The full interview with Pastor David Daniel.

Tony:  I have got with me today Pastor David Daniel and we are timing it with a brand new album which has just come out called "Praise Goes First", and also David will be telling me about his history in gospel music.  David, do I call you David or do I call you Pastor?

David: David is fine!

Tony:  David, you've have got quite a history yourself in gospel music.  Before we are getting started talking about the new album, could you fill me in a bit on some of the gaps.  How did you get involved in gospel music?

David:  For me it started actually in my church, as a youngster in the youth choirs and it kind of started from there.  In our church it didn't start off as a mainstream pentecostal church, it was a brethren church and it is now an evangelical church and so hymns were our heritage, and together with, you know, the word of God and everything, I kind of started off singing with the choir as we tried to do a bit of gospel music.  As time went by I was playing the trumpet, I joined a group, a gospel jazz funk group when I was in my teens called "Clarity".

Tony:  I remember them!

David: You remember Clarity?

Tony: Yeah  Is Simon still going?

David:  I believe so.  I believe Simon is doing quite a bit of ministry now as well, a lot of preaching in his church.

Tony:  You were a member of Clarity - they were real pioneers, because of course back then the church could not really get on with the whole funk idea could they?

David:  That is true.

Tony:  You were a seriously funky band!

David:  We tried to be.  We were just doing the music of our time and we were just trying our best.  We were very sincere and was just trying to get the message into people's lives and to try and communicate.  You see, yet many churches didn't really appreciate the music so sometimes we were at youth clubs and places like that.  It was a fantastic time.  It's from doing Clarity I got to meet some of the members of the Lapwing
and from that I became part of the LCGC.

Tony:  What year did you join LCGC, which if anybody doesn't know, that is the London Community Gospel Choir - "the" gospel choir in the UK.  What year did you join them David?

David: Well actually I was head-hunted so I came at the very beginning.