Kesi Asher, Staff Reporter
Shepherd - CONTRIBUTED
FROM GUNS and gangs to rods and staff, Horace Hall is the shepherd who wishes to lead the flock on the path of righteousness to Jesus.
As a non-Christian, Horace 'Shepherd' Hall used to sing dancehall songs on General Gav and Black Scorpio and was the selector on Ghetto Roots, a community sound system. However, the tables turned one day and he turned his life around.
"I was involved in guns and gangs. Then I started studying the Bible with a friend and he showed me the message of the cross," said Shepherd. Even when he was doing bad, the spirit of the Lord was with him.
"I learnt about Jesus at Sunday school and even when I was doing bad things, I was thinking about God. In fact, they called me Reverend before I started going to church," he said.
When Shepherd was led beside the still waters, for Jesus' name sake, he restored his soul, but many were sceptical. "Some people said, 'give him two weeks', but it is 14 years now since I turn a Christian. Then the confidence in the people changed. I've seen many of my friends turn Christians," said Shepherd.
DIFFERENT ROLE
Fresh in the faith, Shepherd dropped music completely until he stumbled on a role of a different sort. "A year or two after being a Christian, I auditioned for the parts of a gangster and a deejay for a church concert. It came off very well and from then and there I had a fans within the church circle," said Shepherd. The plays, Taking It To The Streets and Full Circle, were staged at the Ward Theatre and Island Cinema.
Following the plays, his singing talent was recognised and he started making contacts. He was given the name 'Shepherd' by Bridgette Parnel. "I thought that was a good name because that's what I want to do, speak words that shepherd people in the right way and keep them away from the wolf," he said.
His musical career started when he joined the band Crucial Impact, from the entertainment arm of the Kingston Church of Christ. He performed with the band in Montego Bay and Mandeville. He joined Premium Entertainment for a while and did a song entitled Woman on Abijah's album, Abijah.
CHRISTMAS COLLABORATIONS
He later met Danny Browne of Mainstreet Records through Papa San and recorded on the album Yow Street Gospel Chapter 3 with Mainstreet. The most known singles on that album are Who Me (the Lotto song), All A We, and Born Again. He did two Christmas collaborations, Rapapampam with Crissy D and Joy to the World with Omari.
A past student of Jamaica College and the Jamaica German Automotive School, Shepherd was one of the performers at the annual Genesis Festival, which started off the new year. He sang All A We, Who Me, Born Again and a new release, What A Day. The deejaying Christian is now signed to Positive Entertainment with Devon Sparks, but has Mainstreet Records as his recording studio.
