Pastor Carolyn C. Bryant

Carolyn C. Bryant, pastor of Philadelphia's Bethel Church of Christ Written in Heaven, is one of the few gospel singers still capable of "raising" the old common and long meter hymns that once characterized much African American worship. Drawing their texts from both written and oral sources, such hymns are traditionally "lined out," with song leaders chanting each line prior to the congregation's sung response. The stately tempo at which these pieces are intoned invites vocal ornamentation, imparting dignity to the message while encouraging a measure of individualized expression that church elders say is lost in faster, more contemporary selections.

Raised in Florida amidst a family of sanctified singers, Carolyn Bryant's youth was filled with song. Her father and most of her uncles were preachers and all the children sang. Many of her earliest memories revolve around singing in her father's Pentecostal church, where she received a musical "basic training" in Sunday services and midweek prayer meetings. By her eighth birthday, Bryant was performing solo, singing each week for a local radio station. She recalls that her first solo was Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone. Thus, she initiated a musical ministry she has followed for more than three decades. Since moving with her family to Philadelphia in 1952, Bryant has sung with a number of sacred ensembles, all the while remaining musically active in the church founded by her father. Now pastor of that congregation, Reverend Bryant still leads church members in chorusing the time-honored hymns that she learned as a child.

Seeking to reach a broader community with her ministry, Bryant assembled the Carolyn Bryant Ensemble in 1982. Comprised primarily of family members—including three children who "learned to sing when they learned to talk"—the group features a stylistic eclecticism that allows them to shift with ease from traditional hymn singing to the most adventurous contemporary gospel. The heart of the ensemble's sound rests in the soaring leads and tight harmonies of Carolyn Bryant and her daughter Cetta Bryant. Backing them on ivories is son Joel, whose adroit playing reveals a remarkable empathy for the subtle colorations and fleeting nuances of the ensemble's vocalists. Drums are played by her youngest son Robert Bryant Jr.

Bryant's life has been peppered with struggles: an early move away from her childhood home, the untimely death of her mother, and her spiritual conviction to the calling to be a pastor in a world where women have difficulty being accepted. These were powerful experiences and they have created in her a strength that is clearly reflected in her singing. Yet, Bryant sees gospel music not only as a means for worship but as an expression of her African American heritage. As Bryant herself says, "I have a personal commitment to share these aspects of our culture with those who don't have it...It's something that's a part of me."

Pastor Carolyn C. Bryant embodies much of what Philadelphia's gospel music is about. In her performance one can find elements of the people and styles that have influenced the rise of gospel music in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. In particular, she shares the strength, faith and ingenuity of the women who have forged ahead to bring their own influences to bear upon this vibrant musical tradition.

© 2001 On Tour Productions