Louis Williams, otherwise known as the "Number One John P Kee Fan", is a member of Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church in Washington, DC, under the leadership of Bishop Alfred and Co-Pastor Susie Owens, where he is a soloist in the Voices of Calvary. The Director of Disciples 4 Christ, he was also the originator of the first unofficial John P Kee website (which is now no longer in existence with the advent of Kee's official site.)

So who else better to turn to for a Kee tribute? What follows are his words in honor of Reverend John P. Kee.


It was 1989, I was entering my junior year of high school. After singing with the Concert Choir, performing classical, jazz, and other forms of music, I felt the need to start a Gospel Choir at the school.

Needless to say, I was going to need material for this choir to sing. I'd grown up in church and sang in the choir for most of my life, but the music I had under my belt would not work.

I went to the one of the Gospel stores in search of some choir music. One of the first artists I picked up was The New Life Community Choir featuring John P Kee. The name of the album was Wait on Him. I pulled 3 songs off the CD ("The Storm is Passing Over", "The Anointing", and "It Will Be Alright") and taught it to my newly formed high school choir. Whenever we sang any of these songs, the audiences were truly blessed!

Well, years and many New Life albums later, I've graduated from high school, served as a Minister of Music for a local church in the DC area for 7 years and as director for a community choir. I've taught just about every song, copied every dance step New Life did from videos, attempted (yes I said attempted!) every riff John does, and even gone so far as having my choirs wear the same uniforms New Life wore! I think if there were a Gospel version of MTV's FANatic, you might see me on there! Nah, that's a bit much! But that's how much Pastor Kee's ministry has impacted my life.

JOHN P KEE and NEW LIFE: The Experience
You haven't had a John P. Kee experience until you've experienced him live in concert. The way he takes the stage and has the audience in the palm of his hand from start to finish is incredible.

I believe Strength and this latest project Not Guilty are the closest you'll come to a John Kee concert on CD.

It is also in concert that you can see the giving side of John. The man gives out mad loot (money, cash, dolla dolla bills) at his concerts. (It's been 11 years and I still haven't gotten one of those $100 bills.) It's also important to know that John doesn't just give a song and a dance when in concert, he takes his time and ministers to the people. His testimonies of God's deliverance in his life is remarkable! And you can't leave out the fact that he has one of the tightest bands in the industry.

Kee and New Life are also responsible for setting some serious trends in the Gospel music industry: ditching the choir robes for flashier, coordinated uniforms; abandoning the choir stand to sing around microphones; using synthesizers/digital equipment on record; the brass/horn sound that has become a Kee trademark. Kee is just one of the tightest vocalists in the industry, with a capable group backing him up.

It is also through his choir that some of the phattest singers and musicians have gotten their start, or have excelled in their ministries because of being a part. For example, Lowell Pye and Isaac Caree are now part of Men Standard. Chris Simpson and Montrell Darrett both have solo projects. LeJeune Thompson, known for her work with Tri-City Singers has a solo project releasing soon on EMI Gospel.

I can only speak for myself when I say that this is why I am a partaker of his ministry. It's the way he uses various arenas to perpetuate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While most of us only know John as a singer, the Lord has used him in many ways to get the Gospel out. He can be found almost anywhere, playing basketball with the kids in the hood, feeding and ministering to the homeless, operating a club for the saints during the weekend, and yes, even in the pulpit, pastoring 1000 plus members at New Life Fellowship Church in Charlotte, NC.

Not Guilty: A Timely Message
In closing, it's the latest musical offering, Not Guilty that I believe will propel Kee and New Life into much deserved success. If you can't find your favorite chord, favorite riff, and if in fact, if you think this project sounds like the rest, then the message alone is worth the cost of the CD. I'm sure we all wrestle with images of our past that the enemy would like to use to stop us from being what God would have us to be in Him. But the scripture allows us to know: