Riverside Country

The Bellamy Brothers: Jesus Is Coming
By: Brenda Higgins 

Bellamy Brothers are receiving strong support for their brand new CD, Jesus Is Coming. The dynamic brother duo, The Legendary Bellamy Brothers, got a tremendous response at the duo’s Grand Ole Opry appearance. The Gospel Music Channel was backstage to capture The Bellamy Brother’s performance and get an interview with Howard and David on their tour bus.

While in Nashville for the Opry, The Bellamy Brothers made good use of their time with several other media interviews. They stopped by the studio of WKDF, The Wolf, and spent an hour with morning show host, Shannon McCombs. They also did radio interviews for XM Radio, Associated Press Radio, Huntsman Entertainment, and stopped by the office of Country Aircheck for a visit with editor, Lon Helton and staff.  Then there were Christian interviews with Homecoming Magazine, Christian Music Planet, and Power Source Music Magazine.

Reviews have been very supportive of Jesus Is Coming with Billboard Magazine doing a feature story and review on the project. About.com gave a glowing review also saying, this is a one-of-a-kind gospel album that includes Country, Gospel and even Blues sounds and will be a must for anyone who loves The Bellamy Brothers.

Howard and David Bellamy were raised in Florida and began their musical journey during their childhoods. Without any formal training, they mastered several instruments and in college started playing paid gigs. In 1973, David Bellamy’s song, “Spiders and Snakes,” became a top 5 hit for Jim Stafford and went on to sell three million copies. David and Howard signed with Curb/Warner Bros. in 1975 and became The Bellamy Brothers. Their first hit was “Let Your Love Flow,” followed by the Grammy-winning “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me). They have remained on Curb Records to this day. The Bellamy Brothers hold the record in the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association Awards (CMA) for the most duo nominations.

These days when the subject turns to touring, The Bellamys are showing a new generation of Country music how it’s done. “We’re old road dogs,” grins Howard when asked about the motivation behind the brothers 200 plus concert dates each year. Adds David: “Our live draw is bigger than it was in the ‘80’s. I think the same people that grew up with us and with our music in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s obviously have raised a whole new generation of Bellamy fans who started toddling to our music.  Now they’re turning up at our concerts as college kids, who are really turned on and tuned in to us and our music, it’s a great feeling.”

Internationally, the story is the same. The Bellamy Brothers have released more than two-dozen hit songs outside the U.S. that were never released here. With a sharp eye on the songwriting skills that have been the bedrock of their success, Howard and David concur that their career is unique in their international finesse for matching their songs to the market.  Strong melodies and lyric content is very important, and internationally the melody is something fans can connect with, even if they do not understand the lyrics.

Thirty years in the industry, forty-nine albums, including compilations, Howard and David Bellamy take on a new project. Going back to their musical roots and remembering their raising, this album is expressing their faith. It’s what they believe!

While the songs found on Jesus Is Coming CD deal with some serious issues it also has that quirky Bellamy Brothers humor that fans are use to hearing. The Bellamy Brothers grew up like that and started out life with a strong foundation of faith.

David said, “We were pretty well drug to church on Sunday morning. That (‘Drug Problem’) song is a very true story. I think these songs are all pretty personal, and what made this album a lot of fun for us. We really had a lot of fun making this album. ‘Grandma’s God,’ is one of the most autobiographical songs that I have ever written.” It tracks the brothers’ spiritual journey and honoring the influence of their grandmother.

David said, “We have sung Gospel music all of our lives. We have sung Gospel music for as long as I can remember. I think this record will help clear up who we are, because I don’t think people ever knew that.” Howard said, “I think that it has taken thirty-one years for people to figure out this is where we are coming from. We are coming from several different directions, but this is really our outlook. We’ve done Gospel songs here and there over the years and we’ve always wanted to record a Gospel album.”

The tracks cover a diverse blend of Country styles, with David Bellamy writing nine tracks, Howard one, and Albert Brumley’s classic “I’ll Fly Away.” They could have done a hymns album, but they chose to go in a more autobiographical direction, putting down their flare of style and striving to please country fans.

Howard Bellamy’s song is the old school country “Faith Came Back to Me.” “I Ain’t Goin’ To Hell” is straight-up upbeat Southern Gospel, as is “You’re the World,” featuring sons Jesse and Noah. You have to appreciate the duo’s attempt to wrestle some of the Christian culture’s most obvious hypocrisies. The Bellamy Brothers wade into deep water with “Jesus is Coming;” it’ll be interesting to see how they fare. They end the album with a Gospel mix of their first hit song, “Let Your Love Flow.” There is something on this CD for the whole family and the many fans of the brothers.

On the infrequent off days from the road, Howard and David head the bus back to their 150-acre family ranch in Darby, Florida just north of Tampa. A working ranch, the spread consists of Purebred Charlois cattle and Quarter horses. Amid a land lush with fruit trees, ancient oaks and crepe myrtles, three generation of the Bellamy family, headed by David and Howard’s Mother, Frances, populate the homes clustered in the family compound.

This article has been reprinted by permission from Powersource Magazine.