MUSIC FEATURE
THE POWER OF POSITIVITY
resounding “Yes,” with plenty of praise to go with their decision. When Singleton says he was prepared for the AGT performance, he isn’t just talking about rehearsing his number before going in front of the judges and
Singleton claims he sang before he could talk. His mother and two of his aunts launched a successful gospel ensemble The Lucas Sisters — Trudy Grant, the Rev. Rossilind Daniels and Mary Greer — in Singleton’s hometown of Charleston, SC. When
Ray Singleton’s got talent and love to spread
Pg. 10 JUL 28 - AUG 10, 2021 - QCNERVE.COM
BY PAT MORAN
On the Tuesday, July 13, episode of America’s Got Talent, Ray Singleton took the stage, or so he’s told. The 31-year-old Charlotte singer and minister of music at First Calvary Baptist Church in Rock Hill, SC, sat down at his keyboard and eyed the four judges facing him — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Sofia Vergara. Singleton’s wife Roslyn, a brain cancer survivor, was watching from the wings. “Simon said, ‘Are you ready, Ray?’” Singleton remembers. “I heard myself say, ‘I am prepared.’” He looked to his wife, saw that tears were already streaming down her face, and began to play and sing in a lilting soulful croon. “It was the most beautiful moment ever,” Singleton recalls, but he doesn’t remember much other than that. The moment had its beginnings in an online video Singleton shot of himself serenading Roslyn with Daniel Caesar’s song “Get You” as she was preparing for surgery to remove a cancerous mass the size of a silver dollar from her brain in January 2020. The heartfelt and intimate video unexpectedly blew up on social media and set off a chain of events that culminated with Singleton on stage facing television cameras and a quartet of judges. By the time week seven of AGT aired, avid viewers of the show knew Singleton had to pass the televised audition to proceed to the next round of the competition, which will be aired in a series of live episodes following the broadcast of the Tokyo Olympics. The show’s fans also knew Singleton had no chance of receiving a Golden Buzzer, which would have allowed him to proceed to the live shows. According to the program’s rules, each judge only has one Golden Buzzer, and all the buzzers had been used up by then. With that in mind, Singleton’s only chance was to win over at least three of the judges with his performance of Andy Grammer’s “I Am Yours” to stay in the game. When he finished singing, each panel member down the line awarded Singleton a
RAY SINGLETON APPEARS ON AMERICA’S GOT TALENT IN JULY PHOTO COURTESY OF NBC
the cameras. He alludes to a mental, emotional and spiritual element imbuing the process. In a way, Singleton’s life has been preparation for that beatific moment.
the sisters rehearsed at Singleton’s grandmother’s house, he would sit beside whomever was playing the piano, look at what they did, and commit it to memory. By the age of 15 he had taught himself to play the instrument. Music from the very beginning “I listen to a song for five to 10 minutes; I have “I believe I was drawn to music in the womb,” it,” Singleton says. “It’s a God-given gift.” Singleton chuckles. “It’s absolutely part of my DNA.”
After joining the school drama club in his sophomore year at West Ashley High in Charleston, Singleton sang a Ray Charles song for the club and received his first standing ovation. An electric feeling shot through his body, and he knew then that he would be making music for the rest of his life. While still in high school, he also joined a band and played gigs around Charleston. The group played for $25 and a meal, Singleton recalls. When it came time to go to college, Singleton didn’t hesitate to pick Winthrop University in Rock Hill. His choice, he admits, was initially due to some unorthodox research he undertook. “I saw that the girl to guy ratio was seven to one, and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s where I’m going,’’’ Singleton says, laughing. It was the only college application he filled out. Once on campus, he immediately fell in love with Winthrop. In order to major in music, however, Singleton had to be able to read music. For a musician who learned by ear and memory, learning to read music was a frustrating and ultimately futile process. “I would fall into old habits [saying], ‘I can listen to this thing and play it better than if I read it,” Singleton offers. So instead, he went with his second love, earning a bachelor’s degree in Theatre. He continued to make music in college, however, performing at open mics put on by the school, eventually hosting the events. It was through those open mics that he recruited fellow music-minded students to form his band The Edge, which became the university’s unofficial house band. The Edge played all the school’s open mics, talent shows and homecoming shows. “I’ve been viral before viral,” Singleton says. Singleton remained at Winthrop to earn a master’s degree in counselor education. Through connections with his fraternity brothers at Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Singleton lined-up a campus job overseeing sorority and fraternity activities, which helped pay for his degree. After graduation, Singleton settled in Rock Hill, where he became the minister of music at First Calvary Baptist Church, a few blocks down the street from where he lived. The job interview was informal, Singleton remembers. He attended the church during a testimonial service, during which he sang a song. A subsequent chat with the pastor sealed the deal. As of now, Singleton has been with the church 11 years and counting.
