in New York City.  A founding member of Run-D.M.C. and now a minister, Reverend Run invited them to sing in front of his church.  Once again, the response to the group’s singing was overwhelming.  Soul Tempo realized that their music ministry might become bigger than they had ever planned.

Then Reverend Run helped the group secure an audition to sing in the 1996 film, The Preacher’s Wife.  Brunson recalled:

“We were singing at a church around 103^rd and Riverside Drive [in New York City] while the movie was in production.  Someone saw us in the church and our phone rang.  Russell Simmons had contacted [his brother] Rev. Run and wanted us to audition.  We didn’t believe it!  It was incredible!  We sang “The Lord’s Prayer” in front of Whitney Houston, Denzel Washington, Courtney Vance, and Penny Marshall.  The only thing was they wanted us to do the song in one minute and five seconds.  So we speeded it up.

“We got the part.  Everyone hugged us and we were told to go to wardrobe.  We had no idea that we would be part of the movie.  It literally blew our minds!  We were the happiest guys in the world!”

“The Lord’s Prayer” that Soul Tempo sang for the film was the a cappella arrangement made famous in the 1950s by the Swan Silvertones.  The group has since released an CD of classic gospel songs, including “The Lord’s Prayer,” “Touch the Hem of His Garment,” and “Christian Automobile.”

Soul Tempo added another major credit to its resume in 2009 when it surpassed 80,000 participants to win the McDonald’s Gospel Music Fest.  The group performed before 20,000 people, including top-shelf gospel artists such as Donnie McClurkin and Hezekiah Walker.

In 2011, Soul Tempo released another full-length CD, Doing Our Father’s Business, and now awaits the release of its new CD, Trust In God. 

The Trust In God track listing sounds like a series of life lessons.  To Brunson, that’s what they are.  “These are things that people need in the world: ‘Warm Embrace,’ ‘Lean On Me,’ ‘Keep Your Head Up,’ ‘Honor.’ ‘Trust in God’ is a great message that everybody needs to embrace.”

The group is now in the midst of pre-release promotion and anticipates appearances on the Word Network; The Lexi Show; Pastor Dan Willis’s I’m Just Sayin’ on TCT; and the Richmond, Virginia Gospel Fest. 

Through all the hustle and bustle of promotion and touring, Jerry Brunson said that Soul Tempo’s aim is to “stay sharp on our game, put God first, and just keep moving.”

For more information, visit www.soultemposingers.com.  Follow their tweets: @soultempo1.