BIOGRAPHY

“I’m so excited about this project,” Andy says. “It all starts with great songs. I love lyrics. The new songs, written by incredible songwriters such as Jim Martin, Chuck Cannon and others, offer messages through stories and word-painting that are timely and relevant. They’re mixed in with songs that we grew up with – songs that speak to me as strongly as ever, and I believe, are prolific now more than ever.”

The project is produced by Nashville veteran

and multiple Grammy nominee Michael Sykes (Gaither Music Group, Ponder, Sykes & Wright), who calls Andy “a powerful presence in music today.” Look for the album’s first single, “You Can’t Go Home,” to hit Spotify, iTunes, CD Baby and other digital outlets in fall 2020.

“This project focuses only on my voice,” Andy says. “Over the years, I have been fortunate to play on many projects as an instrumentalist with some opportunities to sing, as well. However, I have always had an unquenchable desire to sing. This project is giving me that outlet.”


MUSICAL BEGINNINGS

Andy was born in 1970 in Wilmington, North Carolina. “I was raised in a loving Christian home,” he says. “Although we were not wealthy by society standards, my parents provided love and support that money could not buy.”

God and family were always central in their lives.

Andrew and Martha King took their young son to many Gospel music concerts. He soaked up every detail like a sponge.

“From the buses in the parking lot, and the smell of diesel engines running, to the record table, and the sharp-dressed singers and musicians,” Andy says. “From the incredible musicianship of the bands, to the raw and powerful vocal harmonies that had such a signature sound … the energy was undeniable, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it.”

At age 5, Andy also began taking piano lessons: “To be honest, I didn’t like it very much. I wanted to learn the music that I had heard at the concerts.”

By age 9, Andy believed he had had enough. He asked his mom if he could quit taking piano. She agreed – with a stipulation. He must pick up another instrument and participate in his school’s band. Andy chose the trumpet.

“When I was 11, my mother discovered The Henry Slaughter Gospel Piano Course for sale at a local music store,” he recalls. “This was a game-changer for me. I finally realized the connection with the piano lessons I had taken, along with what I had learned on the trumpet. It was all music! It was all relevant.”

And so was his voice.

“Even at a young age,” he says, “I knew that something happened when I sang that was bigger than myself.”


OPPORTUNITIES ARISE …

At age 12, Andy got his first paid position, playing music in a Wilmington inner-city church. He met people from all walks of life there – and seized opportunities to learn about various music genres.

By the summer of his 13th year, Andy began attending the Blackwood School of Music at Murray State University in Kentucky, and he later immersed himself in the Christian Music Conference at Northern Kentucky University.

At 15, Andy joined his first traveling group, called The New Samaritans, which later became known at The Celestials. He was the piano player, but also longed to sing.

“My opportunity came because of the untimely death of our baritone singer and my close friend, Ronnie Fields, who was killed in a car accident,” Andy recalls. “I did not want my chance to happen this way.”

Shortly afterward, the group was scheduled to record their first album in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. “With a heavy heart,” Andy says, “I sang the song that Ronnie was supposed to have sung.”

Andy continued performing with The Celestials through his second year at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he was majoring in biology with a concentration in Pre-Med. That is, until 3 ½ years into his degree – while working as a phlebotomist and nursing assistant in a local hospital – a cardiologist asked him if he would be happy working 16 to 18 hours a day as a heart doctor.

Even though Andy had been deeply involved in the college’s music department, fulfilling his music scholarship requirements, he knew he had to commit fully. He switched his major to music, started his own band, and began traveling to churches around the country – as an opening act for nationally known groups, including many of his musical heroes. 
 

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES …

After graduating from college, Andy played piano for several regional groups, moved to Tampa, Florida, and began performing music for a Christian comedian. All roads, though, led back to North Myrtle Beach – and playing trumpet and vocals at The Eddie Miles Theater.

It was the mid-1990s, and that’s when things got really interesting. J.D. Sumner and The Stamps performed from time to time at the theater. They were Elvis Presley’s back-up singers, and Andy enjoyed hanging out with the band and listening to stories about their days with “The King.”

“Sadly, the last concert that J.D. Sumner ever performed was at the theater,” Andy says. “Six months after J.D.’s passing, I was called and offered the pianist position. It was a dream come true for me. I spent two wonderful years as a sideman, listening and learning as much as I could.”

Andy’s plan was to work on setting up his own recording studio, but another legendary band called: The Catalinas. Suddenly, Andy was swept up in the world of Beach Music. The gig lasted a few years, and was followed by opportunities to perform with groups such as The Fantastic Shakers, The Coastline Band, and The Craig Woolard Band.

By this time, it was 2009, and Andy joined a Journey tribute band called Frontiers. For two years, he crisscrossed the country with them before he was sidelined with back surgery.

After healing, he landed a job as band leader and pianist for The Dove Brothers Band. “The strong, tight four-part harmony was reminiscent of The Oak Ridge Boys in the 1970s,” Andy says. “I spent a couple of years with the Dove Brothers before joining America’s favorite family, The Hoppers, as their pianist, bus driver and merch manager. I learned so much during my time with Claude, Connie and the whole family.”

Unfortunately, his time with the group was cut short after a couple of years. Several months of doctor visits and medical tests finally revealed that he was suffering from kidney disease.

“I thought that my journey in music was over,” says Andy. For 18 months, he underwent grueling treatment and beat the odds. “I am grateful that my kidneys are back to 100 percent,” he says. “To God be the glory!”

Music was still in Andy’s future. The Blackwater Rhythm and Blues Band came calling – and he was able to sing again – upward of 200 shows per year.

After about two years, in 2017, Andy was offered his current position at The Carolina Opry’s Calvin Gilmore Theater in Myrtle Beach. He performs on keyboard, trumpet and vocals for 310 shows per year (minus any cancellations because of the Coronavirus).

Even when life throws curve balls, Andy feels like he has a renewed focus.

“After reading a book by Johnny Hunt titled ‘Demolishing Strongholds,’ I realized that, over the years, I had begun to hold on to things that I needed to let God control. I re-committed my life to Christ, and I know God will direct my path!”