Teino Evans, Staff Reporter
Painist Huntley Brown's music ministry has taken him all over the world. - CONTRIBUTED
"TRAIN UP a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22 vs 6).
Huntley Brown is living testimony that the biblical instructions on child-rearing are indeed true.
Brown grew up in Brown's Town, St. Ann, where his parents, Myrtle and Alpheus Brown, taught him what it meant to be a Christian, leading him to accept the Lord at an early age.
Without knowing how to read music, Huntley learned to play the piano by imitating his older brothers, Lenworth and Phillip. His father, who played the accordion and piano, also gave him some basic instructions, but most of his lessons came by way of listening to different recordings.
After high school, Huntley started to play keyboard in various hotel bands and piano bars. The money that he earned as a teenagerwas considerable and Huntley would try to justify being a Christian while playing in the clubs. But he couldn't, as the club atmosphere and his Christian ideals just didn't match up.
REDEDICATED HIS LIFE TO CHRIST
Huntley says he kept remembering the words of his mother: "Huntley, only what is done for Christ will last." He finally prayed and rededicated his life to Christ and started to spend time daily in the word and in prayer.
"I rededicated my life to Christ many times, but as a teenager between the ages of 13 to 16 I made a major commitment," Brown said.
This decision led him to the United States, where he enrolled at Judson College in Elgin, Illinois. Four years later, Huntley graduated with a bachelor's degree in piano performance. He then went on to Northern Illinois University, where he earned a master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy.
While at Northern Illinois, Huntley met the lovely Annette Chestnut from Barbados and, following graduation, he and Annette got married. They now reside in Aurora (just outside of Chicago), Illinois, with their four daughters, Natalie, Natasha, Nicole and Nadia.
Huntley's music ministry has taken him all over the world, with TV, radio and concert appearances in Canada, England, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Italy, Russia and Singapore, among many other countries.
In the States, he has performed from coast to coast, with ministry opportunities at churches of every size and denomination, from the Crystal Cathedral to Living Word Christian Centre to Willow Creek Community Church to Big Rock Baptist. Huntley is also the artiste in residence for the Total Living Network TV station in Chicago.
"I have been travelling as a musical ambassador for Christ for many years, basically using music as a vehicle to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ worldwide. Music is a universal language and I am blessed to see the effect it has on people, regardless of country or culture," Brown said.
He also currently serves as the regular crusade pianist for Dr. Ralph Bell, an associate evangelist with the Billy Graham Association, and often travels with the international school of evangelism team of the association.
MUSIC INSPIRED MANY
Huntley's playing has been described as electrifying and his music is said to have inspired and anointed many, as he is known to deliver powerful and explosive performances.
Brown has recorded nine CDs to date, covering a wide range of musical styles. People are not only impressed with his incredible technique, they are touched by his deep love for Jesus.
"Huntley plays as if God was whispering in his ears," he recalls one fan saying.
Huntley's other interests include basketball (as he likes to say, "I can't shoot, but I can dunk!") and hapkido, one of the martial arts in which he holds a black belt. Many times he uses his martial arts skills to demonstrate spiritual truths to high school students. This is a ministry based on prayer and Huntley realises that to be effective as a musical ambassador for Christ, his spiritual life is more significant than his keyboard skills.
Brown says he has been working on a new CD. This, he says, will be a combination of some of the jazz gospel pieces he has recorded before, plus a few new tracks.
"I believe all forms of music can be used to glorify God, so on this CD everyone who loves jazz will be sure to find a favourite. This CD will also features some of my friends from Taiwan," Brown said.
In seeking to encourage Christians worldwide, Brown said, "We have been given a mandate to spread the gospel by every means necessary. My prayer is that all believers will rise up and take this mandate seriously. I believe God is going to use music to win the lost, heal the sick, bring hope to the hurting and transform nations for his glory. So to all my fans around the world get ready for a mighty outpouring of God's spirit."
