Participants: Yvonne Lewis (Host), David and Marian Lewis
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000087S
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00:01 He was a founding member of the world-famous pop
00:04 R and B group Atlantic Starr. 00:06 She traveled the world as a print and runway model 00:09 for the Ford Modeling Agency in New York. 00:12 Stay tuned to meet them and hear their incredible story. 00:15 My name is Yvonne Lewis and you're watching Urban Report. 00:41 Hello and welcome to Urban Report. 00:43 My guests today are David and Marian Lewis: 00:46 singers, composers, and a loving couple in ministry 00:50 sharing Jesus. Welcome to Urban Report David and Marian. 00:54 Hi Yvonne... how're you doing? Hi... yeah! 00:57 I'm so glad you guys are here. 00:59 It's so wonderful that you've 01:00 taken the time out to be with us. 01:02 Thank you. Thank you for having us. Absolutely, Yvonne. 01:06 So you guys have such a rich history. 01:11 And some of our viewers might know you because you've been on 01:14 3ABN before but you've never been on Dare to Dream before. 01:17 So I'm really glad to have you on Urban Report 01:20 to tell your story. Our viewers love a great testimony. 01:25 So give us some of your background... 01:27 tell us your testimony. 01:29 Well, I was raised in a Christian home - 01:34 a God-fearing home - and I can't... 01:40 I don't know when... How can I say it? 01:43 It was... I always in my life... 01:49 being raised in the church all I knew was church. 01:55 My mom was a single mom. She raised us... 02:02 My dad died when I was 3 years old, 02:03 and she had to raise 6 kids by herself. 02:06 But very strong woman. 02:10 And a little while after that, Yvonne, my grandmother came 02:16 to help out. And she was a great inspiration 02:22 in molding and fostering us 02:25 as far as the things of God are concerned 02:29 and while my mom was out working. 02:32 And then I was introduced to music in the home as well 02:36 because there was always singing in our home. 02:40 You know... during devotion and prayer 02:45 and so forth. And so that's where I got my introduction. 02:50 But I started singing in church at the age of 7. 02:53 I sang a duet with my brother called Whisper a Prayer 02:57 and the church liked it so much that they made us do it over 03:03 twice... they made us sing it twice. 03:06 And from that point, you know, I started singing in the churches 03:10 in the New York and tri-state area. 03:13 And from that point I did a show 03:17 called the Ted Mack's Amateur Hour. 03:20 Oh yeah, I remember that. In the CBS studio. 03:24 And after I did that there was a write-up in the paper 03:28 about me. And a sweet lady - Jewish lady - 03:33 saw that article and she called my mom and said 03:37 "I saw your son in the paper and I would like to give him 03:41 piano lessons for free. " 03:43 So that started my classical piano training 03:48 or my formal music training. 03:51 And then after that... 03:53 Well how old were you at that point, David? 03:57 When I started playing piano I was 9 years old 04:01 and I took piano lessons for about four years. 04:06 And you know, some friends... 04:11 my brother and some friends... we wanted to start a group. 04:15 So what we did is we put together a band. 04:20 And, you know, I didn't want to take classical piano any more 04:24 because I was moving into that pop music or that R and B music 04:28 vein. I was being influenced by that. 04:32 So we played in the group from junior high 04:38 all through high school. And then after high school 04:42 in '76 I left to board a plane 04:48 headed to L.A. and played with my brothers 04:52 who were already out there because they left in the winter 04:56 of '75. But in the summer of '76 I went out to join them. 05:02 And we played in the L.A. area for about a year. 05:06 And at the same time we were making a demo. 05:08 And we shopped the demo... I'm sorry. That's OK, no no no. 05:13 So where were you in terms of God at this point? 05:16 By this point you're in your teens. You're heavily into 05:22 the kind of R and B feel, right? 05:25 Where was your spiritual life at this point? 05:28 Well as I said, being raised in a Christian home 05:32 I always knew about God, but there was that influence 05:35 outside of the home where you were always hearing 05:40 music that you didn't hear in your home. 05:43 I was hearing songs from The Temptations, 05:47 The Supremes, Jackson Five, 05:50 Sly and the Family Stone, The Beatles. 05:53 That influence was out there and you can't really get away 05:57 from the influence outside of the home, so 06:00 although I knew about God that music was also influencing 06:05 my life as well. And you know, not having a relationship with 06:10 Christ growing up in the home 06:13 and having that be a part of your tradition and culture 06:18 was one thing, but having a relationship with Christ 06:21 came later on in my life. 06:24 So again I was influenced by that music and wanted to 06:28 actually get into that. 06:30 OK, so when you went out to California 06:34 and you started really like "gigging" as they as in the 06:39 music business - like really working and doing all these 06:42 different sets with your group. Right? Right. 06:47 Absolutely. So what happened after that? 06:49 Well, when I got to California the group was playing 06:54 in clubs all over the L.A. area 06:57 and all over the place... Santa Ana, Anaheim, 07:01 and different places. And what we'd have to do is 07:05 sometimes we would go... We played 3 sets at one club 07:11 and then we'd pack up the equipment and play 2 or 3 sets 07:14 at another club. And that went on for about a year. 07:18 But at the same time we were producing a demo 07:22 for the record companies to hear so that after we finished 07:27 the demo we would be able to start shopping a deal. 07:31 Because that was the reason why we were out there: 07:34 to try and see if we could secure a record deal. 07:40 Right. For those viewers that don't know, shopping a deal 07:44 means you're trying to... you're taking your demo around 07:47 to get a recording contract. That's the bottom line. Right. 07:50 Right... absolutely. 07:52 And so after we finished our demo 07:57 we shopped it to a couple of record companies. 08:02 ABC... I think my manager called ABC and they were out to lunch 08:07 so he called A and M Records. 08:09 And they set up an audition for us. 08:12 Well before they set up an audition we were playing 08:15 out at UCLA and the A and R 08:18 representative from A and M came out to see us. 08:22 And then he set up an audition with Herb Alpert 08:27 who was the CEO of A and M Records. 08:31 And we did the audition 08:34 and I could kind of see Herb Alpert in the back, 08:37 you know, kind of bobbing his head a little bit. 08:40 We could all see that he kind of liked the group. 08:43 And after the audition was finished we all went back, 08:47 packed up the equipment, went back into the van 08:49 and kind of waited for some kind of confirmation 08:53 or word of what was going to happen next. 08:58 And the A and R person who set up the audition 09:01 came out and said: "Welcome to the world of making records. 09:05 Herb Alpert wants to sign you guys. " 09:08 Wow! And what was the response when you found out that 09:11 Herb Alpert wanted to sign you? 09:13 Everybody was elated. 09:15 You know, everybody was very, very, very excited 09:18 about it and we just felt like this was a dream come true. 09:23 This is what we had worked for all these years. 09:28 For many years we dreamed to be recording artists 09:32 and now it had become a reality. 09:36 Isn't it interesting, David, how you can be targeting 09:42 and focusing all your efforts toward one thing 09:45 and then you get it. And tell us what happened 09:49 after you got it? How was your life after you got that 09:52 record deal? Well, initially 09:57 when you get the deal and you record the album 10:00 and you hear yourself on the radio for the first time 10:04 it's the most exciting thing. I can't even put into words 10:08 how exciting it is to hear yourself on the radio. 10:11 Yeah. And you know, you're travelling. 10:15 You're making more money than you ever made before. 10:19 You're doing TV shows and radio and making videos 10:24 and all these different things and it's very exciting. 10:27 But after a while you become disillusioned 10:32 because it's not what it's all cracked up to be. 10:35 It's, you know, we as artists we love writing songs. 10:40 We love being on stage. 10:42 We love doing the creative part. 10:44 But it's also a business, and you've got to hire 10:48 lawyers and managers and accountants 10:52 and all these different things. 10:54 And also, too, there's a part of the promotion part of it 10:59 that is not really creative. 11:03 Personally, I like being in the studio. 11:06 I like making the appearances and stuff. 11:09 But when we were flying all over the world 11:12 and you'd get into a city and you check into your hotel 11:17 and you take a shower. And they say you have 3 or 4 11:20 interviews here and then you have to do an appearance there. 11:25 You know, it starts to become more than just a notion. 11:30 It's a lot that goes into it. 11:34 You know, again, it's really interesting because 11:37 the world at large thinks that it's all glamorous. 11:41 Right. It's all about glamour and glitz 11:44 and everybody just looks so happy 11:47 and all of that. But it's so much more than meets the eye. 11:51 And that's how Satan is, isn't it? 11:53 Isn't it? I mean, he presents something 11:56 looks good on the outside, but once you really find out 12:00 what's behind it and what's in there 12:03 it's not as beautiful as it might seem. 12:07 And that's one of the delusions that a lot of young people 12:12 are under that this is going to be just the be all and end all. 12:15 Marian, I want to get to you because I want to hear 12:21 your story as well, and then I want to tie you two together. 12:24 So we're going to come back to you, David, 12:26 because I want to find out how you navigated through 12:29 that world, but let's talk to Marian. Marian: 12:31 give us some of your background 12:32 'cause you have a very interesting life as well. 12:35 Tell us about yours. Well, I was raised in Denver, CO, 12:40 and I started modeling at a very early age. 12:46 I started working in the department stores as a high 12:48 fashion model by the time I was 16. 12:51 And then at 18 as soon as I graduated from high school 12:54 I went away to Ebony Fashion Fair. 12:56 And I did that for about 2-1/2 years. 12:59 I did several cosmetic ads and you know a lot of print work 13:03 for them as well. And then I went on to Paris 13:07 to do more of the high end, high fashion runway work. 13:13 I went to Paris and Italy and came back 13:17 and just continued to do fashion. I moved to California 13:23 and ended up doing music as well. 13:26 So I got with the group The Brothers Johnson. 13:29 I went on the road with them as a background vocalist. 13:34 And then I felt like "Wow, if I'm ever going to 13:39 really really make it big I've got to go to New York. " 13:42 And so I moved to New York 13:44 and started working for some really great designers. 13:48 You know, high fashion designers. 13:50 And I did that for a few years. 13:53 So were you doing music and modeling concurrently? 13:57 Well, no... it was either one or the other at the time. 14:00 So I finished singing with The Brothers Johnson 14:03 and then the modeling picked up. You know, it was kind of like 14:05 this picked up then that picked up. 14:07 You know, and so that's kind of how that went for me. 14:10 So while I was doing the high fashion work in New York 14:13 I'm doing print, I was doing commercials, 14:16 and I was doing runway. 14:18 And I did that for a few years and when I met David. 14:22 Where were you spiritually when you were doing the music 14:27 and the modeling? Where were you? 14:29 You know, it's interesting, Yvonne, because 14:31 you think... you really think that you 14:35 have a relationship with the Lord. 14:37 Because I was raised in the church as well. 14:40 I was raised in church, but my parents didn't 14:43 give me the same foundation that David had. 14:47 A whole history. You know, I mean... 14:50 He had... what's the word? you know, where... 14:55 Just for generations... Generations! That's the word 14:58 I was trying to think of. Just generations, you know. 15:00 His great grandfather... did Elder Cleveland baptize? Yes. 15:06 Really, like third, fourth generation in the church. 15:09 And for me it wasn't that way. 15:11 My father didn't attend church. 15:13 My mother took us to a little Japanese church 15:15 where I really didn't understand everything that was going on. 15:17 But I went, you know, 'cause mom took us to church. 15:20 So I really didn't have that relationship either. 15:22 And that's what we talk to our audiences and congregations 15:28 and young people about all the time. 15:29 It's really about the relation- ship, and when you don't have 15:32 the relationship this is what you get: 15:34 what you think and not what God wants. 15:37 And so that's why we went out. 15:39 That's why David went out; that's why I went out 15:41 into the world. And it wasn't until 15:45 actually we came together. But that was a "God-thing. " 15:49 Well tell us how you met. That was a "God-thing. " 15:53 How did you meet? 15:55 Well... thanks for asking. 15:59 Let's see, it was in 1980... It was way back in 19... 16:04 1988- right - the group Atlantic Starr was searching for 16:09 a new female vocalist because Barbara Weathers - 16:12 the young lady who sang Always along with David 16:14 and Secret Lovers - she went on to a solo career. 16:18 And I was living and working in Manhattan as a model. 16:23 Some friends of mine told me that the group Atlantic Starr 16:27 was searching for a new female vocalist. 16:30 And so I thought: "Well, I'd like to audition. " 16:33 So I called the studio where they were recording 16:36 and David Lewis answered the phone. 16:39 And I didn't know who David was as an individual. 16:42 I knew the group Atlantic Starr 16:44 but I didn't know the individual. So... 16:46 when I found out that he was actually the lead singer 16:50 doing this interview I thought that, you know, 16:53 it would be nice if I could come up to the studio 16:56 and audition for them. 16:58 So to make a long story short... 17:00 David drove down... I convinced him to drive down to Manhattan. 17:04 To come pick me up and kind of interview me. 17:07 And you know, I had all my materials. I had a demo tape 17:09 and my picture and all these things. 17:12 And so we rode around New York City 17:14 and he listened to my demo tape. 17:17 And at that time they were looking for someone 17:20 who was really like a Whitney Houston. 17:22 You know, who could carry their own. 17:24 And you know, I had a nice voice... a pleasant voice... 17:26 but I think they were just looking for a really really 17:28 strong vocalist. But David and his brothers were 17:32 producing solo artists, and so they considered producing me 17:36 as a solo artist. And that's how our work relationship began. 17:40 And then you know, like I tell people all the time in our 17:44 testimony, we started spending so much time together that 17:46 you know, naturally we would have lunch 17:48 and naturally we would have dinner. 17:51 And then, of course... And then, you know, we fell in love. 17:56 And it just kind of just went from there. 17:58 It's just real interesting because... you know... 18:01 David and I come from two different backgrounds. 18:04 You know, you're living these two different lives 18:07 and then God sees fit to bring you together. 18:11 You know, it's totally a "God-thing" 18:13 because - yes, yes - we weren't trying. We didn't expect it. 18:16 We thought we were going to do music together 18:19 but God had a bigger plan all along. 18:22 Absolutely. That's how great our God is. 18:25 He has so many different ways that He accomplishes 18:29 things. He's just such an awesome God. 18:32 Tell us how you came to know Jesus Christ 18:37 and then we want to find out what you're doing now. 18:39 OK. Well, as Marian said after we got married 18:45 we joined a Bible study. 18:48 And my sister was going to a church in Peekskill, NY. 18:52 And she said: "There's a Bible study up there that we do 18:56 every Wednesday night so if you want to come 18:58 and be a part of it you can do that. " 19:01 And I said: "OK. " And I truly feel that it 19:05 was the right time in my life 19:06 because for me to actually say: "OK, I'll do that" 19:10 wasn't something that I would have normally said. 19:15 So I believe everything has a time and a season, 19:21 Yvonne. Yes. And that was my time 19:24 and I started taking Bible studies. I joined a Bible study 19:28 and started reading the Word. 19:33 We were... Marian had actually started 19:37 the Bible study... or joined a Bible study as well. 19:40 Started reading the Word, and the Holy Spirit has a way 19:45 of as you get into the Word of God 19:49 opening your eyes to really see what you can't see. 19:54 He allows you to put on those specs 19:58 that allow you to have a perspective of life 20:04 that is real. Yes! The perspective that we have 20:07 in life before God finds us is jaded. That's right. 20:11 That's what John Newton said. 20:14 "I once was lost but now I'm found; 20:16 once blind, but now I see. " That's right. 20:18 And that's what started to happen. 20:21 As we started to 20:25 associate with people of like mind 20:28 who were into the Word, who had a relationship 20:32 with the Lord, that started to rub off on us. 20:36 And although I hadn't completely left the business 20:40 I at least started going back to church again 20:44 on the Sabbath. And wherever I was 20:48 in the world: if I was in L.A., if I was in Japan, 20:52 wherever I was I would find a church to go to. 20:55 And slowly but surely... God has a winsome way, 21:00 a loving way of just gradually getting you 21:04 to the point where you become... 21:10 what you're doing - if it's not in line with Him - 21:14 starts to become foreign - that's right - 21:16 and uncomfortable. It started to become uncomfortable 21:19 because the Holy Spirit was constantly enlightening me 21:24 as to what I should do as opposed to what I was doing. 21:28 Yes, yes. God has His ways of 21:32 drawing us to Him at the right time and in His way. 21:36 Absolutely. You are now writing songs 21:40 and you have written a song that we're going to show 21:45 the video to. Set this up for us... 21:46 tell us about this song. 21:49 OK. The song that we're about to listen to 21:52 is called "I'll Pray For You. " 21:54 And it's a song about my mom. 21:58 She passed away in August of 2012. 22:03 And just going through the grief process of it all. 22:07 And one day I was in our kitchen 22:10 I think after devotion, and God gave me the melody 22:15 to this song or the melody in the song. 22:20 And I went to the piano and started playing it 22:22 and it kind of just came together. Wow. 22:26 And what I did is I contacted a friend... 22:29 a long-time friend named Jeff Prusan... 22:33 who was actually our producer's assistant for our first album. 22:38 And we talked on the phone a lot about my mom 22:44 and who she was. And he just asked us a lot of questions 22:47 about her because he said: "Before I write this song 22:50 I just want to know who I'm writing about. " 22:54 So we got together and put it together. 22:55 And it's a beautiful song... a tribute to her. 22:59 But also it's a tribute to all the mothers - yes, yes - who 23:04 sacrificed for their children and planted those seeds of love 23:09 in them to make them the people that they are today. 23:12 That's awesome. Let's hear the song. 23:14 I'd love to. 23:22 My grandfather used to pray for my whole family. 23:27 Even the children... some of them before they was born 23:32 he prayed for the children that would come. 23:42 When you have family and the older ones 23:48 that believe in prayer 23:50 and pray for your children, that helps to keep them 23:54 together... keep them going in the right direction 23:57 too, you know. 24:04 The measure of true leadership 24:10 can only be described as one 24:16 who plants the seeds of love 24:21 inside the child's heart. 24:28 The matriarch of our family tree, 24:34 a voice that shaped our destiny: 24:40 You have brought the Lord 24:44 into our lives. 24:50 She would always say: "I'll pray for you; 24:58 you pray for me. 25:03 Together we shall overcome 25:09 each obstacle. You'll see 25:14 that your darkest hour 25:20 will turn into a sun shower... " 25:41 "Jesus, I feel spiritually cleansed 25:46 from the superficial things... " 25:52 Is that beautiful or what? 25:54 And we couldn't even play the whole song. 25:57 It is beautiful! Thank you, Yvonne. 26:01 Praise the Lord! You guys... what do you want 26:05 our viewers to know? We have just like 30 seconds 26:08 for you to say. What do you want our viewers 26:11 to know about what you're doing? About how to get the song. 26:14 Tell us. 26:16 Well, first of all just want them to know that 26:19 we have a ministry that we like to go out 26:23 and we like to just share the good news. 26:25 We tell this testimony; we do concerts. 26:30 Anywhere anyone wants to hear a story 26:32 of deliverance we do that. 26:35 This song "I'll Pray For You" like we said it's dedicated 26:38 to everybody. It's all mothers; all women, 26:41 all aunties; big-mamas... everybody who just went that 26:45 extra mile to sacrifice for their children. 26:48 This song can be found... I mean, you can go 26:50 onto iTunes and Amazon 26:53 and all of the online stations. 26:56 Yeah, it'll be first released from our CD entitled One... 27:01 O- N-E. So yeah, we believe people will really be blessed 27:05 by it. And it's I'll Pray For You. 27:08 That's right. I'll Pray For You. 27:10 Yeah, and then we can be found on the Net. 27:12 David and Marian Lewis. You can find us. 27:15 We're easy to find. If you Google us 27:17 you'll see everything. David and Marian Lewis. 27:20 Awesome, awesome. I want to thank you guys so much 27:23 for coming. Thank you, too. I wish I had a whole hour 27:27 with you. Yeah, we appreciate it. 27:30 We appreciate the time that we had with you. 27:32 You're doing a great job... a wonderful job. 27:35 Praise the Lord! David and Marian have shown us 27:38 that money and fame aren't the way to happiness 27:41 and fulfillment. Jesus is the only one 27:45 that can fill that hole in your soul. 27:48 So why not give Him a try today? 27:50 Just ask Him to come into your heart 27:52 and watch what happens. 27:54 God's got a plan for you. 27:56 Well, that's the end of our program. 27:58 Thanks for tuning in and join us next time. 28:00 It just wouldn't be the same without you. |
Revised 2023-09-27