Goldwire Mclendon - World’s oldest recording artist
ELDER GOLDWIRE Mclendon could be a contender for the Guiness Book of World Records. Yet he already considers himself blessed.
“I’m highly favored, more than a conquerer through Christ,” testified the Mount Olive Holy Temple church elder in a recent chat. “But if they want to put me in the book,” he added with a chuckle, “I’m all for it.”
For his great and abiding gospel vocal abilities, still enthralling at the tender age of 81, Mclendon has already earned much earthly praise.
In 2009, he was honored as a Philadelphia “Living Legend” in a local awards ceremony alongside Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp and Billy Paul. A year later, he almost made to the mountaintop in TV land — as first runner-up on Season 3 of the BET gospel -singing competition “Sunday Best.” And April 24 he released “The Best of Elder Goldwire Mclendon,” a seven-track mashup of traditional and contemporary gospel material for Music World Records — a release that has led the label, a pet project of Matthew Knowles, to proclaim Mclendon “the oldest American contemporary solo artist signed to a record deal.” How about that?
Among the album selections are renderings of “How Great Thou Art,” “The Battle is the Lord’s” and “Oh, Happy Day” — songs that elicited many a “hallelujah” and tears of joy from celebrity judges and millions of votes in the final stanzas of the 12-week “Sunday Best” competition.
And talk about life changing. Ever since this TV triumph, Mclendon said, he’d been “much in demand for singing appearances” and “enjoying a new lease on life,” riding in limos and airplanes to perform and meet his admirers.
Still new to this celebrity thing, the experience of confronting a whipped-up group of fans really freaked the man out first time it happened in Cincinnati, Mclendon recalled last week.
“We were in a large venue, and when we came into the lobby, I looked at the other end, where they had opened the door, and the women were running toward me,” he said. “They wanted to hug me, they want my picture, they wanted my autograph. Oh, it was an awesome experience.” (Maybe there’s another Guiness citation in there for him too: American’s oldest gospel stud?)
“He has the energy and enthusiam of a young man,” said Music World CEO Knowles, an industry pro known best as father of Beyonce Knowles and mentor to Destiny’s Child. “As I watched him in Season 3, he competed with vigor and stamina. He proved that he can connect with people in a wide range of demographics as he won the hearts of over a million supporters — especially women.”
Spiritual singing has long been central to Mclendon’s life, since his childhood in Jacksonville, Fla. His aunt Anna, blessed with a voice “like Mahalia Jackson,” took him first to the Mount Airy Baptist Church, then to the Church of God, where he began to sing solos before he’d even hit double digits. By the time he was 16, Mclendon had organized the Cosmopolitian Gospel Singers of Jacksonville.
He moved to Philadelphia to live with his mother and find work, first at a restaurant, then at the Campbell’s soup factory and later as a ship welder.
Searching Tags:-
Goldwire Mclendon, World’s oldest recording artist, World's oldest audio recording, Who is the oldest recording artist, Goldwire Mclendon pictures, Goldwire Mclendon photos, Goldwire Mclendon recording video, Goldwire Mclendon music album
ELDER GOLDWIRE Mclendon could be a contender for the Guiness Book of World Records. Yet he already considers himself blessed.
“I’m highly favored, more than a conquerer through Christ,” testified the Mount Olive Holy Temple church elder in a recent chat. “But if they want to put me in the book,” he added with a chuckle, “I’m all for it.”
For his great and abiding gospel vocal abilities, still enthralling at the tender age of 81, Mclendon has already earned much earthly praise.
In 2009, he was honored as a Philadelphia “Living Legend” in a local awards ceremony alongside Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp and Billy Paul. A year later, he almost made to the mountaintop in TV land — as first runner-up on Season 3 of the BET gospel -singing competition “Sunday Best.” And April 24 he released “The Best of Elder Goldwire Mclendon,” a seven-track mashup of traditional and contemporary gospel material for Music World Records — a release that has led the label, a pet project of Matthew Knowles, to proclaim Mclendon “the oldest American contemporary solo artist signed to a record deal.” How about that?
Among the album selections are renderings of “How Great Thou Art,” “The Battle is the Lord’s” and “Oh, Happy Day” — songs that elicited many a “hallelujah” and tears of joy from celebrity judges and millions of votes in the final stanzas of the 12-week “Sunday Best” competition.
And talk about life changing. Ever since this TV triumph, Mclendon said, he’d been “much in demand for singing appearances” and “enjoying a new lease on life,” riding in limos and airplanes to perform and meet his admirers.
Still new to this celebrity thing, the experience of confronting a whipped-up group of fans really freaked the man out first time it happened in Cincinnati, Mclendon recalled last week.
“We were in a large venue, and when we came into the lobby, I looked at the other end, where they had opened the door, and the women were running toward me,” he said. “They wanted to hug me, they want my picture, they wanted my autograph. Oh, it was an awesome experience.” (Maybe there’s another Guiness citation in there for him too: American’s oldest gospel stud?)
“He has the energy and enthusiam of a young man,” said Music World CEO Knowles, an industry pro known best as father of Beyonce Knowles and mentor to Destiny’s Child. “As I watched him in Season 3, he competed with vigor and stamina. He proved that he can connect with people in a wide range of demographics as he won the hearts of over a million supporters — especially women.”
Spiritual singing has long been central to Mclendon’s life, since his childhood in Jacksonville, Fla. His aunt Anna, blessed with a voice “like Mahalia Jackson,” took him first to the Mount Airy Baptist Church, then to the Church of God, where he began to sing solos before he’d even hit double digits. By the time he was 16, Mclendon had organized the Cosmopolitian Gospel Singers of Jacksonville.
He moved to Philadelphia to live with his mother and find work, first at a restaurant, then at the Campbell’s soup factory and later as a ship welder.
Searching Tags:-
Goldwire Mclendon, World’s oldest recording artist, World's oldest audio recording, Who is the oldest recording artist, Goldwire Mclendon pictures, Goldwire Mclendon photos, Goldwire Mclendon recording video, Goldwire Mclendon music album
