Press

Little Singer, Big Voice

Redlands boy, 7, discovers a gospel talent - to the surprise of his family and to himself.

By Andrea Feathers

Staff Writer / Redlands Daily Facts

June 6, 2005

REDLANDS - Little Jonathon Forrester's dream started coming true before he could dream it up.

The 7-year-old discovered a talent for singing gospel in December when one of the Clara Ward Singers put a microphone in front of him during a performance at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.

What came out surprised not only Jonathon's relatives, who were visiting from out of town, but also his parents Terry and Jan, and even himself.

"I was amazed that I could sing that good," Jonathon said, remembering his rendition of "This Little Light of Mine."

"She put a microphone under this face and he sang and her eyes just kind of lit up," Terry said of one of the lead singers, who was later moved to tears when Jonathon joined them on stage for "Jesus Loves The Little Children."

"Everyone in our family was completely shocked," Terry said. "He's a natural on stage."

Jonathon discovered a yen for music while singing "Twist and Shout" at karaoke night on a cruise with his parents.

Now, the karaoke system the family bought for fun is also used for practice.

Jonathon has already returned on Easter and on Mother's Day to sing with the Clara Ward Singers, a Grammy-nominated group that has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He plans to also perform at their Father's Day and Christmas concerts.

The friendship with the group has been exciting for the family, who praised their talent and their kindness to Jonathon.

The pianist for the group, Jerry Lee, has also talked of making a short CD with Jonathon. Lee has worked with several prominent musicians like Barbra Streisand and Stevie Wonder.

Jonathon, who is a student in Dana Shed's class at Pathway Christian School, loves seeing people applaud for him and sharing the gospel.

"Maybe one day I could tell (Bible) stories up stage for the little children," he said.

Jonathon fondly remembers acting as a sheep three years in a row during church Christmas pageants.

Singing alone is a different thing entirely, Jonathon said. He takes his father's advice by converting any anxiousness into extra energy for the performance.

"You have to be perfect," Jonathon said. "You can't burp or barf up stage or you'll get kicked out." He doesn't plan on doing either any time soon.

After gospel, he likes Christian music, rock and roll, classical and rap but not the kind with dirty words, he says.

Already, Jonathon has a few fans. Once he was asked for his autograph and, another time, a boy told him, "Wow, you did good! I could never do as good as you."

Jonathon's mother Jan said she and Terry will keep a watchful eye on the situation to make sure they keep a balance between pursuing Jonathon's talent and not overloading him.

"I just want him to have fun," she said. "Once it stops being fun, it becomes work, and he's too young to work."

Jonathon plans to continue some of his other favorite activities, which include hanging out with his parents, playing baseball, swimming, playing on his scooter and practicing on his drum set.

E-mail Staff Writer Andrea Feathers at afeathers@redlandsdailyfacts.com