Bryan
Duncan
Interview by Jim
Varsallone
Bryan
Duncan is not one to rest on
his laurels. Spending three decades in music, he continues to find
new ways to challenge and entertain people.
When Duncan embarked on his biggest
production to date, the Slow
Revival Tour, he invited
friends Bob
Carlisle and
Rebecca St.
James.
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"There are more bells and
whistles on this tour than ever before," Duncan
joked.
"It's more of a variety
show," Duncan said. "There was a lot of time and effort put
forth on the details of the show. It's a
production."
It was 3 1/2 hours of pure
entertainment every night. Flanked by his entire California
band, Duncan opened the concert with one of his top songs.
Then, he introduced Carlisle and St. James, two rising stars
on the music trail.
All showcased their own
talents, taking turns in the spotlight. During the
extravaganza, Duncan performed a couple of songs with each.
The three later joined forces for a spectacular
finale.
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"We've been drawing very well," noted Duncan, after a sold out
concert in Washington D.C. "There is something for everyone:
laughter, spiritual moments, tear jerkers, and upbeat songs. It's
quite a show."
Carlisle, a former backing vocalist
for Duncan, has really made his mark in the Christian music market.
His latest Sparrow
Records/EMI release,
The Hope of a
Man, reinforces his soul
singing abilities.
St. James is new to the field. She is
only 17, but her talents speak with more authority than most
singer/songwriters twice her age. Songs from her self-titled debut
album on ForeFront Communications have garnered considerable airplay
on adult and contemporary Christian radio stations
nationwide.
"She's the only girl on this tour,"
Duncan noted. "It's fascinating to observe her youthful energy. She's
excited about everything. Me and Bob say we wish we had some of that
energy."
Both Carlisle and Duncan are doing
all right. Duncan, especially, has enjoyed tremendous success. Over
the past four years, 11 of his 12 singles reached No. 1 on the
Christian radio charts. He took home Christian
Research Report's Best Album
of the Year in 1993 for Mercy, a Myrrh
Records release. He also won
CRR's Best Male Artist award.
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Duncan's contemporary pop
style on Mercy yielded five No. 1 singles. Even with
that overwhelming success, it didn't take long for Duncan to
deliver another powerful album/CD, Slow
Revival, which has
resulted in two No. 1 singles and a third one, "United We
Stand," on its way. Slow
Revival is a
Dove award nominee for Album of the Year.
"The whole idea of
Slow
Revival, for me, has
to do with a regeneration of the gospel," Duncan said. "I
think what I want to say to people with this record is that
there's so much more that God wants for them than what they
are right now. They have to understand that even though they
might not be where they would like to be in their
spirituality, they should not be discouraged or give
up."
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He continued, "Slow
Revival is about taking
courage in your shortcomings and remembering God loves you
unconditionally."
Even before the emergence of the
Sweet Comfort
Band, Duncan displayed
courage and knew God was on his side. The Sweet Comfort Band debuted
in December 1972. Musically, Duncan's been courageous for more than
20 years. His work with Sweet Comfort Band during his college days
became the springboard for a long and successful solo
career.
"I'm focused about what it is I'm
doing," Duncan said. "The biggest change in me, musically, is I've
learned to be patient. I explain what it is I'm trying to say. That's
time consuming, but it's necessary to do that. You explain why you do
what you do."
Mercy,
his sixth solo album/CD, featured smash hits "I'll Not Forget You,"
"Into My Heart," "Love Takes Time," "When It Comes to Love," and "You
Don't Leave Me Lonely." He has an ability to draw from his own
experiences and connects with his audiences.
"A lot of the humor is born out of my
own disasters," Duncan said. "Hey, if an amp blows up, you can get
mad about it, and storm around, or you can give a dead pan look and
say isn't this typical of life and make a joke about it."
Born in Ogden, Utah, Duncan's family
moved across the country, before settling in North
Carolina.
"I think music became a kind of
salvation for me," Duncan said. "It was a way of expressing my
frustrations about feeling trapped. If I was angry, I could play
rock-n-roll. That certainly expressed anger better than anything
else. So it was, in some ways, my saving grace."
Duncan actually graces his public
with pop, rhythm & blues, and soul on Slow
Revival. He says it was an
obvious choice to follow-up Mercy.
"Mercy is like a white flag, saying,
'I have really messed up here. Don't shoot me, even though You know
that I knew I deserve it. I need some compassion here'," he noted.
"Slow revival is like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. It doesn't
happen overnight. In fact, the ashes might not move for a long
while."
Duncan's been moving--moving up the
charts from the start. Mercy broke new ground for the
long-time artist. Ironically, it took about one year before people
started recognizing Duncan's work on the album. They hear one hit,
and then another. They like this song and that one. Before anyone
knew it was all Duncan, and all from Mercy.
He also received a Dove Award nomination for Male Vocalist of the
Year. In winning the 1993 CRR honor, he bested a field which included
Michael
English and
Michael W.
Smith.
"Traces of Heaven" is a song from the
new album/CD which is co-written by Duncan and Michael
Omartian. "A Heavenly Light"
is the cornerstone of the album, while "Lonely Tonight" is hauntingly
beautiful.
"Isolation is something I wasn't
counting on when I started a music ministry," Duncan said. "I just
didn't see it coming. I got out there traveling solo. I traveled
around the world by myself almost all the time. I was completely
disconnected from my family and from any community, and I was
blind-sided by that. I never thought about loneliness. I never
understood how loneliness plays on you and how you start to
deteriorate. Without realizing it, I went to save the world and
almost lost my own soul."
Duncan's learned to balance his tour
schedule with his family life. He makes time for his wife and two
children, spending quality time with them in their California home.
Duncan loves the home life, but he also yearns for playing his music
live.
"Music is more powerful than we give
it credit for being," he said. "I definitely react to the crowd.
That's the joy of it--communicating to an audience and seeing where
they are. That's a chance to create some kind of safe
place.
"Performing live is one of the most
exciting things I do," Duncan added. "It's the icing on the cake.
People come away with a lighter heart, and they are uplifted in a
relaxing sort of way. It's a fun, energetic concert. I acknowledge
pain is common place; fear is normal; and there are no quick fixes
with problems. But I offer hope and faith."
