“This album is accessible to people. It is a blue-collar Christian album. It is not something where you have to be a highbrow (person),” says David Bellamy of The Bellamy Brothers’ new CD Jesus Is Coming.

The duo, David and Howard, first splashed the charts in 1976 with the pop song, “Let Your Love Flow,” a tune that occupied the # 1 spot on charts in the United States, Great Britain, Scandinavia and Germany. David then wrote “Spiders And Snakes,” another mega hit, only this time recorded by Jim Stafford. The Bellamy Brothers sang their way to the top of the charts again in 1979, with another quirky song, “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body.”  Once again, the Bellamy Brothers had a # 1 hit only this time on the American country music charts. The song also garnered a Grammy Award for the brothers in the Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Single, category.

As we began our hour together, David said, “I think this album is very personal and unique compared to most country gospel album. Most of them are just remakes of old hymns, but we determined we were not going to do that, and instead make (a record) in our style.” 

With song titles such as “Drug Problem,” “Lord Help Me Be The Kind Of Person (My Dog Thinks I Am),” “I Ain’t Goin’ To Hell,” and “Old Hippie III (Saved),” The Bellamy Brothers cannot be accused of taking the easy way out while recording their first gospel album. The country tunes were birthed in real life experiences from their youth and adult years. While the titles and subject matter might set off the pacemakers of a few diehard fundamentalists, and cause some snootier churchgoers to lift their noses in disdain, The Bellamy Brothers CD Jesus Is Coming is sure to strike a chord with those who otherwise might never give a listen to a song with Christian themes. It should also find a receptive audience with more open-minded believers, and youthful fans of country music.

David says, “Although we have nothing against preaching to the choir, we hope that it doesn’t just preach to the choir. We hope there are a few sinners who listen to it along with the believers, because it is a gospel album for people who…”

“…aren’t hypocrites,” Howard finishes the sentence, “I think the hypocrites will find this (Jesus Is Coming) the hardest to accept,” says Howard.

“If you do reach that outsider, I think that is very important. When you play in a nightclub, there are some great people there,” says David.

Howard continues with, “Sometimes they just get sidetracked, like we did.”

The track “Faith Came Back To Me,” is a personal account of Howard and David’s return to their roots. “Ya’ we backslid and did a little of everything to be honest. We did what everybody did. It seemed normal at the time, but as you get older, you see things from a different perspective. You start thinking maybe grandma was right. When you are imprinted at a young age, it comes back, it really does,” says David.

In the song “Grandma’s God,” Howard and David pay tribute to their childhood days, when the seeds of faith were first sown. The lyrics also speak to the long, winding road that took them away from those roots, and the road that brought them back.

“Grandma’s God” is really true. Our grandmother was what they used to call a holy roller, a Pentecostal. If you had breakfast at her house, she would be listening to the preacher on the radio, while she had her hand on the radio praying. We grew up with that. She was a very strong woman. That’s really the roundabout circle. We were hippies in the sixties, (however) we made a big circle, and came back to where we started,” says David. That road back is described in the southern gospel tune, “Faith Came Back To Me.”

David says, “We were pretty well drug to church on Sunday morning. That (“Drug Problem”) is a very true story. I think these songs are all pretty personal, and what made this album a lot of fun for us. Normally writing and recording is a lot of fun, but we really had a lot of fun making this one (CD). We cut this one at home and it never really was like work. “Grandma’s God,” is one of the most autobiographical songs that I have ever written.”