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CNN Sunday Morning
Kurt Carr Singers Discuss `Awesome Wonder'
Aired January 13, 2002 - 08:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: If you were not awake, I'm sure you are awake now if you've been watching Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr Singers. They're here talking about their new CD, "Awesome Wonder." And you were here in town for the Stellar Gospel Awards...
KURT CARR, SINGER: Yes, last night.
PHILLIPS: ... and you won five awards.
CARR: We won five awards, yeah.
PHILLIPS: That is so awesome.
CARR: Just overwhelmed.
PHILLIPS: Well, introduce -- I want you to introduce each singer, OK?
CARR: I will. My wonderful singers -- this is Shivonne Wells (ph), this is Jackie Boyd-Deras (ph), this is Nikita Clag (ph), this is Yvette Williams (ph), this is Timony Figerella (ph), and this is Nikki Potts (ph).
PHILLIPS: Now. Oh, I like how he said -- oh, Nikki (ph), all right. Does beauty come with faith here? Is that a prerequisite to...
CARR: Well, yes, that's what it is. That's what it is. I think God's people should be happy and they should look good. And -- because we serve a good God.
PHILLIPS: Well how did you all come together? How did this group form?
CARR: I started the group, actually, 16 years ago. And it's been a long time coming, the awards and the recognition, it's been a long time in the waiting. And so many people were happy for us last night. And we were like the underdogs in the industry that finally made their -- their little eagle that started flying.
PHILLIPS: Oh, you're -- you're a big name now.
CARR: And the group started 16 years ago. We were just singing around the piano in someone's living room, and now we're traveling literally all over the world. And I'm at CNN and talking to you. And, God, it's just amazing.
PHILLIPS: Well, I'm very curious, because your mission, of course, as gospel singers is to inspire and talk about healing and faith. Since September 11, how has that changed your life? How has it changed the group's life?
CARR: Well, it definitely has changed our lives. We were actually in New York City on September 10. We had been ministering there that weekend. And the group left that morning, and I left on the last flight American Airlines had on Monday night going non-stop to Los Angeles. And just thinking about how -- what could have happened one day later, I was literally staying about two or three blocks from the World Trade Center.
Just thinking about the things that could have happened has really impacted me. And to see the devastation in the world -- and it's been frightening, even for us as Christians, it was frightening for us to fly again. But it's more -- more than ever, the message that we have is important. So we have to do it.
I was actually on a plane on the first -- the first flight that American Airlines had leaving out of Los Angeles once the airports were opened again.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
CARR: And that took a whole lot of faith. But I did it because I think the message that we -- we send is crucial in this hour. That God -- everyone is saying God bless America, and that's a wonderful thing. And there's an awareness of God, and I've got to be that voice of God to speak to people.
PHILLIPS: Well, you're going to sing another song for us.
CARR: We are.
PHILLIPS: OK. Tell us about this song.
CARR: This song is called, "We Offer You Praise." One of my missions -- and that's why I'm so glad I'm here at CNN -- is to reach the world. Sometimes when we're traveling to foreign countries...
PHILLIPS: You're doing that today.
CARR: ... CNN saves our lives, because there's no English.
PHILLIPS: We keep you in tune.
CARR: But we know -- we hear something that we know. So we're going to sing something called "We Offer You Praise," and it's a Latin flavor and it's a gospel tune, so...
PHILLIPS: Oh, so we can salsa and...
CARR: You can salsa, and if you want to stand over there...
PHILLIPS: Oh, OK; very good. I think I'll be on the sideline. I'll check you out from afar.
CARR: OK. OK.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thank you all so much for being here. An absolute pleasure. All right, take it away.
(MUSIC)
PHILLIPS: Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr Singers, awesome again. I just -- I wish we could keep going all morning.
You know what's interesting, you incorporate a Latin flavor. There are just no color lines, no -- I mean, no -- when it comes to your music and the whole spiritual...
CARR: And that's the way it should be, because God is God of everybody. And that's what I want our music to do: to reach the world, to reach everybody. And we're so excited about that. I'm out of breath.
PHILLIPS: That's OK. Take a deep breath.
CARR: That's one of the things I'm excited about. That doors are opening for us to cross racial barriers and using our music, like the song that we did in the sanctuary, as one of the biggest churches and songs in all churches, praise and worship now, in white churches, black churches, Hispanic churches. And that's what I think we should be all about, because we serve God. That's a God of everybody.
PHILLIPS: Well, in the late '90s, gospel music started getting very popular. And it's reaching everybody, and your mission is quite obvious as to why it's becoming so popular.
CARR: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: And we thank you so much for being here.
CARR: Well thank you for having us.
PHILLIPS: All right. And that CD, once again, Kurt Carr and the Kurt Carr Singers. "Awesome Wonder" is the name of the CD.
CARR: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I hope you'll come back with your next CD.
CARR: Thank you so much. God bless you.
PHILLIPS: Thank you all very much. I appreciate it. All right.
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