When Bobby Cartwright says he's achieved his dream, he's not kidding.
The producer of the popular Gospel SuperFest concerts says the idea for the program "was given to me in a vision in my sleep in 1998 ... studying gospel music was a vision the Lord gave me," Cartwright said, telling his wife, Renita, "Honey, you don't understand, this is going to be huge."
The Gospel SuperFest, which gathers together many of the best-known gospel performers in an annual concert, first came to fruition in 2000 in Louisville, Ky. The event grew from there, going on to have a three-year run in New York City from 2004-06.
Earlier this year, it came to Ohio for the first time, playing in Cincinnati in January.
Over these 10 years, it has played to 60,000 people live and millions more on TV.
Cartwright, 52, a Dayton native, wants the SuperFest to "broaden awareness of gospel music and put it in the mainstream ... a lot of people don't know this, but it's the initiation for all black music in America," he said.
And for Cartwright, it was a kind of salvation.
Once upon a time, the Dayton natives life was quite different. In the 1970s and '80s, when he was a roadie for the Ohio Players, the Dayton band famous for the songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster," Cartwright got mired in drugs, eventually becoming addicted to crack.
Turning to the Pentecostal church, Cartwright became "born again" in 1987, and began to turn his life around.
Cartwright had been a rock guitarist but said, "I don't think the Pentecostal church was ready for distorted guitar."
Cartwright came to realize his best talents were behind the scenes.
After working for area TV and radio stations, he gained enough technical experience to produce his shows.
He has a video editing suite and a 32-track mixing console in the basement of his Liberty Twp. home, from which he assembles various shows to air on cable or in syndication.
"My skill set found a niche in production," he said. "I set the stage for people who really have talent."
SOURCE: Gospel 360 Online
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