With never a lack for ideas, it is hard to believe it took so long for one of us to birth this particular one. Philip (Dad) and his music have been a part of our earliest interactions and memories with him.

Mom Gives Birth in Her Seventies

Jimmie (wife of 60 years to Dad) was reflecting one day in September 2019 about Dad’s ability to blend various hymns together while “leading the singing” in their Sunday School class at church. He had been invited to sing with Brad Garvin, an Opera Singer who frequently visits their Sunday School class. He is accompanied by his mother, Martha Reed Garvin, who is also a member of the class.

After thinking a bit about Dad’s past and current history in music, she knew an idea was percolating and would eventually be birthed.

Now, here we are … Nine Months Later!

A Little History

For many years, Dad served as a Minister of Music at churches in Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi and Tennessee; as the Director of the Mississippi Impact Team; and, most recently, in his Sunday School Class at First Nazarene Church, located in Nashville, Tennessee. As their oldest son, it’s been so fascinating to watch Dad seamlessly lead music in his unique style. It has had a profound impact on my life (story to come) and I have discovered that that impact is woven into more of my life than I was aware of.

Mom felt that it would be a neat idea to create a “playlist” on YouTube, load it up with songs that are meaningful to Dad and are reflective of his abilities, and maybe even add some recordings that might be interesting to people who know Dad and have seen him at work. She encouraged me to help her with this while he is still alive and with us.

Of course, that got my mind going, which set in motion some serious brainstorming, mostly between mom and me. I began jotting down notes, thoughts and ideas for how this playlist idea might work. Of course, in true form, we’ve ended up with LOTS more ideas than we are likely to ever use.

The Thanksgiving Detour

The weeks moved forward as we were hashing out our thoughts, but Mom ended up having a heart attack and open heart surgery in November 2019 (the day before Thanksgiving). Needless to say, our priorities changed and the playlist idea moved to the back burner.

Looking back at how “things” have progressed, it seems that the timing is right – now – for us to put the idea out there. It’s a few days before Father’s Day 2020, which would be a great launch-day gift to Dad, and I’ve felt led to make it happen.

The Goal

The goal is to create a site that not only focuses on honoring Dad’s unique gifts in the music world, but also the influence that he has wielded on me, my family and our many friends and acquaintances. While he has not gained nationwide notoriety nor achieved “fame” or “success” as defined in worldly terms, the reach and impact is probably more than I have previously considered and weighs much more than the worldly fame or success would.

Our Desire

Our desire is to create a vehicle in which we can reach out to other family, friends, acquaintances, and interested parties who may have their own related story to tell about Dad and/or stories of the way that Christian hymns and music has impacted them. While Dad’s unique ability — his gift — is being steadily replaced and devalued in our current, popular environment of praise songs, I believe there is potentially surprising interest in listening to the “old” hymns and choruses that built our Christian heritage.

We hope that people will find encouragement and blessing in the music and stories they find here.

You Are Invited

We invite you to stay tuned as we share more about Dad’s life in and love for music and what that has meant to us and others. If you want to stay in contact, please sign on to our Social Media resources and/or shoot us a note via email. Especially if you have a story about Dad and music and how it may have impacted your life.

In Honor Of …

While working on this project, multiple people have come to mind. Most are still with us, but two, in particular, were on the Mississippi Impact Team with us. We want to dedicate this launch to them on Father’s Day.

Greg Bybee and Terry Williams (and their families) were both friends of Dad and our family, as well. Greg was a positive older brother figure to me as I tagged along with the Impact Team, before I was old enough to be a member. His sense of humor was inescapable!

Terry and I shared the same birthday, and always had positive interactions from high school, into college, and beyond. I will never forget Terry’s laugh!

If you knew Greg and/or Terry, please join with us in fond memories of them, and continue to pray for their families. If you have a story you’d like to share involving one or both of them, especially related to Dad and music, please get in touch and let me know the details.

All the best to you and yours!

Phil Roberson, Jr.
June 19, 2020 (updated June 21, 2020, Father’s Day)