First Creation: One Loss but Many Gains

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog

Plenty has occurred for Toledo, Ohio’s First Creation since TBGB last spoke with the group’s founder, Rev. Jerry Boose, in 2009.  Back then, Nobody Like Jesus was their new album.  Boose updated TBGB on the good news as well as on a recent tragedy.

First the good news: last September, the group released its fifth CD, Heaven, to positive reviews. “Can’t Wait,” the album’s first single, came out in early 2013.  Two months ago, the title track went to radio.  The group did a series of radio interviews, appeared at Dorinda Clark-Cole’s conference, and performed for a Bobby Jones Gospel taping.  “God opened up many doors for us to appear across the country,” Boose said.  This year, First Creation also welcomed Frankie Swain to its roster and celebrated its 26^th anniversary, “a blessing in itself,” Boose quipped.

About the tragedy: Swain was added after member Elder Jesse Coleman passed away in early 2013.  “Jesse suffered from diabetes for a lot of years,” explained Boose, “and he was in the hospital for an extended period of time.  Then two months after he got out of the hospital, he passed away.  It’s a great loss, because Jesse was an integral part of First Creation.  Not only was he a great singer, but he was a superb saxophone player and an awesome preacher.  He had many talents.”

Boose was optimistic.  “We have been able to maintain the First Creation sound because Frankie’s voice fits in perfectly with the group.  We actually went through a few people before we found Frankie, because we didn’t want to change our sound too much.  The smooth harmonies are what we’re known for.”

So is First Creation a gospel quartet or a gospel group?  

Boose chuckled.  “First Creation has a contemporary sound, somewhere between R&B and gospel, but we always add music on our albums to represent the quartet sound.  For example, on Heaven, ‘Going up to Glory’ is strictly quartet.  On the other hand, ‘Keep it Real’ has somewhat of a Temptations feel.  People enjoy that song when we do it live.”  Boose added that the album also contains praise and worship material as well as gospel ballads.  William “Redd” Crook Jr., a member originally from Chicago, produced many of the tracks on Heaven with Toledo’s Ike Lafontaine, and he wrote the majority of the songs, also.

Now that Boose is pastor of Second Baptist Church in Holland, Ohio, he has to be back in the pulpit on Sundays whenever the group travels.  Nevertheless, he said, “the group gets out there often and whenever requested.”

First Creation is currently considering re-releasing some of its finer recordings, as well as one or two new selections, on a “best of” CD.  “There was a lot of good music on our past CDs that didn’t get the best opportunity to be heard,” Boose said.  “But now that we have some avenues for better marketing and airplay, we want the public to hear them.”

Marketing is critical to independent artists, explained Boose.  “There’s so much music out there now, and the Internet offers many new avenues for independent artists to be heard.  But to get heard, you have to have a good marketing team and a good strategy behind it.  At the same time, you have to stay true to who you are, to your sound and your ministry.”