The Soul Seekers

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THE SOUL SEEKERS
The Soul Seekers are eight young men who had it made. As highly sought-after recording session and touring musicians, hit songwriters and producers, working with an almost staggering list of superstar artists that reads like a Who’s-Who of contemporary R&B, hip-hop and pop music—including Britney Spears, Beyonce, Missy Elliott, Nelly, P. Diddy, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Bette Midler, and The Backstreet Boyz among others—they had nothing to prove to anyone, and no reason to tinker with what was a very comfortable ride.
But one should never underestimate the power of Gospel music, especially the hand-clapping, toe-tapping, spine-tingling sounds of the timeless Gospel quartets. And what began among this group of top-drawer artists, getting together to jam during breaks from road trips and other commitments, emerges now, years later, as the self-titled, debut release from The Soul Seekers, one of the hottest new acts in what could be called “modern Gospel quartet” music.
The group consists of front-man and primary lead vocalist, Teddy Campbell; bass guitarist and vocalist, Warryn Campbell; vocalist and founder, Nisan Stewart; John “Jubu” Smith on guitar and vocals; vocalist Gerald Haddon; Charlie Bereal, also on guitar; Craig Brockman on organ, and drummer Eric Seats. The members, five of whom are the sons of pastors, first came together formally as The Soul Seekers at Nisan’s invitation one night in September, 2000, when he suggested they put together an impromptu tribute to the music of the classic Gospel quartets of bygone decades and perform it at L.A.’s Greater Emmanuel Temple, pastored by his father, Bishop Carl Stewart.
The idea resonated with the entire group, having all been raised with the sounds of legendary acts like the Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Canton Spirituals, and the Five Blind Boys as one of the staples among their diverse musical influences. While the Soul Seekers’ interpretation of the tradition had an unmistakably fresh touch to it, the group remained remarkably faithful to the style of their famous forebears. The fact that the music was being made by some of the hippest young players of today attracted a largely younger audience—as well as some of the star acts the group accompanied—all captivated by music that many were unaware was decades older than were they themselves.
The Soul Seeker’s performance almost overnight shifted gears from a one-time jam to a regular, local event, billed as “Take Me Back Night,” whenever all the members found themselves at home and taking a breather from their various superstar gigs. While few musicians would ever renounce the levels of mainstream success each of the eight group members have achieved, all had become truly invested in The Soul Seekers—both spiritually and musically—since that very first night together, and it had become far more than just a diversion for them.
Over the next four years that sense of commitment and excitement steadily grew to where August of 2004 found the Soul Seekers back at Greater Emmanuel Temple before an overflow crowd of 3500. Performing what had become a repertoire of original material in a style very reverential to tradition, but yet with a distinct signature of its own, The Soul Seekers recorded live what is now their eponymous first album slated for release on GospoCentric Records in May 2005.
“We weren’t sure in the beginning just how it was going to go over,” recalls Nisan, “but we knew it was something we really wanted to do. And it blew audiences away immediately. We started getting calls to play all around L.A. on a regular basis, and then a little TV and a performance here and there in different cities, until now it’s reached a full-time, national level. We believed we had something special from the very beginning, but we never dreamed it would take off to the degree it has. Everything has just fallen into place.”
The album was produced, and all ten of its songs written, collectively by the group. Of those ten, three in particular have emerged initially from the tough process of picking lead-off singles from a project full of strong contenders. “What Would You Do” is a poignant, dramatic ballad which hits home by depicting what is, to say the least, an unsettling scenario. “This song poses a very hypothetical question because it asks what you would do if the Lord turned His back on you, which of course He never will,” says Warryn. “But the point of the question, the song—the whole album really—is for us to never take God for granted.”
“Make A Way” features Harvey Watkins, Jr., lead vocalist of the Canton Spirituals, whose guest performance with the Soul Seekers was of obvious importance, both musically and symbolically. Harvey is one of Gospel’s all-time great singers,” says Warryn, “and it was a thrill for us to have him as a part of this project. He had told us well in advance to save a song for him on the album. He wasn’t able to be at the concert where the rest of the album was recorded, so we wrote this song with him specifically in mind and recorded it in the studio at a later date. The song as we originally wrote it has a simple, to-the-point message that whatever troubles we face, God will make a way for us to get through them. Harvey is a great story-teller, and he added his own, spontaneous witness and story to the song. It’s a high spot of the album, and was a really exciting experience for the group.”
“Somewhere Listening” is a rousing, rockin’, no-doubt-about-it, Sunday morning stomper in the greatest tradition of classic Quartet. “That’s asking another question,” Warryn explains. “We pray for guidance, for help, and strength to do His will, but do we really mean it? Are we paying attention? Because He will answer. The question is will we be somewhere listening and waiting on Him, or just off doing our own thing?”
Warryn is president of his own label, My Block Records, formed in 2004, and whose premier act is Gospel/ R&B sensation, Mary Mary; one of whom, Erica, is married to Warryn, and whose partner, Tina, is the wife of Soul Seeker Teddy Campbell. Still his abundant creativity, as well as his heart, is deeply committed to the Soul Seekers, as holds true for each member of the group, all of whom are fully aware of the great tradition of quartet music they hope to carry on to generations to come.
As the Soul Seekers head for the highway, and their first love, Gospel music, they seem to sense both the joy and the responsibility of the journey upon which they’ve embarked. “We have the highest respect in the world for the great quartets,” says Warryn. “They’re the ones who’ve set all the standards that we aspire to.”
“We truly love this music,” Nisan concludes. “It’s in our blood, and we want to give something back to the Gospel community, and its musical traditions, that have given so much to us. And we don’t want anyone to ever think we’ve forgotten where we came from.”