Published: February 10, 2007 11:50 pm      

Bishop: Grammy nomination is opportunity to share message of grace

Southern gospel singer Kenny Bishop, who grew up in Greens Crossing, a rural community between Richmond and Waco, is in Los Angeles where he will attend the music recording industry’s Grammy Awards ceremony tonight.

Bishop, who sang for nearly 20 years with his father and brother as part of the Southern Gospel trio The Bishops, is a nominee for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album.

After the family trio broke up in 2001, Bishop took a four-year leave from music and got involved in politics, supporting Ernie Fletcher, then a congressman, but now governor of Kentucky.

Bishop resumed his music career on a part-time basis in 2004 and was nominated late last year for his first solo album. It is titled simply “Kenny Bishop.”

In addition to his music and work as a motivational speaker, he serves as director of the governor’s mansion.

Speaking by telephone from a hotel room overlooking the Staples Center where the Grammys will be awarded tonight, Bishop said, “The greatest thing about this recognition is having opportunities to share the message of grace with so many people.”

Being nominated as one of the recording industry’s best “is a great blessing,” Bishop said, “but my music is all about spreading the good news of grace.”

“I got to sit down (Friday) with editors and writers of Billboard magazine to talk about my music, and one of the them said, ‘Tell me what grace is.’

“I got to tell them that grace is knowing the goodness of God and enjoying his favor even though you don’t deserve it,” he said.

Winning awards is nothing new to Bishop. His family’s trio, which had a string of top 10 hits, claimed several Dove Awards from the gospel music recording industry.

Bishop has some prestigious company as fellow nominees in his Grammy category. They include Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, The Del McCoury Band and the Gaither Vocal Band.

Prior to flying to Los Angeles on Thursday, Bishop was among 300 artists in Nashville on Tuesday and Wednesday recording music for the annual Gaither Homecoming.

“Los Angeles, with all of its tall skyscrapers, is a long way from Greens Crossing,” Bishop said Saturday.

The singer, who now lives in Lexington, has “lots of great memories” of growing up in Madison County, especially of his public school music teachers.

As a youngster at Waco Elementary, “Mildred Webb encouraged my desire to sing and taught me to play the flut-o-phone and the recorder,” Bishop said.

“At Clark-Moores Middle School, Patsy Presnell taught me to read music, introduced me to music theory and prepared me for greater things ahead,” he said.

“Jan Tunnell,” Bishop’s choral teacher at Madison Central High School, “encouraged me to dream of a career in music,” Bishop said. “She said there is a living to be made in music,” he said.

“Those teachers were invaluable in helping me develop my God-given talents,” Bishop said.

Tunnel remembers Bishop as “an outstanding young man, loaded with talent and a joy to work with.”

Bishop, a four-year member of Central’s chorus, was named to the Kentucky Music Educators’ All-State Chorus, Tunnel said. “Kenny also starred in Central’s productions of “Oklahoma” and “The Sound of Music,” she said. “He worked very hard to make every production a success. He always went beyond his class requirements.”

Tunnel said she will be among Bishops many local fans watching the Grammy Awards show in CBS tonight beginning at 8.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 623-1669, Ext. 267.