Born in Camden,
New Jersey,
Tye Tribbett is the son of a preacher man and a preacher woman. Growing up in his father's church, Tye learned to make music at an early age. "I've been playing all my life," he explains. "Before I knew my ABC's, I knew the ABC's on the keys."
Outside of church, Tye vividly recalls the evenings he spent in his garage. There, along with brother Terry, Tye constructed a makeshift rehearsal room that attracted local musicians as well as the 'players' from Philadelphia and Baltimore. As a teenager, he honed his skills as a keyboardist by accompanying such regional notables as Steve Middleton and the Tri-State Mass Choir of the Edwin Hawkins Music & Arts Seminar. Although he received frequent gig offers, Tye remembers wanting more. "We had made so much music in the garage that I started putting words to the music," he recalls, "and then I just needed a choir to deliver the songs, the message."
In 1996 he founded a gospel choir,
Greater Anointing (G.A) . At first, the group consisted of his friends whose hearts were simply set on making great music. Tye knew from the beginning he'd struck gold, "That first rehearsal, it blew my mind," he says. "The musicianship, the quality of the voices and the spirit of the choir, the character of everybody&I knew that this was it. I knew that this is what I was supposed to be doing."
Whether it was intuition or destiny, later that year, under Tye's direction, G.A. went on to win first place in the national Gospel Choir Awards Competition sponsored by Wrigley's Chewing Gum. That remarkable performance caught the eye of the Grammy award-winning songwriter/producer David Foster. Awestruck, Foster promptly arranged for his close friend, country singer Faith Hill to meet the group. Amazed by their youthful show-stopping dance moves and heavenly voices, Hill embraced Tribbett and his choir instantly and, four years later, invited them to join her on tour.
The 2000 Faith Hill Tour was an eye-opener for Tye. As a gospel-bred musician he was wary of other audiences. Tye describes his turning point, "I was a gospel guy with a choir on a country tour. The experience hooked me up musically, though. I started writing differently. I saw that you could reach all kinds of people. So I switched up my style of writing because I thought these people needed to hear the message, too."
Tye & G.A. have performed with many of the finest artists in gospel including
Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell, Hezekiah Walker, John P. Kee, Mary Mary and Bobby Jones. In addition, Tye Tribbett & G.A have shared stages with world-class superstars. From
Destiny's Child, India.Arie and Vanessa Williams to John Mellencamp, Don Henley and Sting, Tye & G.A. have worked with the crème de la crème of the music industry.
If he had to describe his sound, Tye laughs, "We are Earth, Wind & Fire meet Christ." But the album's musical depth can be attributed to his mix of influences. "The Yellow Jackets, Jaco Pastorius, Donny (Hathaway) and Stevie (Wonder) were all my favorites," he offers. "Today, there are artists like
Erykah (Badu), The Roots and Soulquarians who I musically connect with. I grew up listening to the gospel greats, but John P. Kee's music was the first gospel music that was different and Kirk Franklin revolutionized it. They paved the way for me."
Although Life comes straight from the heart and soul of Tribbett, the project is also the product of "music un-defined or M.U.D.," he explains. "In the
Bible, the Spirit is synonymous with water. So the Holy Spirit is water and we're the dust of the earth. Together, that makes us mud. As long as His Spirit is in us&just like clay, he can make us to be 'hip-hop.' He can make us 'pop'. He can make us 'country.' He can make us anything. But as soon as He's not in us, we'll dry up and we'll break under pressure. It is this range that exhibits dexterity and ultimately defines the soul stirring album, Life.
Driven by Tribbett's steadfast faith and vast talent, Tye Tribbett & G.A. are sure to leave their mark on gospel and beyond. There is no question that audiences are ready. As Tye asserts, "We can be anywhere because God is everywhere."
Tye Tribbet and Ga
