Melodies of Gratitude Honoring Bert Walker's Musical Gifts: Features Personality Profiles of 26 Choir Members With Faith-fueled Superpowers

By Dr. Katie Canty Ed.D.

Dear Readers: This book serves as a thank-you note for a wonderful pianist, choir director, songwriter, and family friend, Mr. Bert Walker. Bert is a wonderful man of God, and we want to appreciate him for all his support and agape love. Bert is that rare person who does not charge a fee or seeks recognition for playing the piano or for directing choirs. Even though, given his professional piano skills, he could have made tons of money. He believes his musical talent is a gift and a blessing that should be freely shared and given. The choirs, families, churches, and the community held a wonderful musical tribute for Bert back at his church in 2004 as shown in the newsletter. Bert, as we lovingly refer to him, was the organizer and musician for many denominations of community church choirs of Newport, NC for 60 years. When we first met Bert, most of us were 12 to 16 years old. All our Newport African American families, Baptist, Methodist, and other denominations, attended church services together. The church leaders started a junior choir for us. It was a social activity and faith building activity for teens and preteens to learn about God, behave appropriately, make new friends, and have good, clean, wholesome fun. Bert's family was happy to let Bert play piano for the choir, because it was an engaging way to share love for Christ and to witness to others through song. The newsletter and play were very nice. But I still wanted to gather memories about Bert and choir members into something special, something never done before. None of the gospel music greats have their own superhero book. That is why I came up with this Part 1, colorful book picturing Bert as the superhero leader of the galaxy's superhero choirs. To document and remember what 26 of Bert's female choir members were like, we picture them alphabetically as sheroes with superpowers, but flaws. The plot is not yet complete, but I want the world to know of Bert's remarkable skills that go far beyond professional piano playing, great people skills, and generosity. This is a written collection of memories and physical testament to Bert's skill, accomplishment, and know-how. This book documents Bert's legacy of patience and bravery, especially when we think about all of the songsters (and divas and maestro's and can't carry a tune in a bucket types) he's worked with over his career. Bert dealt with every kind of singer you can think of (and I explain each of their attitudes, personas, and character types in this book), with a smile on his face and an encouraging word from his mouth. That was not easy to do... trust me. His wonderful songs, beautiful melodies, and awesome notes deserve to be described to the world. This book is his former junior choir's way of doing just that. We started the choir by singing at our home church first, and then branching out to sing at evening programs in nearby churches. There were thrilling to funny rehearsals and the songs that were a mix between traditional gospel and neo soul gospel. Bert could take the same lyrics of the original song, but remix it in such a way that old-fashioned, dry songs had everyone clapping and stomping their feet. Bert always kept us choir members: on key, on note, in unison, and in harmony. Whether he was working with high schoolers, regular adults, or elderly singers, Bert always knew how to bring everyone together through the wonderful melodies he would create on the fly. His fingers could make piano keys sing perfect tunes. Talking about melody and harmony, you haven't heard from those two, until you hear Bert play!

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0DBFZRCW1
• ISBN13: 9798333250469
• Release Date: July 2024
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 51 Pages
• Dimensions: 11.0" x 0.1" x 8.5"