Brown now works at the Cleveland City Mission and is doing God’s work. You can catch him down there working with the youth with their church basketball or volleyball league. Not matter the day and outcome Brown said we must do more to provide for our youth.
By JAMES W. WADE III
Staff Reporter
While attending many church functions, people who grew up in church kind of start strolling down memory lane about the good old days when you stayed in church all day. Yes, you started with Sunday school, morning service, afternoon service, BTU or YPW, andMt.GillionBaptistChurchbefore heading to the Sunday night broadcast atTempleBaptistChurchonCedar Ave.
While having a conversation about how fun it was back then to be in church, a few of us remembered Sonny Jones from a gospel club, back in the 80’s, called Your Alternative. Jones, who was well known for his secular club, The Kinsman Grille, got saved and changed it into one the greatest gospel music weekend spots doing the 80’s.
During that time,TempleBaptistreinvented their live broadcast and Mr. Boodie, Rev. Slaughter and myself designed a radio booth to do everything in house.
I served as the first engineer atTempleand was the sound engineer at Your Alternative.
The place had national, as well as local singers come through the doors, national greats like Edwin Hawkins, Shirley Miller and Special Blend. Me and Mark Ribbins (now with the WAVE 107.3) would sit in the booth and spin gospel music before and in between performances.
The 80’s was a great time because long before WZAK was playing gospel music on Sundays, you could tune into such stations like WJMO and WABQ. WJMO was located at11821 Euclid Avenue. It was a tradition to wake up on Sunday morning and listen to Randy Brown.
Brown started very early, from 4 a.m. to noon, and many of us would be up listening to him. He had all ofClevelandtuned into his show each week as many of us got ready for church. In the early 80’s, I could not wait for that 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. time slot when he would play “My Liberty” by the Southeast Inspiration Choir, featuring the great Yolanda Adams singing the lead.
That was good ole’ school music with that Hammond B3 sound. I am sure, from all the radio play it received, that is why almost every choir aroundOhioand theUnited Statessang it.
Brown made a difference in his contribution to the music industry inClevelandand will always be etched in the minds of many with his style and greatness during his time on the air.
He started at WJMO in 1971 when am radio was the place for gospel music.
Being excited each week to hear Brown on the air, it was great because growing up with him and then hearing him on the air was a great inspiration for me. He also ended up opening a gospel music store onLee Roadnear Harvard where he still pushed his music passion.
Brown now works at the Cleveland City Mission and is doing God’s work. You can catch him down there working with the youth with their church basketball or volleyball league. Not matter the day and outcome Brown said we must do more to provide for our youth.
But Randy’s full passion is preaching. He is now the Rev. Randy Brown, pastor of the Enoree Baptist Church located at 1531 East 70th Street.
