Britain's JOHN PERRY has a new album produced by pop hit producer Alan Shacklock. Tony Cummings reports.

John Perry

For years John Perry sang backup with Cliff Richard, not to mention doing sessions with Elton John, Roger Daltry, and the Beatles ("Hey Jude"). And in the next month or so will see the release of a John Perry album produced by Alan Shacklock, the man behind smash hits for everyone from Chesney Hawkes to the Alarm. But between John's distant past and exciting present lies a ministry forged in sweat and tears, the singer, songwriter and guitarist taking no easy ride to the CCM 'big time' but toughing it out in dues-paying years of church hall obscurity. In the process he's been blessed. "I've still got a heart for ministry," John enthuses in his cockney accent (John was born quite literally within the sound of Bow Bells). "I still love working with people like Bob Mumford, Jackie Pullinger or Josh McDowell. I still get a real buzz from seeing people weeping before God, from laying hands on the sick and seeing God heal them. It's just that I also love playing rock 'n' roll and with this new album, 'Let Me Show You', I've got a chance to make some real, gutsy rock music. It's all come together real good."

'Let Me Show You' is a creative tour-de-force. Production maestro Shacktock has given John's rich, fluid vocals a punchy backdrop of nimbly programmed synths and drums with fiery spurts of rock guitar, many of the licks played by axe hero Phil Keaggy. Recorded in Mr Shacklock's new home-base, Atlanta, Georgia, with various members of Mylon Le Fevre's band, 'Let Me Show You' takes in elements of funky black gospel ("Lift Up Your Name") and even a near-rockabilly throwback ("Fill Me Up") but remains determinedly 1992 Music with the ballad "Kiss Of Life" one of the most haunting devotional songs you'll hear this or any year. The fact that the fine album was produced and financed without any Christian record label money speaks volumes about the pitiful lack of investment capital currently stemming from British Christian companies. But John is not disillusioned. "I've done OK in the past making my own albums and putting them out on my own label, Heart Records. I recognise that this one might have to go to a bigger label though. Currently, there's a lost of interest from the American market."

In view of the fact that John's composition "Be In My Heart" was a Christian music top five hit for Phil Keaggy. Did John see his future milking America's lucrative CCM scene? "No, though I'd love the chance to do a tour there with a band. The opportunities to play with a straight-ahead rock band is one of the most exciting new openings 'Let Me Show' is creating. For the Cross Rhythms festival for instance I'm bringing down a band with some top musos like Dave Bain-bridge (the keyboards virtuoso with lona), Stewart David (guitar, ex-Treasure Park) and Dave Fitzgerald (sax, lona). It's great to be playing with top musicians. Too often budget constraints have meant that Christian music is full of rinky dink sounds."

John knows the difference between Grade A and mediocre musos. During his 20 odd years in the music biz John has shared a stage or a recording studio with many of pop and rock's finest. Growing up in South Hornchurch, he formed his first band, the Sugar Beats complete with a grizzly slogan ("music sweet with a beat") and a determination to ape the Beatles. After another semi-pro band, Dave And The Strollers, John left the bank where he worked for a year to become a pro-musician with Tony Rivers And The Castaways. During the 60s beat boom The Castaways, though never to hit the big money, were a hard gigging group and firm favourites in first the beat clubs and later the college circuit. "I got the job with Tony Rivers And The Castaways because I could sing harmonies", remembers John. "I could sing 6ths and 9ths at the drop of a hat. I hadn't a clue what they were but I could sing them! I had a low falsetto, a bit like Franki Valli. Funnily enough, my voice didn't break until I became a Christian and I started sounding like a man and not a woman!"

Back in the 60s Christianity was far from John's mind. "I went to Sunday School but as far as I was concerned Christianity was old buildings, coloured glass windows and a bloke spitting in the face of the front row." In 1967 John formed a new band, Grapefruit, with two members of the Castaways and after meeting Terry Doran then running Apple Music, signed with the Beatles' company. Terry Melcher produced Grapefruit's first single and with John Lennon and Paul McCartney in on the first Grapefruit session, pop success seemed assured. It didn't quite happen though. However, for the next three years Grapefruit enjoyed the near-big-time, even recording an album in LA. When Grapefruit folded John took to playing bass with soul band Herbie Goins And The Night-timers. After a gruelling year touring Europe's soul circuit John quit the Nightimers with fellow ex-Castaway Tony Rivers, found a nice little earner in anonymous session singing doing Top Of The Pops cover-version albums for Pickwick International. The distinctive vocal blend of Perry and Rivers was also heard on a Mike Hurst-produced single, released as River, before a backing session for producer Bruce Welch led to the duo being asked to sing BVs on a Cliff Richard session. "That first session was magic", recalls John. "We did 'Devil Woman', 'Can't Ask For Anything More Than You' and 'Miss You Nights' all in a night-long session. The sound we got with Cliff just clicked and soon we were doing more sessions and eventually live work."

For the next decade, John Perry was seemingly travelling down easy street. Touring the world, staying in five star hotels, recording a stream of albums, performing with superlative musicians at lavish concerts, John might not have been getting recognition in his own right, but his undoubted vocal talents were being rewarded. The backing singer regularly did gospel tours with Cliff. Gradually the message seeped through.

"Cliff would quote Jesus saying ll am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.' Then Cliff would say, 'that's a statement you can't ignore.' And I'd think 'Well, here I am and I'm ignoring it.' To be honest, I was really annoyed by this Jesus fella. Finally, I was on tour with Cliff in South Africa. I'd had a couple of beers and I went up to Bill Latham, Cliffs Christian manager, and I said pretty aggressively, 'What you gonna do if when you die you find none of this Jesus stuff is true?' And Bill Latham said, 'Well, at least I'll have lived in hope' and walked away. That really got me. Here I was living in five star hotels, sniffing stuff, taking pills and feeling dead miserable. And Bill Latham was talking about hope."

At a meeting conducted by South African evangelist Tony Louch in 1979 John Perry finally committed his life to Christ. "This guy preached the message and it all seemed personal. Then he gave the altar call, asked for anyone who wanted to receive Christ to put up his hand and my hand went up. I never asked it! I hoped nobody had seen me. But then the preacher asked those who'd responded to come out the front! I went clonking down the front filled with horror, amazement and joy. It was a parquet floor and I was wearing clogs. So I really clonked. Everyone who had their heads bowed knew it was me clattering to the front. About three quarters of the way there I was crying. God just gutted me, gave me a real good cleaning up inside."

Over the next few years as John began to grow as a Christian, the singer found himself being asked to "do a few bits and pieces in church-run events". Then in 1984 John's security blanket was pulled out from under him. Cliff Richard was invited to do the Time musical but no members of his band was asked to join the superstar. John began to wonder whether God was saying something in his enforced absence away from the bright lights. At a meeting John attended in Bristol, renowned Bible teacher David Poulson prophesied that John was being "anointed with fire to work in full time Christian ministry". He also prophesied that John was going to come out from under Cliff's shadow and that a time would even come when Cliff would sing backups for John!

"After I'd got similar prophecies on two other occasions I knew it had to be God speaking", remarks John ruefully. "The phone started ringing. I got invited to come and do a concert in a church. I had no car and had to borrow one to do the engagement. After the meeting, somebody came up to me and said he believed God was telling him to help me financially. The next day I got a phone call offering me three grand to buy a car! I felt God was saying Cliff might have paid you well but I can pay you better."

The following seven years in Christian music ministry were not always easy. But God continued to open doors, and his albums, a miscellaneous collection of demos assembled to satisfy the clamour for a tape ('Be In My Heart', 1985) and an album, completed after John turned his Surrey home into a recording studio for seven weeks ('Go For It', 1989) despite undeniable musical deficiencies, helped spread John's growing ministry. But now at last John Perry has an album to go with his consummate singing and songwriting talent. Looking back did John regret it taking as long as it has to deliver a top quality recording? "Not really. It's all been in God's time. When I look back on what's happened so far I praise God I've had so much fun. I've had fun because God's been in it."