At Latter Rain Christian Fellowship, a charismatic Pentecostal church in Hartford, music prepares the congregation to receive God’s word.
“They jump and shout, and they believe in what the Scripture says: ‘Make a joyful noise unto the Lord,'” said Hubert “Doobie” Powell III, minister of music at Latter Rain. “That’s what we do every time we come into the house of the Lord. We do exactly that.”
Powell, 40, was born to serve the Lord. His parents, Hubert Jr. and Jacquelyn, are co-pastors at Latter Rain; brothers William and Kevin are a minister and deacon, respectively. He’s also an accomplished organist, singer and songwriter who has worked with some of the biggest names in contemporary gospel: Kim Burrell, the Clark Sisters, Tramaine Hawkins, Billy Preston, Pastor Marvin Winans and many others.
Powell and his band — brothers William and Kevin, on drums and organ, respectively; Deacon Jonathan Henry on percussion; Brother Alpheaus Bennett on bass; and a small group of background singers — will play a free concert at the Artists Collective in Hartford on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m.
Powell, who was born and raised in Hartford, learned music from his father.
“Music was instilled in me at an early age,” Powell said. “Once my dad saw that it wasn’t a joke, that it was real, he started bringing me out to play with him at 8 or 9 years old. I was playing the drums on a national level and touring the country.”
As he matured, Powell’s talents attracted others in the gospel industry. Between 2002 and 2011, Powell released seven solo albums, one DVD and a handful of singles. When he completes a new single, he now posts it directly to his Bandcamp page; last week, he released “We’ve Come This Far By Faith,” his take on a hymn from childhood. “The song always held a special place in my heart,” he said. “I just decided to record it. I just wanted the world to know what I was feeling.”
Although his music is gospel-based, Powell weaves in jazz, hip-hop, samples and sounds from contemporary R&B. He expresses himself in whatever musical language feels right, and that makes him a bit of a gospel outsider. “Basically, I’m being my own person and who I am musically and not trying to compete with anyone else,” he said. “I’m just trying to do what God wants me to do.”
“I really believe — and I live by this — we all are made different,” Powell added. “We all are peculiar in our own right. There’s no reason for more than one person to sound the same or sing the same or play the same, when God has made us all unique. My spin on my music is completely different.”
Although admittedly not a social activist, Powell has lent his voice to a number of causes through the years. After the Sandy Hook tragedy, Harry Connick Jr. called Powell to sing and play on “Love Wins,” a tribute to Connecticut saxophonist Jimmy Greene’s daughter, Ana Grace, who died in the Newtown school shooting. Along with Powell, dozens of community musicians from throughout Connecticut sang on the track.
“It was such an honor even to be considered for that project,” Powell said. “Jimmy’s child was the only black child to be killed in the Newtown massacre. Harry wanted to do something for him, and everyone else who suffered.”
Powell also released an eight-minute version of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” after the racial unrest in Ferguson, Mo., and Baltimore. The track begins with audio taken from news reports in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s killing, along with speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, over ominous, pulsing percussion. Powell then surrounds Gaye’s voice with newly harmonized strings and a hard-swinging R&B groove.
“Those racial issues that we’ve experienced in the past few years: I haven’t experienced all of those things,” Powell said. “But because I’m a part of that race and a part of the community that is suffering, it definitely hits home. I haven’t been a victim of racial violence or racism on that level, but my heart always goes out to people who suffer, and not just to black people. There are other people who suffer persecution and hardship because of who they are. I heard on TV that all lives matter. But at that moment [of recording “What’s Going On”] all I could do was hurt for my race.”
Music, Powell added, can be a “tool that can calm the raging sea, or it can build a fire. It can go either way.” By re-recording Gaye’s classic song, Powell felt he was playing into God’s plan.
“I’m not in the streets like some people,” Powell said. “but I felt, by doing that, I was speaking my voice to that situation.”
DOOBIE POWELL performs a free concert at the Artists Collective in Hartford on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m. Advance free passes are available at the collective, and seating on the day of the concert is on a first-come basis. Information: artistscollective.org, 860-527-3205.
