Calvin Earl

Calvin Earl, a musician and storyteller, was born into a large North Carolina family with a musical tradition. His father, John, was an evangelist and gospel singer. The youngest of nine children, Earl taught himself to play the guitar at age seven. Considered a musical prodigy, by age nine he had his own weekly radio show broadcast live every Sunday from Virginia. He and his family toured the South and performed with some of the best-known gospel singers of the time. The legendary Mahalia Jackson, a pioneer in gospel music, was EarlÆs mentor and inspiration. During his teen years, Earl won many singing awards and later formed his own five-piece R&B band, ôThe Elements of Peace.ö His first love, however, was always the slave, plantation and spiritual songs of the Old South.

After college, Earl started a very successful project management business in California, but it was during a revival meeting at his hometown church in North Carolina in 1988, that he realized that educating Americans about the enormous hope and beauty that is integral to spirituals was what he was meant to do. With his wife Christi, the god-daughter of bandleader Stan Kenton, Earl moved from California to New York City to pursue his dream.

Earl has recorded a CD called There is a Bright Side and he regularly entertains at Barnes & Noble. In early 1999 he developed a series of programs called ôThe Spirit Behind the Spirituals Concert/Lecture Seriesö which he debuted at the ChildrenÆs Storefront School, an independent school in Harlem. The Education Board of Trustees of the National Arts Club in New York City featured his lecture series in the fall of 1999 as one of that yearÆs premiere events. In addition to performing the concert/lecture series in public schools, private schools and universities, the New York City public library featured the series in February of last year in both their adult and childrenÆs programs.

As a result of EarlÆs television interviews and newspaper articles about his program, the corporate world took notice. The demand was there for a diversity program that would turn information on creating a new environment of racial understanding into immediate positive action. As a result Earl created a diversity program with a fresh innovative look at ourselves as Americans.

Additional Resources

Millennium Stage Home Page

Watch Past Performances

2/12/01: Calvin Earl

Musician and storyteller Calvin Earl's performances demonstrate the hope and beauty of the American spiritual.

Calvin Earl

Musician and storyteller Calvin Earl's performances demonstrate the hope and beauty of the American spiritual.

Comment, rate, and more...

Performances

Search by Date

Annual Events

Search by Category

Visit these areas of our website:

Tickets

Buy a Ticket

Subscribe

Customer Help

Box Office

Contribute

Give Now

Support Us

Get Involved

Visit

The Kennedy Center

Area Information

The Venues

Area Map

Explore the Arts

Videos

Live Broadcasts

Interactives

Artists

Blogs

Education

Performances & Events

Arts & Schools

Career Development

VSA and Accessibility

Arts Management

About

A Living Memorial

Our People

Calvin Earl

Additional Resources

Watch Past Performances

Comments