Kelly Willard

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Kelly Willard (born on August 18, 1956 in Winter Haven, Florida) is a Christian singer/songwriter/recording artist and background vocalist, primarily in Contemporary Christian Music. Her distinctive voice, musical style, and spiritual insights are part of the foundation of the subgenre known as "praise and worship" music.

The title cut from her first album(1979/Maranatha!Music),"Blame it on the One I Love", hit the top 10 Contemporary Christian Music charts, bringing national recognition to this "one of a kind" voice. One of her most influential songs is called "Willing Heart"... "If you don't have a willing heart, ask Him to give you one . . . " . It has been used to call multitudes of people away from pretend piety, into a full realization of dependence on God. (see link below to lyrics) Next, her very contemporary co-arrangement(with Stan Endicott) of the medley of two older hymns, "Nothing but The Blood of Jesus" and "Are You Washed in the Blood", received as much national radio airplay as the title cut of her first solo album did. Many solo artists and musical groups have used the same arrangement over the years.

Her musical beginnings were at the age of five, playing the piano. Raised in the church her Great-Grandmother co-founded (First Assembly of God, in Winter Haven, FL), she became a Christian and was baptized at a young age. At age thirteen, she began to play piano for the main church services. This was the same year that her parents divorced, and she began to compose music that expressed her personal faith in God. She took every opportunity to accompany others in song, as well as singing in trios, choir, and groups of young people who sang at prisons and nursing homes. Moving to Nashville, TN at age sixteen marked the start of her professional career, where she played keyboards for the legendary Gospel music singer, Jake Hess. Less than a year later she found herself in Southern California, playing keyboards for one of the legendary "Jesus music" groups, The Archers. Another year later she ended up in Oklahoma City, playing and (this time) singing with the group SETH (led by Jonathan David Brown). Before moving back to CA, she played keyboards and sang with her "music mentor" and his group, Harlan Rogers & Friends.

In 1977, she moved back to southern California and joined with the growing Jesus movement. The publisher and promoter, Maranatha! Music, was a major focus of the movement, and Kelly's voice became a "signature sound" of the new music. Willard's voice was also heard frequently on several Hosanna! recordings, where she also recorded with Martin J. Nystrom, Paul Baloche, Bob Fitts, Randy Rothwell, Lenny LeBlanc, among many others.

Her son Bryan Asher Willard was born in 1983. He lives in the Milwaukee, WI area with his wife and 2 daughters. He is an accomplished musician/singer/songwriter/recording artist in his own right, and is a full time member of Jason Upton's band/ministry. Her daughter, Haylie Grace Willard, was born in 1986, and went home to Jesus in August of 2004. She was a singer/songwriter and artist. You can hear her on a duet ("Beautiful Jesus") with her Mother on Kelly's newest recording, a worship/praise CD called " Paga' ", released August 7, 2007 on AUTUMN RECORDS.

Contents

[edit] Discography

[edit] Solo

  • Blame It on the One I Love (1979)
  • Willing Heart (1981)
  • Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (1983)
  • Message from a King (1986)
  • Garden (1991)
  • Homesick for Heaven (1991) (available in Europe)
  • Lookin' Back '77-'86 (1991)
  • Bless My Little Girl (1993) (lullaby)
  • My First Christmas (1996)
  • PAGA (2007)
  • featured soloist of many songs on the Maranatha! Praise albums, including:
    • "Cares Chorus"
    • "Let's Forget About Ourselves"
    • "Make Me a Servant"

[edit] Group

  • Songs from the Red Letters (member of the group Faithful Heart)
  • Many duets, including:

[edit] External links