Gabriel of Urantia
Gabriel of Urantia, born Anthony Joseph Delevin, is an American musician who is the originator of CosmoPop music that he describes as “spiritually hip vocal music”.[1] CosmoPop is a genre of spiritually-based music that emerged in Arizona, United States in the mid 1990s that addresses the “sufferings of life and the courage of perseverance and hope, which leaves the listener with a new vision for their future.”[2] Throughout his journey of spiritual self-discovery, which began in the 1960s, he has changed his name various times. In the 1990s, he lived under the name Gabriel of Sedona, while he has previously recorded under the names Tee Jay & Duke Quintet and T.J. & The Knight Kaps. He currently releases his CosmoPop music under the name TaliasVan.
Gabriel's band, The Bright & Morning Star Band, which consists of 9 members, performs CosmoPop music.[3] Within the band, Gabriel contributes lead and background vocals, rhythm guitar, bass, drums, percussion, keyboard, flute, saxophone, trumpet, horn, pennywhistle, and bagpipes.[4]
Gabriel is also the founder of the Global Community Communications Alliance, a temple community and ashram.
Life[edit]
Anthony J. Delevin was born on July 5, 1946, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He started singing at age 6 and was performing on street corners by the age of 8.[2] At age 12, he sang with harmony groups and performed R&B and soul music influenced by his neighborhood's African-American culture.[5] At age 15, he founded his first band, an R&B group called The Fuzzes.[2][5] By the early 1960s, he was singing professionally, first recording with the Snyder recording company in Cleveland, Ohio and then at Gateway Studios in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with Joni Wilson and the Debonairs.[6] He performed and sang lead with T. J. & the Night Kaps, and sang at many nightclubs in Pittsburgh including the Holiday House.[5]
He attended Duquesne University, where he studied theology and was involved with the Catholic Charismatic Movement. He left his studies to minister full-time, serving alcoholics, drug addicts, and the homeless. Moving to Tucson, Arizona, he opened a halfway house known as Son Light Ministries. During this time, Gabriel spent time in several different monasteries.
At age 24, he began writing spiritual music and compositions, spending 11 years performing spiritual concerts[2] and opening for Christian rock bands Petra, Resurrection Band, and Servant at the University of Arizona.[7][8][9] In 1965, Gabriel was briefly managed by the manager of the Del Vikings, Joe Averback, who took the song “Stiff Leg” to Mercury Records in New York. They called the manager and said they wanted to sign Gabriel, who they wanted to sing Beatle-mania, which was new to America, because the Beatles had not exploded in popularity. He refused, saying that he was a rhythm & blues singer.[9]
After years of serving in youth ministry organizations across the country,[8] including Son Light Ministries,[5][10] Gabriel went back to Pittsburgh to record his first vinyl album, titled Unicorn Love, in 1985, at Aircraft Studios in Dormont.[2]
Having returned to Pittsburgh, Gabriel, now in his late thirties, joined a Catholic black gospel choir belonging to the St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[5][8] He then went to Los Angeles to market his commercial spiritual vocal album, which he would later describe the beginning of CosmoPop music. While there, he was chosen as lead vocalist with the one-hundred-voice black gospel choir of St. Brigid Catholic Church in Los Angeles.[5]
In 1985, Gabriel recorded what he described as the first New Age Vocal album under the name TaliasVan, but declined a contract offer from a record label because he was not willing to change his spiritual lyrics.[11] In 1996, he first christened his New Age vocal style CosmoPop, releasing the CD Holy City. In total has released 18 singles, five full-length albums, three music videos, and an award-winning live concert DVD.[12]
Music[edit]
As Gabriel's personal life changed, so did his musical style, which he first called “Luminary.” As he had diverged from the contemporary Christian sound of the time, he coined the term “New Age Vocal”, first using it to describe his Unicorn Love album.[5] Before its release, the album was rejected by Windham Hill, as “New Age music can’t be vocal.”[13] After the release of Unicorn Love, other artists becan releasing New Age Vocal music,[13] whereas, before, he'd never seen a New Age Vocal album in a New Age music store.[14] New Age Vocal would later evolve into CosmoPop, with which it shares many similarities.[13]
In recording CosmoPop, TaliasVan & The Bright & Morning Star Band use various instruments including saxophones, trumpets, flutes, keyboards, drums, percussion, bass, and rhythm guitars,.[citation needed]
CosmoWorship[edit]
Gabriel's Bright & Morning Star Choir and Orchestra performs CosmoWorship music, which like CosmoPop, is music written, in Gabriel's words, to reflect the “face of God” and connect listeners to higher Interuniversal realities and cosmic truths.[5] Critics have described CosmoWorship music as a “growing and boldly harmonic creative phenomena.”[15]
The Bright & Morning Star Choir and Orchestra began performing CosmoWorship music in 1995. Since then the choir has performed throughout Arizona, making live, radio, television, and worldwide webcast appearances. The choir is locally known for their charitable work during the holiday season. They have sung traditional carols and his original compositions for the St. Andrew's Children's Clinic in Nogales, the Santa Rita Care Center in Green Valley, and at the Tubac Plaza Main Stage in Tubac, Arizona.[15]
Gabriel's CosmoPop music CD, The God Child Came Christmas Album,[3] features some songs performed and supplemented by The Bright & Morning Star Choir and Orchestra.[16] The CDs CosmoWorhip I and CosmoWorship II contain CosmoWorship songs sung and performed by the 40-voice Bright & Morning Star Choir and Orchestra. TaliasVan believes that music has tremendous power to heal and this is a main motivator behind his music ministry which brings the sacred to popular music.[15]
Discography[edit]
Singles
- Jive-Doo-Ley-Bop (1966)
- Come Into My Heart (1966)
- This Boy Got Class (1966)
Studio Albums
- Come Into My Heart (1966)
- This Boy Got Class (1966)
- Unicorn Love (1985)
- Holy City (1997
- CosmoWorship I (1997)
- Sedona Sunrise (1999)
- CosmoPop Millennium (2000)
- The God Child Came (2005)
- 3-Song Introduction to CosmoCountry (2007)
- CosmoPop Variety (2008)
- Energy Master/CosmoMystic (2008)
- CosmoWorship II (2010)
- Tenache 3-Song CosmoNative (2013)
- I'm Still Trying To Move On/CosmoCountry (2018)
References[edit]
- ↑ Etshman, Todd. “CosmoPop to Play Concert at Watson Lake Park.” The Daily Courier (Arizona) 28 Apr. 2006: 37. Print.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Messina, Irene. Cosmic Concert, Tucson Weekly (Arizona) 17-23 Nov. 2005.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 “Musical Ambassador Releases Christmas CD, The God Child Came.” Kudos–The Good Life, Verde Valley Newspapers, Inc. (Arizona) 23-29 Nov. 2005: Print.
- ↑ "The Bright & Morning Star Band • Member's Profiles". Cosmopop.org. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Reid, John. “Musician Traces His Roots to Pittsburgh,” Red Rock News (Arizona) 1 Sept. 2004: 10A. Print.
- ↑ "Gabriel trades horn for guitar, brings contemporary music to church" The South Pittsburgh Reporter, December 17, 1985 P.3
- ↑ Sacred Global CosmoPop Concerts: A Three-Day Festival, Vision Magazine (California) June 2009: 39. Print.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 “Gabriel Trades Horn for Guitar, Brings Contemporary Music to Church.” The South Pittsburgh Reporter 17 Dec. 1985: 3. Print.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "A Timeline of CosmoPop Music". Cosmopop.org. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ↑ Ratliff, Judith. "Son Light Ministries Reaching Out To Their Fellow Man", The Arizona Daily Star, 17 Nov. 1979
- ↑ Gabriel of Urantia, The Divine New Order, 1992, P. 30
- ↑ "Aurora Award "Best Live Concert" 2005". Archived from the original on 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-10-15. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 “The Bright & Morning Star Band to Perform.” Kudos–The Good Life, Verde Valley Newspapers, Inc. (Arizona) 1 Sep. 2004: 9. Print.
- ↑ Harrington, Roderick. “Brings Pioneering ‘New Age Vocal’ to Globe.” AZ Silver Bell 3 Mar. 1988: Print.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 “Choir Spreading Cheer in Southern AZ.” Nogales International (Arizona) 14 Dec. 2007: Print.
- ↑ “Sacred Christmas Film, Carols & Santa Claus!” Kudos–The Good Life, Verde Valley Newspapers, Inc. (Arizona) 19-25 Dec. 2007: 6. Print.
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