Page 54 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2015

Raised on Revival:

Competition

With True

Feeling

Choir competitions were for bragging rights Photo courtesy www.sethskim.com

By Sugaray Rayford
I grew up in the Church of God in Christ with some of leaving nothing back, leaving it all on stage. You never know
the greatest singers and musicians on the planet. Everything I what the next band is going to bring, maybe they will be great
learned in the church, I use every day as a blues singer. and kick your butt.
Gospel prepared me for the rigors of the stage. It also You only get one chance to make an impression. As I was
gave me insight to performing on a big stage in front of large taught in all those days of choir competitions: give it all you’ve
crowds, as well as the pressure of getting it right and with true got, leave nothing for the next group. So when I went to the
feeling. A church was judged in those days on how well a International Blues Challenge, I had already performed in
preacher could preach and how good its choir and musicians front of large groups with time limits, and being judged was
sounded. In those days we played for free, for the glory of nothing new. Church folk criticize you on the drop of a hat.
God, but competition was fierce. Choirs practiced two or They say things like, "Honey, not everyone can sing. The Lord
three times a week to get ready for Sunday. needs ushers, too."
But the real work and singing happened during revivals.
Choirs came from everywhere to sing and compete with other Sugaray Rayford first sang before audiences when he was
choirs. Monday night was always musical night or choir night. four years old in the Pentecostal Church of Holiness in west
Choirs didn't sing from a book – you knew the songs and Texas. He is a 2015 Blues Music Awards nominee for B.B.
followed your choir director’s every move. That was my job. King Entertainer of the Year and Traditional Blues Male
I went from drummer to choir director for Bethel Temple Artist. He also is the lead singer for the Mannish Boys,
Church of God in Christ in Tyler, TX. Our choir was made up of nominated for Best Album and Traditional Blues Album.
more than 50 members. I also directed an interdenominational He fronted Aunt Kizzy’s Boys when it placed second at the
choir that had more than 300 members. On one trip, our large 2006 International Blues Challenge.
choir would not fit inside the small church, so we opened the
windows and the choir sang from the outside into the church
while I directed from the inside. You learn to go with the flow,
and to do your best with what you’ve got.
If you had a great choir director, your choir had a chance
to win the competitions. No prizes were ever handed out, this
was for bragging rights only. I've been in revivals that started
at 8 p.m. and went until 8 a.m. All the years of choir directing
prepared me for my current schedule of rigorous travel where
I perform on stages around the world. When not on stage,
it’s all laughs and fellowship, but once you take the stage, it’s
time to cut heads.
Someone asked me if I get nervous. Yes, but not because
of how many people are in the audience – I'm used to large Sugaray Rayford applies everything he learned in the church to his work onstage as
audiences. It’s the anticipation of destroying my set and a bluesman Photo courtesy Sugaray Rayford

52 Blues Festival Guide 2015