Like many people, I was first introduced to Allison Durham Speer through a Gaither Homecoming video. I was impressed by her stunning range and dynamic stage presence. I imagined her to be larger than life and completely intimidating. 

When I first met her at Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music, I was taken aback. Instead of being an amazon of a soprano, she was funny, friendly and completely down to earth.

In the past few years, I have benefited greatly from her teaching ministry. When I found out she and her husband, Brian Speer, were starting their own school, I knew we were in for something extraordinary.

I met up with Allison in a little Italian hideaway in Nashville. Surrounded by big plates of homemade pasta and Dean Martin on the sound system, we settled in to talk about singing, teaching, and communicating the Gospel through music.

ALLISON LYNN: You joke a lot about your family and growing up in the country. How has all that influenced your music career?

ALLISON DURHAM SPEER: I think my common rural farm upbringing set the stage for my being willing to work very hard, my work ethic. I work very hard at keeping my voice in shape and keeping my performance up to par. Every evening I pick a part of that performance and say, "Okay, how could that have been better? How could I have communicated this theological point better?” I do that every time I sing and I think that comes out of the work ethic I received as a farm kid.

A.L.: You married into one of the great families of Gospel music. What was that like for you?

A.D.S.: It was surreal. I was brought up in an area that was very rural and we had one radio station feeding into our little community. I knew the Speer Family because of one song that was played on that radio station which was "Cornerstone”. I fell in love with that song and started to sing that song. So when I married into the Speer Family, all of a sudden, I'm in the midst of people that were the artists for songs that I had sung as a kid. I absolutely adored Brock and Faye. The first time I went to their house to eat, it was such a family setting. I fell in love with them immediately.

A.L.: You and Brian make one of the finest husband-wife teams I've ever seen...

A.D.S.: I met Brian when he was working as an accountant for a record company. I needed somebody to help with my accounting, and he said, "I’ll become your business manager." This was before we married. That management part of him is very strong. He's very secure in that role and I'm very secure in the artistic role. That makes what we do easy. I do the front work; he does all the behind the scenes work. 

A.L.: You are the consummate student yourself, not only in trying to improve your musical artistry, but now you're also working towards a degree in Religion. Can you tell me about that and why you decided to go back to school?

A.D.S.: Yes, I'm in the School of Religion at Liberty University. I was in a conference with Dr. Jerry Falwell a couple of years ago and just out of the blue I said, "Dr. Falwell, one of these days I'm going to go back to school." He said, "Well I don't know why you shouldn't do that and I don't know why I couldn't find you the money," and he gave me a scholarship to Liberty University. I adore going back to school. As I grow older, I'm going to turn more to teaching. There are a lot of smaller churches out there who have women's conferences that need a good Bible teacher to come in and maybe do a couple of songs and lead worship and teach Bible. That's eventually what I'd like to accomplish.

A.L.: Do you find that your studying is affecting your live performance?

A.D.S.: Oh, most definitely. I mean it's changed it completely. It's given me more confidence with profound theological ideas. When you're standing before an audience who knows scripture, you have to know what you're talking about. Otherwise they're going to click off into 'neutral' and think about things other than what you're doing on the stage. You want to keep that line of communication open always. That's the greatest challenge for any performer - to keep that line open for the length of a performance, be it 15 minutes or an hour and a half.

A.L.: I was so excited to hear that you’re writing songs now. Can you tell us a little about that?

A.D.S.: I've always written, but I haven't always had an outlet. I didn't feel comfortable enough in my writing to record my own songs. I've been writing recently with some great writers who are teaching me an awful lot about writing. I just got a song in the 2008 Word Christmas Musical. I'm excited about writing and expression that way, and at some point, a goal of mine would be to write my entire recording. 

A.L.: I wonder if your desire to write has opened up because of your teaching and studying?

A.D.S.: Oh, definitely. I've always written, but it's never been to the extent that it is now. It has always been, what I would call, 'simple ideas'. Now I'm starting to write broader, more profound theological ideas. I love hymn-like ideas. I'm a big fan of Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend - those kinds of newer writers who write new hymns. I would really love to become that kind of writer.

A.L.: This October, you and Brian will host the first ever Elijah Conference. How did this come about?

A.D.S.: The idea for the Elijah Conference was born out of Ben Speer’s Stamps-Baxter School of Music. (Allison teaches Performance and Communication Training.)  Because I would love to get more in depth about communication, I decided to start the Elijah Conference which will be mainly an extension of what I do at Stamps-Baxter. It'll be deeper and broader. We'll get into writing segues. We'll get into the transitional areas of a concert. We'll put together concerts and packages of music - all the things that make us better at what we do.

A.L.: You have some excellent people on your faculty...

A.D.S.: Yes, we do! We have Les Butler who will be teaching a seminar about radio. We're going to have Steve Allen teach a great sound and lighting seminar. Kathi Mathis has been my booking agent now for the last ten years, and she is going to teach a booking seminar. Rebecca Irwin will talk to us about building a non-profit ministry. Johnny Minick is going to tell us, as a pastor, what he looks for in an artist who is going to come and sing for his church.  Mike Allen will be teaching Performance and Communication along with me and Shawn Degenhart. Shawn's expertise is the creative construction of a concert. Jack Clark is going to be there to teach the Nashville Number System. Brian Speer and Gary Marr will be doing the administration part of everything. And of course, you (Allison Lynn) will do your workshop on making the most of the internet.

A.L.: How did you decide on the name for the Elijah Conference?

A.D.S.: Elijah was a great prophet of the Lord. He was a powerful prophet who mainly worked alone. But at a certain point in his life, Elijah took on Elisha, and began to teach him the things of God, and to teach him the ways to be a prophet. So, I would like to be an Elijah and hand off the mantle to Elishas who are now in this whole Gospel music field. I might not be the greatest singer in the world, but I'm a good communicator, and that's what I want to teach people to be.

For more information on Allison Durham Speer and The Elijah Conference, please visit www.allisondurhamspeer.com and www.elijahconference.com.

For many years, Allison Lynn led an eclectic career singing all kinds of music, from music theatre to jazz to gospel to big band. 

But in 2005, Allison felt at a crossroads in her career. She started to pray for guidance. That summer, she attended Ben Speer's Stamps-Baxter School of Music in Nashville, TN, and God touched her life in a deep and profound way. She returned to her home in Toronto, ON, and started a gospel music ministry, singing at churches, festivals, and special events.

Within months, God was calling again, and Allison and her husband, Gerald Flemming, decided to make the move to Nashville. After many months of legal work, Allison was awarded an 01 (Artist) Visa, allowing her to live and work in the United States for a 3 year period.

Whether singing a fully staged concert, or leading a sing-along in a small inner-city church, Allison Lynn brings a message of God's unconditional love and faithfulness for all to hear.Allison's new CD,REAL BIG FAN is rooted in Southern Gospel, with a twist of jazz. Produced by Aaron Minick, the songs are a mix of gospel classics, originals by Allison and her husband, Gerald, and new songs by Daryl Williams, Joel Lindsey, and Wayne Haun.Allison writes the blog, ADVENTURES OF A STARVING ARTIST and is currently accepting bookings for 2008.

www.allisonlynn.com
www.allisonlynn.blogspot.com