My Tribute to James Roberts

Twisted

Twisted

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I am saddened to have learned of James' passing last month.  James is one of the few HAC students that I've tried to keep in touch with over the years.

James had more financial withdrawals than anyone I ever knew.  He told me that he promised his family he would not leave until he graduated.  It took him years but he kept his word.

James%20Roberts_zpsisl0vtpa.jpg

                                                      (My only photo of James)


After his graduation he took a church in Michigan that was in an old school building.  Then I lost track of him.  We connected again when he moved to Florida and I'm guessing it's been 3-5 years since we last spoke.

While at HAC, he and some others formed a quartet.  I called them the "Baptist Boys".  I engineered a recording of them at a church in Indiana.  Just in the auditorium, "mastering" to a cassette tape.  Gary Dice played piano and sang, James sang lead and I don't remember the names of the other two.

So here is the first song they did.  "When I Wake Up".  A very appropriate title for the news I was saddened to hear today.  See you soon, James.

https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/track-1-reverb
 
Thanks for sharing. I listened to the song, it was good I enjoyed it and yes appropriate.
 
Twisted said:
I am saddened to have learned of James' passing last month.  James is one of the few HAC students that I've tried to keep in touch with over the years.

James had more financial withdrawals than anyone I ever knew.  He told me that he promised his family he would not leave until he graduated.  It took him years but he kept his word.

James%20Roberts_zpsisl0vtpa.jpg

                                                      (My only photo of James)


After his graduation he took a church in Michigan that was in an old school building.  Then I lost track of him.  We connected again when he moved to Florida and I'm guessing it's been 3-5 years since we last spoke.

While at HAC, he and some others formed a quartet.  I called them the "Baptist Boys".  I engineered a recording of them at a church in Indiana.  Just in the auditorium, "mastering" to a cassette tape.  Gary Dice played piano and sang, James sang lead and I don't remember the names of the other two.

So here is the first song they did.  "When I Wake Up".  A very appropriate title for the news I was saddened to hear today.  See you soon, James.

https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/track-1-reverb
Click to expand...

I was the tenor. Kevin Dale sang bass. James was my favorite male singer and I think he had a better voice than many of the people who regularly sang in church.
 
Wonderful song!

Nancy and I extend our sympathy to you on the loss of your friend.
 
If it's possible would you share some other songs. The singing was excellent. Sorry to hear about his passing.
 
As requested.....

https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/when-god-dips-his-love-in-my-heart
 
https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/he-reaches-out-his-hand
 
Balaam solo?

https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/reached-down-for-me
 
https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/he-wrote-my-name
 
A wonderful James solo.  GLORY!!

https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/precious-memories
 
https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/im-too-near
 
One of the big things that happened to me at hac is that my eyes were opened tremendously to the different types of people and different types of backgrounds. I was raised in a very small community and had a stability that many do not.

James told me once that in his years growing up they moved so many times that he attended something like 14 different schools.
James told me once that he and his cousin were arrested once for derailing a train. It wasn't malicious just some teenage kids fooling around and it turned out that the case was dismissed due to negligence on the part of the railroad, but he told me that he actually saw sky between the tracks and the wheels of the locomotive. It jumped that high.
James introduced me to boiled peanuts for the first time in my life.
James is the first one to ever buy me a plate of biscuits and gravy.
 
https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/touring-that-city
 
The only song that had problems with the track.  It's been so long ago I don't remember what they were, but the last part of the song was saved.

I hope you've enjoyed the singing.  These guys did all these recordings the same day, and if memory serves, in less than 3 hours.

https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/thank-god-im-free
 
Twisted said:
The only song that had problems with the track.  It's been so long ago I don't remember what they were, but the last part of the song was saved.

I hope you've enjoyed the singing.  These guys did all these recordings the same day, and if memory serves, in less than 3 hours.

https://soundcloud.com/user-583230734/thank-god-im-free
Click to expand...

I've enjoyed them -- any way to download them?
 
Walt said:
I've enjoyed them -- any way to download them?
Click to expand...

I've enabled the download function.  However, you might need to sign up for a Soundcloud account to do it.  The account is free.
 
Twisted, I am sorry for your loss of your friend. I have to admit I am glad your honored your friendship with Mr Roberts by sharing his songs with us. All of the young men on this singing group did a great job with the songs. Again may God comofort you during this loss of your friend.
 
4everfsu said:
Twisted, I am sorry for your loss of your friend. I have to admit I am glad your honored your friendship with Mr Roberts by sharing his songs with us. All of the young men on this singing group did a great job with the songs. Again may God comofort you during this loss of your friend.
Click to expand...

Young men? You are too kind. We weren't young even then.
 
I have tried to contact several people who we went to school with together and spent a lot of time in the same ministry with. We were all a little older and I guess we thought we were not 'like' those young dumb hacker kids.

One of the guys I contacted has got to be about 60-65. When I told him he did not ask a single question about James or his family. Did not ask a single question about me, even though I have not spoken to him in twenty years. He launched off into this big, "I pastor a church where we had to get a larger building. We can seat 100 and we are packing it out. I have had over 8000 people saved in the last 5 years. Brother, Do you remember that message I preached in college? In that message I said this and that.... I preached a message last week and in that message I said this and that. Brother, I had people coming up to me saying that in all the years of listening to preachers that was the best I have ever heard" yadda yadda yadda.

Probably going to wait another twenty years to contact him again.
 
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