Gospel singing concerts are becoming increasingly popular by the day in the US. Even though this music genre is quite different from others, it still is unique and distinctive. The infusion of God’s message into singing makes gospel singing the best of both worlds –not only your ears listen to the melodious voice; they get touched by God’s message as well. Johnathan D. Bond is another notable gospel singer who has held the track record of singing gospel music for nearly 20 years and received Dove and Grammy awards music nominations several times.
Johnathan D. Bond, born on 11 October 1967, is an American songwriter, vocalist, author, and famously known for his gospel singing career. Throughout his life, Johnathan preached God’s message to the people by singing gospel at various musical concerts, and to this day, he continues doing so. He began his gospel singing career with his wife back in August 1995 by forming a band called “Young Harmony Band”.
Johnathan is married to Marry Jane Raper. The couple tied the knot when they graduated from Gordon Central High School Calhoun, Georgia, in 1986. Johnathan and his wife Marry have one son, Jesse Nathan Markle Bond, and have three granddaughters.
Since his early life, Johnathan was a true believer of God, and he loved to talk about His message of love, peace, and harmony with his friends. Before he became a gospel singer, Johnathan joined his two cousins who were to form a band together but were waiting on for a third member. Both of his cousins convinced Johnathan to jump on the bandwagon, and as a result, the trio made a band in 1993. His cousins, Twanna Wallace and Murray McClure, both were into music since they were kids. The three of them shared a love for music and were enthusiastic about launching their music career altogether. The three of them named their band "The McClure Trio".
The next couple of years, Johnathan continued his music career with his cousins. With each passing day and every song produced and sang at the local concerts, Johnathan’s voice turned melodious by the day. They captured the attention of the local audience of their cities, and in about two years, the three of them became quite famous in their hometowns. Even though Johnathan advanced his singing career with his cousins and became a locally renowned figure nevertheless, he felt a calling for a higher purpose.
Two years later, in August 1995, Johnathan and his wife decided to create a band on their own, comprising just the two of them only. Moreover, the genre of this band was based on gospel singing. Maybe this was the calling after all Johnathan had felt since the last two years when he used to sing songs with his two cousins. It was his wife, Marry, who persuaded Johnathan to switch his music career to gospel singing, and the couple quickly reached to a conclusion and formed the “Young Harmony Band”.
Johnathan, who had been preaching God’s message all his life, swiftly made the transition to gospel music and began his singing career without much trouble. A couple of years down this singing career, and Johnathan’s melodious voice and confidence gave an impression to the public that this form of singing might have come naturally to him. His voice, coupled with God’s message, used to move the masses, and one after the other, Johnathan’s concerts began attracting more people.
Johnathan received numerous awards nominations for his gospel singing career. Good Morning Lord, was nominated as The Dove Awards song of the year in 2006. Johnathan’s other hit song "God’s Still God” was also nominated as Southern Gospel Song of the Year in 2007. Looking at his growing number of followers and the love of gospel music, Johnathan, and his Young Harmony band was inducted into the North America Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008.
Johnathan and his wife’s band also received nominations for fourteen Dove Awards in three consecutive years i.e., 2005, 2006, and 2007. Moreover, in 2007, the band was also nominated for one Grammy Award as well. As the popularity of the band grew, the better songs Johnathan produced to live up at the expectations of his audience. His band, Young Harmony, also received a gold disc for two of their records.
With a booming gospel music career and a lovely companion by his side, it is safe to assume that Johnathan will continue making gospel music. Every day we get to see new singers emerging from their hometown and earning big names and competing for neck to neck. Fortunately, it hardly seems anyone could compete and come close up to Johnathan’s enthusiasm and love for gospel singing.
Jessica is an independent journalist who covers stories of renowned personalities around the world. She has worked with some of the biggest news agencies of the world, including Forbes, NY Times, and CNN.