An evening of reverence and vocal inspiration is in store on July 24, at First Baptist Church, near downtown Greensboro, as Grammy award-winning vocalist John Berry performs on his 2022 Find My Joy tour.
A survivor of throat cancer three years ago, Berry said he feels an obligation to share his faith and gratitude through his music, which in the 1990s included 20 singles on the country charts, with six of them reaching top-five status.
Though a veteran of the concert stage and still a regular performer before thousands of fans (he plays the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville the night after his Greensboro show), Berry said performing at churches presents a more intimate setting and a unique opportunity for him.
“I think the presentation has to be different because I'm not the star. Jesus is the star of this show,” he insisted. “It's about Him and it's about what He's done for me and my life. And that's my point; it is just to hopefully encourage other believers and maybe open the eyes of some folks that may not be believers, just show them what is possible.”
Now living near Nashville, Berry grew up in Georgia, where he became friends with current First Baptist minister David Ray as a teenager, not long before he began performing professionally. Ray was instrumental in bringing Berry to First Baptist, Senior Pastor Mark Jones said.
The Berry show is the first of three scheduled faith-based concerts at the church this year, Jones added, with approximately 35 members of the huge, California-based Sons of Jubal Brass band playing Aug. 18, followed by Williamson Branch on Nov. 19, a family of bluegrass-gospel musicians from Nashville.
Berry will be accompanied at First Baptist by his wife, Robin, singing backup, plus piano player Gabe Allen, who also controls what Berry dubbed his “band in a can.”
He explained the Find My Joy songs were recorded with a small band accompanied by a 45-piece string orchestra, “which I can’t fit on my bus,” so like a conductor, Allen has access to all the digital tracks from the recording session and can trigger them at appropriate times to simulate the full orchestra experience.
“It's quite unique and a terrific way to do it because it sounds so big and beautiful,” Berry said. “We're pretty excited about it.
“I love doing these shows, I love playing and I love playing the churches,” continued Berry, who released the faith-based Find My Joy album in March. “I hope folks will continue to invite me to play and be encouraged. I think it'll be a lot of fun and I can think of nothing I'd rather do.”
Tickets to Berry’s Find My Joy show in Greensboro are available for purchase online at johnberry.com/tour.