Anthony Hamilton's Journey Home To Charlotte | Noteworthy
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- Like Sam Cooke, Donny Hathaway and Marvin Gaye, Anthony Hamilton began his path to soul stardom in the front of a church. Before his gold and platinum albums, before songs like "Charlene" and "The Point of it All" and this year's "Amen," Hamilton first sang in the choir of Charlotte, N.C.'s New Shiloh Baptist Church.
This summer, before the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by a Charlotte police officer drew the attention of the nation to this city, Hamilton led Jason King, the host of NPR Music's series Noteworthy, on a tour of his hometown. Sitting down with King in the pews of his boyhood church, Hamilton says his whole family played a role in the initial steps of his career. "Grandmother, granddaddy and aunts and uncles and everybody else [said], 'Boy, you better go down there. You gonna do something. You need to join the choir because you need to serve the Lord,'" he says.
But Hamilton knew from an early age that he wanted to be a famous singer, and he knew that pursuit might take him away from songs of worship. "I was rebellious," he says. "I was walking the line [between] the church and the world then. That was my battle." That battle also played out in the urging of family and community members to "sing for the Lord, don't sing for the world."
Before he got the record deal that would bring him to New York, and then to millions around the country with the release of his breakthrough album, Comin' From Where I'm From, Hamilton cut hair in a Charlotte barber shop, and credits the atmosphere there for helping to shape his voice as a songwriter. "Children come in and older folks come in and women come in. And you have all this conversation," he says. "It's like the information station. The sound manages to have a bunch of people talking about the same subject, but everybody has their own point of view. And even though they're all talking at the same time, you can hear them all clearly. Then it all starts to make sense. You hear the things they desire, their dreams. It creates songs."
Hamilton's songwriting philosophy might best be summed up as, "inspiration can come from anywhere." During King's time with Hamilton, the singer improvised songs about the streets he grew up on, the dire need for a haircut and what Las Vegas can do to a traveler (he'd just returned from the city). But Hamilton says the city remains a part of his essence. "The neighborhood and your environment are so important," he says. "They're things from my past that I have to stay connected to because those are the people that I fuel through the music. I need those textures. I need that reminder of why I work so hard."
He's such a humbled guy. Never change Anthony. God is going to take you far.
Anthony Hamilton is one of the most underrated artists today, I can't for the life of me figure out why everyone is sleeping on him STILL
Binge watching Anthony Hamilton videos is food for the soul.
Always love Anthony Hamilton from Keswick Ave to Hawthorne Night School to New York City !!! My hometown hero!!!
mr Hamilton ur the best i really luv the voice and the songs he does gs
Love me some Anthony Hamilton 💘😍❤️
Nothing like home!!! Love ya Anthony Hamilton, you are soooo blessed w/a soulful gift🎼💖🎼
Now That’s how you intro! ❤️ I love my people & this gifted soul.
It's all fun and games until you pass Anthony Hamilton when walking out of the Harris Teeter. Such a great voice!
This documentary was absolutely amazing?I am so proud of Anthony Hamilton he is truly an award winning star from The QC! However, the highlight of the video was my ome and only son! Jeffrey Ray Mobley Jr!!! You better go future surgeon of America! shout out to Mrs Mary's Barbershop and The Blvd
Great man truly blessed
Appreciated the honesty here, King asked some great questions too. Not a lot of other artists will be this vulnerable in their answers and music.
I could just listen to him talk all day. Well done, NPR.
A.H. is such a polite person 💖💖👌🏾💯❤
God bless you and your family 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿❤️❤️❤️❤️
if there's a heaven, it sounds like this 1:46 you gotta love the hamiltones
I love Anthony Hamilton! I appreciate his humility and honesty.
Such realness about Anthony Hamilton
underrated as fck
QUEEN CITY! JOHNSON C SMITH! ANT HAMILTON THANKS FOR THE VOICE!
Love that first album
That intro and closing! :)
My Favorite💙
this was really great!
I love that grit 🎙
he is right about how some christians act about secular music. í had to deal with that for a while now mostly from older people but God will set those people straight someday.
Like this interview
Great video. I wish you continued success. God Bless.
Great video
Oh hell yes!
this got me saying aaaamen!
wow!!!!
I love you
Love Mr. Hamilton and that hat, but he knows bette. Hats off for men in church.
seriously...stop that! Hat in the building out the building..that's tradition (religion) doesn't affect a soul being saved or not...
niqmoone I didn't mention anything about the state of his salvation. Tradition and cultural convention dictates men should not wear hats indoors, especially churches courthouses and my house. Places deemed to be arenas of honor and respect.
QC represent
I love Anthony. When Tom Joyner had a skyshow in Greensboro, I stayed up all night to see him. Saw him in Raleigh too. He is a great performer. I'm on Sessions live now watching him.
yo he go to my barber shop lol
Oh my god I'm actually first
This guy gives a shit about real music