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The Gospel According To Nortune, Vol.1

The Gospel According To Nortune, Vol 1 is a compilation of 11 original compositions and one adaptation written and recorded originally to analog format. The songs have been converted digitally and are now available on CD and Mp3 download. All songs were produced and arranged at Nortunes Studio using Ensoniq SQ80 and SD1 sequencers, various guitars and lead vocal.  All songs were mixed and recorded direct to master like a live performance (but no one else but a cat or two was there). Over the years various takes were recorded for some of the songs and I have recently gone through and picked my favorite. Some may lack one quality or another but make up for it another way.  

 

 

Song List Gospel According to Nortune Vol. 1

My Grandmother Battle helped raise me especially in my early life before I started school. She lived with God at the center of her life. She was a charter member of Trinity-On-The-Hill United Methodist church beginning in the 1920's. She was at times the church pianist, primary department leader, bottle washer and etc. Early in life she nurtured me during the hours when my mother went to work as a school teacher. As a baby she would practice the piano while holding me or with me next to her in a cradle. She could play any hymm in any key with book or not.

She also was my first music teacher and taught me piano when I was very young. I gave up on piano lessons but not the spirit of God and love of music of the Gospel that she gave me. It is so deep in me that I always come back to it even when I think I can figure everything out on my own. She talked Bible verses to me in her daily life and her many words of Wisdom were always followed with the phrase: "And that's the gospel truth". In my life the word gospel is always a strong substitute for the truth. And its more than the truth because it is something you can rely on.  The Gospel (with a capital "G") is the sacred Word of God... the absolute Truth.

Consider my title a reference to my grandmother's wisdom as the gospel truth taught to me and my attempt at sharing it.  

1. The Thin Edge Whether a daily walk or more often a struggle, "Faith divides the thin edge of the wall"...  Growing up on Hazel Street in Augusta we had a concrete block fence separating our back yard from the neighbor's. The fence was more like a wall and was about six feet high. Although the Hazel boys were told to stay off the wall we would help each other climb up and walk the wall like a balance beam. If we fell on the wrong side we would have to risk catching the mean ole neighbor's wrath. So while walking the wall there was good on one side and bad on the other. You had to have faith to make it back home.
2. The Excitement Is Building The Habitat For Humanity Song.
3. Silver Boxes From the concept and book by Florence Littauer. As we bear our witness are we sharing the gift of darkness or the Light of love and care...

Let's fill a silver box with love and wrap it in a bow.

And to show our love let's share our "Silver Boxes" everyday
4. Follow Me Always I come back to the same ole place again.  "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself daily and take up his cross daily and follow Me". Luke 9:23 (ESV)
5. Shadow Of The Steeple Adapted from the Singing Americans.
6. A New Dawning Day  Dedicated to Clarence Jordan. This song was on the B side cassette tape of "The Excitement is Building" demo that we sent to Millard Fuller in Americus, GA. There are many stories of how Clarence introduced life changing GRACE that helped change Millard who went on to help change countless other lives by Grace and the "Theology of the Hammer". Millard's book of that name has his story of the Nortune song "The Excitement Is Building" with the music and lyrics in the appendix.
7. In His Steps Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Craig Watson. For some electrified picking zoom to the end.
8. Kneeling Heart A matter of perspective from a young Nortune with one of the oldest sequence made backing tracks. 
9. Timothy This song began with my Grandmother Battle's entry in my high school annual. "Study to shew thyself approved under God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of Truth." 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV.  She left off the reference probably on purpose because she knew I was curious enough to look for it in the Bible (no google in 1969).  Many weeks or months later on a day of mounting struggles I found the verse and reference  on a billboard while crossing the Savannah River on the 5th Street bridge. The included message reminded me of the boy who had strayed from whom my Grand thought I was and knew I could be.  Timothy was fortunate to have Paul as his spriritual mentor as I was with my grandma.
10. Forgiveness Dedicated to my Grandmother Battle.
11. Like A Thief  So... this is a guitar song with added verse. 2 Peter 3:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4
12. Prayer One A quiet plea.

 

 

Availability

Mp3's are available for download above.

The CD is available from Nortunes by special request.

nwade@nortunes.com

Nortunes Studio
Evans, GA

 
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