Honor, Honor for Billy Carson

This comes to TBGB courtesy of our friend, Elder Mack C. Mason.

Annually on the first Friday in the month of May, Pastor Maceo Woods and
Chicago’s Christian Tabernacle Church gathers for an always beautiful
service, “This Is Your Life”.

The annual program sponsored by The Moving Forward Group, one of the
church auxiliaries honors several of its unsuspecting members each year.

This year’s event (May 6, 2005) was exciting as one of the honorees was
Billy Carson, host of The Gospel City Videos TV Show. The fact that
Brother Carson was kept totally in the dark was a miracle, especially
when you consider that Carson spends hours each week handling promotion
and TV production duties for the church and its weekly telecast, The
Good News Hour, and the annual Gospel Supreme Concert.

Billy was reared at St. Lawrence COGIC where hs oter served as Organist.
Billy was healed of Polio as a child and later began playing organ and
drums.

As a teen, Billy began traveling and recording as the drummer with
Pastor Woods and The Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir on the hit album
“Hello Sunshine” and on the albums “Step to Jesus” , “God Save Your
People”, “A New Dawning” and “Goodbye Loneliness” released on Volt, Stax
and Gospel Truth labels. Prior to that Carson led his own group, the
Billy Carson Singers, who traveled the country for many years with Anna
Crockett Ford.

Billy and his late mom, Marie carted his drums across the city on Sunday
nights playing for Live broadcasts of Rev. Clay Evans, Bishop James L.
Anderson, Father Charles Hayes and others, leaving each service minutes
before each sign off to travel to the next church. Billy also traveled
with Rev. Milton Brunson and The Thompson Community Singers.

In 1975, Billy began broadcasting on Chicago’s WXFM, producing for Earl
T. Palmer’s “Gospel is my Music” and also for Jackie Morris on WYCA.

Billy’s wife Linda, his sisters Sylvia and Marla along with The original
Billy Carson Singers rallied together and performed for the first time
in nearly twenty years to the delight of those in attendance.

Pam Morris of WVON and head of Chicago’s Gospel Festival was in
attendance and gave a tribute to Billy, acknowledging not only his gift
to Gospel, but his (and wife Linda’s) adoption and support of 12
children into their home in recent years. As Pam said, “you don’t hear
these kind of good deeds on television news”. Also in attendance was
Karen Fletcher of WWHN.

Our congratulations to Brother Billy Carson.