BUTLER ─ Despite being in the music business his whole life, Joe Richard said he never expected his songs to be broadcast by radio stations around the world.
The Butler resident and Christian singer’s two singles, “The Spirit Within” and “Rise Up,” became the most-downloaded songs on Radio Music DJ on March 12 and 13. The website supplies Christian/gospel music to radio stations all over the world.
Richard said the experience was surprising and crazy.
“There’s people on the other side of the world listening to my stuff, and maybe being touched by the spirit of the Lord through my music. That’s amazing,” he said.
Locally known as Joe Smith, his real name, Richard owns several businesses in Mansfield, including Second Hand Music, a music store on Olivesburg Road. He grew up in writing songs for generations and started to create his own music at age five.
Richard said he has played country music since he was a boy. He also went into Blues with The Jimi Vincent Band for 10 years as a drummer.
He wanted to write a song about Jesus immediately after becoming a Christian in 2001, which he said has forever changed his life.
“I was praying and I said, ‘Lord, I’d like to write about you, and I couldn’t get anything,’ ” he said of how he started with gospel music.
“One day, I heard that still small voice say, ‘How do you write about somebody you don’t know about?’ ”
He started reading the Bible more thoroughly and paid much more attention to the preaching. Then the inspiration came one day when he was on the road. He sang the song right away to a voice recorder on his cell phone. When getting back home, he grabbed a guitar and finished “The Spirit Within,” his first Christian song.
Over the past 20 years, Richard has turned the Scriptures into original Christian country music. He has written almost 50 songs about Jesus. Many of them include his transition from the old and disappointing life to the new one with hope.
Richard said his music is his “song ministry.”
“A lot of people have to listen to a preacher to get the word of the Lord. My songs are all written about Scriptures in the Bible. So, it’s another way to hear the Bible without reading it,” he said.
Richard said he wrote all the songs without knowing what to do with them. Two years ago, he asked for directions in prayer and heard the voice say “The Crabb Family.” He had no idea what that meant.
He said he then went out to buy a set of drums and met Jeff Burgess of The Ohio Express, a bubblegum pop band formed in Mansfield. Burgess told Richard he had just talked to Jason Crabb of The Crabb Family an hour ago. The Crabb Family is a Grammy-nominated southern gospel group from Kentucky.
Richard ended up sending some of his pieces to Burgess but did not hear back until 18 months later. Richard said Burgess got back to him in October with an opportunity in Nashville, Tennessee, to perform in front of some big names in gospel music. He took the trip and became acquainted with many professionals, including Rick Schweinsberg.
Schweinsberg is the recording director at Daywind Music Group, a well-known Christian music company based in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The Crabb Family happens to be one of Daywind’s artists.
After hearing Richard’s music in Nashville, Schweinsberg asked if he would be interested in recording. Richard said it took him three days to make a decision. Now he is added to 65/40 Records, a record label affiliated with Daywind.
The company will release his first album, “Roots,” in May and come to Mansfield in April to shoot a music video of the title track.
He felt like he has entered the “gospels minor league” now, Richard said. He hopes to be signed by Daywind in the future, becoming a major league player. But he is also happy with what he can do at this moment ─ helping people through his music. It is worth it even he can only help one person.
“There’s not a dollar value you can put on somebody giving their life to God and letting their life be changed,” Richard said.
The audio clips of “The Spirit Within” and “Rise Up” are available on Joe Richard’s website, along with his stories.
