DR. RICKIE BYARS‑BECKWTH

Dr. Rickie Byars‑Beckwith, a prolific composer, singer, performer and music director is an intuitive channel of healing music whose compositions give rise to a profound experience that opens the heart, touches the soul and lifts the spirit.

Dr. Byars-Beckwith's unique talents have brought her acclaim as a pioneer in alternative spiritual music, and in 2001, an honorary Doctorate Degree in Music from the United Church of Religious Science.

Rickie's sound crosses all musical boundaries, an evolution of her rich beginnings in gospel, rhythm and blues, and later influenced by jazz and world beat. Raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, she was early on identified as a unique, multi‑faceted musical talent. She received schooling from choir directors in the segregated school systems of the South, which became the foundation of her own universal kaleidoscope of music. The radio music of the 60's and 70's‑‑‑especially the sound of Motown, Memphis and Liverpool‑were a major influence on her style, as well as musical studies at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she first started composing songs. In New York she continued to, mature as an artist working as lead singer with The Pharaoh Sanders ensemble, Roland Hanna and The New York Jazz Quartet, Howard Johnson and many other ensembles. Billboard Magazine wrote enthusiastically about her professional recordings, accenting in particular the originality of musical style.

When Rickie moved to Los Angeles in 1983, she continued to discover how own voice while performing in many popular venues throughout the city. In 1988, she began attending the Agape International Spiritual Center. As she matriculated through the Center's classes in the New Thought‑Ancient Wisdom teachings, Rickie's work as a composer/arranger took on a depth influenced by the divine origin of inspiration itself. Recognizing Rickie's talents and expanding spiritual understanding, Dr. Michael Beckwith, Founder and Spiritual Director of the Center requested that she form a choir for a special holiday presentation. From this thirty voice ensemble emerged the formation of today's one‑hundred‑sixty voice Agape International Choir, and Rickie's inspired directorship as Agape's Music Director.

Together, Dr. Michael Beckwith and Dr. Rickie Byars‑Beckwith have written lyrics and music performed by the Agape International Choir in concert venues worldwide. Wherever they appear, their performances richly contribute peace and goodwill to the global community in the universal language of music. Their collaboration has become identifiable the world over as "The Sound of Agape," to which healings of body, mind and heart have been attributed. Recordings of their music, sung by the Agape International Choir, and recordings of Rickie's solo music are available from Agape's Quiet Mind Bookstore located in Culver City, California.

Contact Information

E-mail

mailto:rb3000@earthlink.net

Website

http://www.rickiebyars.com/

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