Tim Bowman Jr. Profile
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“I started singing at a very young age, when I was probably around five or six. I recorded professionally for the first time at 12 years old with my aunt Vickie Winans and that was on her remix song, “Shake Yourself Loose”. We did that together and I scatted on that remix. That was quite some time ago. From there, the comments … really garnered me national attention at a very early age.
So, I would travel on the weekends, go to school – elementary school, middle school – during the week, and travel with my aunt on the weekends. That led me to traveling with my dad, smooth jazz recording artist, Tim Bowman. I did that for many years while staying active in my local church. I always have been active in my local church.
I recorded my first project maybe around six or seven years ago, called Beautiful. I did that independently. It did very well, much better than I thought it would ever do. I was just doing my first project independently and I found myself traveling almost every weekend. It brought me to this journey.
I met up with my current staff … I should say, I met with Rodney Jerkins. I decided to sign with him and I was his first gospel artist on his label Lifestyle Music Group. I recorded my project Listen. That really changed my whole life. It afforded me the opportunity to minister on a whole ‘nother level. From Grammy nominations to Dove nominations to TV shows, to a new radio show – that's where I am right now in my current musical journey.”
So, I would travel on the weekends, go to school – elementary school, middle school – during the week, and travel with my aunt on the weekends. That led me to traveling with my dad, smooth jazz recording artist, Tim Bowman. I did that for many years while staying active in my local church. I always have been active in my local church.
I recorded my first project maybe around six or seven years ago, called Beautiful. I did that independently. It did very well, much better than I thought it would ever do. I was just doing my first project independently and I found myself traveling almost every weekend. It brought me to this journey.
I met up with my current staff … I should say, I met with Rodney Jerkins. I decided to sign with him and I was his first gospel artist on his label Lifestyle Music Group. I recorded my project Listen. That really changed my whole life. It afforded me the opportunity to minister on a whole ‘nother level. From Grammy nominations to Dove nominations to TV shows, to a new radio show – that's where I am right now in my current musical journey.”
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Through this musical journey, the hip songster spoke of one particular difficulty that plagued him, and how God got him through it.
“It hasn’t been easy. A lot of people think, okay, here, you grew up in this family. You know, you got your dad who’s this huge smooth jazz legend. You got your aunt, the Winans family – all these things.
Really, it’s been quite … it's been great. What they’ve given me … I wouldn't trade it for the world. They've given me a perspective – I’ve got a front row seat on how to minister effectively. They’ve taught me how to do it with integrity and they’ve taught me the business end of it. They’ve taught me a bunch of stuff in the music industry.
But with that comes a lot of pressure and that's been something that I've had to deal with. There really has been pressure on me to succeed – pressure to do what they did. ‘Are you going to sound like your aunt or are you going to sound like your dad? Are you going to scat like the jazz side? Are you going to do traditional gospel like your aunt?’ I knew what God had called me to do.
In gospel music, it could look a certain way. A lot of people think that gospel music or worship music, is just a slow song with pretty chords or strings, or that traditional gospel is just foot-stomping. For me, it was a situation where I just wanted to make great music. If it came out traditional, it came out traditional. If it came out contemporary, if it came out worship, if it came out hope, that's what it was.
I took a leap of faith to really trust God to do what I know He put inside of me. He honored that. For the (2016) Dove Awards, I was nominated for contemporary song of the year and then during the (2017) Dove Awards, I was nominated for traditional song of the year. So that testimony literally is what I just got through explaining – how does the same project get one nomination for contemporary song and then one nomination for traditional song? I chose to honor God – all glory to God, for real.
“It hasn’t been easy. A lot of people think, okay, here, you grew up in this family. You know, you got your dad who’s this huge smooth jazz legend. You got your aunt, the Winans family – all these things.
Really, it’s been quite … it's been great. What they’ve given me … I wouldn't trade it for the world. They've given me a perspective – I’ve got a front row seat on how to minister effectively. They’ve taught me how to do it with integrity and they’ve taught me the business end of it. They’ve taught me a bunch of stuff in the music industry.
But with that comes a lot of pressure and that's been something that I've had to deal with. There really has been pressure on me to succeed – pressure to do what they did. ‘Are you going to sound like your aunt or are you going to sound like your dad? Are you going to scat like the jazz side? Are you going to do traditional gospel like your aunt?’ I knew what God had called me to do.
In gospel music, it could look a certain way. A lot of people think that gospel music or worship music, is just a slow song with pretty chords or strings, or that traditional gospel is just foot-stomping. For me, it was a situation where I just wanted to make great music. If it came out traditional, it came out traditional. If it came out contemporary, if it came out worship, if it came out hope, that's what it was.
I took a leap of faith to really trust God to do what I know He put inside of me. He honored that. For the (2016) Dove Awards, I was nominated for contemporary song of the year and then during the (2017) Dove Awards, I was nominated for traditional song of the year. So that testimony literally is what I just got through explaining – how does the same project get one nomination for contemporary song and then one nomination for traditional song? I chose to honor God – all glory to God, for real.
I chose to honor God – all glory to God, for real. It wasn't easy stepping out on faith and trusting Him. I'm a living testament when you honor God: He’ll honor you.
It wasn't easy stepping out on faith and trusting Him. I'm a living testament when you honor God: He’ll honor you. Trusting Him – the more that meant for me – to trust (Him) no matter what outside pressure. There was a lot of outside pressure for me, but I decided to trust God no matter what the outcome, and He honored that.”
Notwithstanding, he did not hesitate to share several joys that continue to sustain him.
“My joys are family time, spending quality time with my wife – shout out to my wife Brelyn – and when we get to travel. We travel the world quite often. When we do that, that is probably my favorite thing to do outside of ministry.
Notwithstanding, he did not hesitate to share several joys that continue to sustain him.
“My joys are family time, spending quality time with my wife – shout out to my wife Brelyn – and when we get to travel. We travel the world quite often. When we do that, that is probably my favorite thing to do outside of ministry.
Within ministry, gospel music, let’s say industry wise, it is going out and seeing people – seeing people singing the songs you've worked so hard to put together – bless them. So, basically doing live performances, going out, having that crowd interaction, seeing people singing the songs and knowing the lyrics - that's probably what fulfills me the most.
My joy outside of industry: ministry. I like working in my own church and serving my father- in- law and my pastor, Dr. Michael Freeman at Spirit of Faith Christian Center. It is paramount in my life. I get so much … being faithful over my local church and my local congregation and serving. I'm at church literally four or five times a week just serving, rehearsing, going over things and helping my father in ministry. It literally is my lifeline … being connected to my local church. When local artists ask me, ‘How do you do it?’ I tell them, ‘Get in a good local church and serve.’
The eclectic vocalist talked about Jesus’ personal brand on his music, and how it has overall affected him in his Christian walk and with his music.
My joy outside of industry: ministry. I like working in my own church and serving my father- in- law and my pastor, Dr. Michael Freeman at Spirit of Faith Christian Center. It is paramount in my life. I get so much … being faithful over my local church and my local congregation and serving. I'm at church literally four or five times a week just serving, rehearsing, going over things and helping my father in ministry. It literally is my lifeline … being connected to my local church. When local artists ask me, ‘How do you do it?’ I tell them, ‘Get in a good local church and serve.’
The eclectic vocalist talked about Jesus’ personal brand on his music, and how it has overall affected him in his Christian walk and with his music.
"Jesus was kind. He was a giver. He knew the Word. His mission was to do everything that the Father said. And I thank God for giving us that example to strive towards. I'm always striving to reach that mark. He’s my Redeemer. He died for me. I mean I could go on and go on, but Jesus is literally that to me. I love Him so much and I'll forever be grateful for the sacrifice He made for me.”
“When Jesus went to heaven, he left apostles. He left pastors. He left disciples to go out and spread the good news of Jesus Christ and get that message out of the new covenant, the new law. And I'm doing that within my music. So, I consider myself a disciple. I’m the eyes and ears of God and I’m the hands and I’m the feet, and I'm determined to get this message out in new and creative ways.
The ultimate, ultimate, goal: He is who we're striving to be. He is God's representative here on earth … I am too… but God literally sent an example for us to attain to be. Jesus was kind. He was a giver. He knew the Word. His mission was to do everything that the Father said. And I thank God for giving us that example to strive towards. I'm always striving to reach that mark. He’s my Redeemer. He died for me. I mean I could go on and go on, but Jesus is literally that to me. I love Him so much and I'll forever be grateful for the sacrifice He made for me.”
He went on to express how his own musical approach made an impact on his personal life.
The ultimate, ultimate, goal: He is who we're striving to be. He is God's representative here on earth … I am too… but God literally sent an example for us to attain to be. Jesus was kind. He was a giver. He knew the Word. His mission was to do everything that the Father said. And I thank God for giving us that example to strive towards. I'm always striving to reach that mark. He’s my Redeemer. He died for me. I mean I could go on and go on, but Jesus is literally that to me. I love Him so much and I'll forever be grateful for the sacrifice He made for me.”
He went on to express how his own musical approach made an impact on his personal life.
“It’s increased my faith in God tremendously. For me, let me start with myself, for me my faith in God has gone to the next level. I have literally started projects not knowing what the outcome was going to be … not knowing what was going to happen but knowing that it was time to start the project. I stepped out on faith, not knowing what the song was supposed to sound like … not knowing who I was supposed to work with.
And, I'm a perfectionist. I'm a planner. I got to know what's going on. As far as ministry is concerned, it's literally been me trusting God. I never thought I'd have a TV show. I never thought I'd have all this industry success. I never thought I'd have a radio show. I'd never done any of that. So, my faith in God has increased tremendously.”
He described in some detail, the meaning behind a few of his songs and how he’s witnessed his music impact listeners.
So, for instance, my single: “I'm Good” – when I first said that that was gonna be my single, a lot of people said, industry people said, that it will never work because it wasn’t the traditional gospel music. It wasn't saying Jesus 50 million times. It wasn’t saying God 50 million times, but it was literally saying that I'm good. I'm good enough to love myself. I'm good enough to have success – which is the promises of God. I'm good enough to do all these things that the scripture says I'm good enough to do.
And, I'm a perfectionist. I'm a planner. I got to know what's going on. As far as ministry is concerned, it's literally been me trusting God. I never thought I'd have a TV show. I never thought I'd have all this industry success. I never thought I'd have a radio show. I'd never done any of that. So, my faith in God has increased tremendously.”
He described in some detail, the meaning behind a few of his songs and how he’s witnessed his music impact listeners.
So, for instance, my single: “I'm Good” – when I first said that that was gonna be my single, a lot of people said, industry people said, that it will never work because it wasn’t the traditional gospel music. It wasn't saying Jesus 50 million times. It wasn’t saying God 50 million times, but it was literally saying that I'm good. I'm good enough to love myself. I'm good enough to have success – which is the promises of God. I'm good enough to do all these things that the scripture says I'm good enough to do.
"My music is really lifestyle driven, not just living for Bible study and living for Sunday morning service, but living a whole life every day of the week ... I'm all about Christian living, holy living, Kingdom living Sunday through Saturday. That is genuinely me.”
The scripture says, in Genesis, when God created us, He looked at us at the end and said it was good. So, it's not saying, ‘Jesus died on Calvary to save a wretch like, you and me’, but it's literally just as biblically based as the song that says Jesus went to Calvary. So, I think it has put a refreshing spin on what traditional gospel looks like.
“Good Good Father” – that song is just an awesome worship song. Also, a song called, “Back to You" – it’s a song more like a sinner’s song. Yeah, that song … people have been hitting me up, saying ‘I'm literally bawling my eyes out because I thought that I was lost, and I couldn't come back home.’ It’s more so like a prodigal-son-type song. And there’s one song called, ‘You're Love’, and it’s got people dancing all over the country and the world. That song is inspirational and getting some great feedback. I believe my music has blessed people. I know my assignment was to shed a new light on what gospel music is – which is just the good news of Jesus Christ.
I'm all about Christian living, holy living, Kingdom living Sunday through Saturday. That is genuinely me. So, I have a song … “Everybody Needs Love”. It’s talking about how, you know, these people are dying, these people are crying. If you look out on these streets, you see these people are suffering, that they're going through. So, Sunday, we come to church, we shout, we do all this stuff, and then Monday we're nasty to our coworkers. I mean, that's not even Bible.
When you look at the scripture, every time it talks about worship, it never mentions a song. That's not worship. This interview - it’s worship. And when I eat my food, that is worship. When I go out, when I interact with people, that is what worship is. So, my music is really lifestyle driven, not just living for Bible study and living for Sunday morning service, but living a whole life every day of the week.”
With one word, Mr. Bowman described what he desired to maintain as he continues on with his musical journey.
“Good Good Father” – that song is just an awesome worship song. Also, a song called, “Back to You" – it’s a song more like a sinner’s song. Yeah, that song … people have been hitting me up, saying ‘I'm literally bawling my eyes out because I thought that I was lost, and I couldn't come back home.’ It’s more so like a prodigal-son-type song. And there’s one song called, ‘You're Love’, and it’s got people dancing all over the country and the world. That song is inspirational and getting some great feedback. I believe my music has blessed people. I know my assignment was to shed a new light on what gospel music is – which is just the good news of Jesus Christ.
I'm all about Christian living, holy living, Kingdom living Sunday through Saturday. That is genuinely me. So, I have a song … “Everybody Needs Love”. It’s talking about how, you know, these people are dying, these people are crying. If you look out on these streets, you see these people are suffering, that they're going through. So, Sunday, we come to church, we shout, we do all this stuff, and then Monday we're nasty to our coworkers. I mean, that's not even Bible.
When you look at the scripture, every time it talks about worship, it never mentions a song. That's not worship. This interview - it’s worship. And when I eat my food, that is worship. When I go out, when I interact with people, that is what worship is. So, my music is really lifestyle driven, not just living for Bible study and living for Sunday morning service, but living a whole life every day of the week.”
With one word, Mr. Bowman described what he desired to maintain as he continues on with his musical journey.
"I’ve seen a lot on this journey. Being a professional gospel singer, I've seen people walk in lies and deceit and all that kind of stuff. So, it's really pushing me to make sure that I'm walking in integrity.”
"I don't know where God is taking me here, man. I just know I'm trusting Him all the way and as He gives it to me, I'm going to walk it out.”
“Integrity. I’ve seen a lot on this journey. Being a professional gospel singer, I've seen people walk in lies and deceit and all that kind of stuff. So, it's really pushing me to make sure that I'm walking in integrity.”
The charismatic singer expressed how he plans to navigate through the future stages of his expedition.
“I'm excited … we got our TV show … the name of my TV show is the “Tim and Brelyn Show” … a radio show. I don't know where God is taking me here, man. I just know I'm trusting Him all the way and as He gives it to me, I'm going to walk it out.”
So, Mr. Tim Bowman Jr., whether through a traditional or jazz-fused gospel sound, a combination, or a wholly new sound, he ultimately plans to share the good news of Jesus Christ through his music and ministry, with that goal of bringing together generations.
The charismatic singer expressed how he plans to navigate through the future stages of his expedition.
“I'm excited … we got our TV show … the name of my TV show is the “Tim and Brelyn Show” … a radio show. I don't know where God is taking me here, man. I just know I'm trusting Him all the way and as He gives it to me, I'm going to walk it out.”
So, Mr. Tim Bowman Jr., whether through a traditional or jazz-fused gospel sound, a combination, or a wholly new sound, he ultimately plans to share the good news of Jesus Christ through his music and ministry, with that goal of bringing together generations.
-Sources:
-Music Information & Discography:
Album | Year: Beautiful | 2012; Listen | 2016
Link (s):
http://timbowmanjr.com/splash/
-Wakeelah’s Picks:
Song: “Good Good Father” | Album: Listen | Year: 2016
Song: “I’m Good” | Album: Listen | Year: 2016
Song: “Back to You” | Album: Listen| Year: 2016
- Spirit of Faith Christian Center, www.spiritoffaith.org/.
- Donelson, Marcy. “Tim Bowman, Jr. | Album Discography.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/tim-bowman-jr-mn0001853042/discography.
-Music Information & Discography:
Album | Year: Beautiful | 2012; Listen | 2016
Link (s):
http://timbowmanjr.com/splash/
-Wakeelah’s Picks:
Song: “Good Good Father” | Album: Listen | Year: 2016
Song: “I’m Good” | Album: Listen | Year: 2016
Song: “Back to You” | Album: Listen| Year: 2016
Wakeelah Cocroft-Aldridge is a Freelance Writer residing in Chicago, IL with her husband. Her writing includes academic writing and creative writing such as fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Wakeelah likes to laugh and cry about the sweet somethings of life, and find out about the unique stories of others. She loves comedy, animation, extended metaphors, quiet times, and she is an avid listener of gospel music. Oh … and she likes Peppermint Stick ice cream!
Wakeelah has joined us as a Columnist, forming Purposeful Gospel Profiles, a periodic column. She hopes, as she interviews each Gospel Artist, to portray their purpose for singing gospel music and what it means to those who provide a musical narrative for the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Wakeelah has joined us as a Columnist, forming Purposeful Gospel Profiles, a periodic column. She hopes, as she interviews each Gospel Artist, to portray their purpose for singing gospel music and what it means to those who provide a musical narrative for the Good News of Jesus Christ.
“Purpose is the essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history.
Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Press on with purpose.” – Chadwick Boseman
Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Press on with purpose.” – Chadwick Boseman
Disclaimer: All claims or statements in Purposeful Gospel Profiles column were deemed truthful to the best knowledge of the Columnist at the time of publication. All views or opinions by persons featured in the column do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Columnist or Voice of One CNC Online Magazine. The Columnist reserves the right to make any changes to the column at any time.