Interview of Bishop O. (Olson) Kenneth Wells, choir director, announcer, preacher, and music industry executive, 2008

Interview with Bishop O. Kenneth Wells, choir director, radio announcer, preacher, and music industry executive. Bishop O. (Olson) Kenneth Wells (1963-) was born in Sparr, Florida and migrated to Fontana, California in 1969. He is the pastor of Spirit of Love Christian Church in San Bernardino, California and a Jurisdictional Bishop (California) for the Mt. Calvary Holy Churches of America. Throughout the majority of his public career he has been associated with community choirs and the Southern California affiliate of the Gospel Announcers Guild of the Gospel Music Workshop of America (GMWA). Bishop Wells has served as a gospel radio announcer on KPRO Radio (AM 1570-Riverside/San Bernardino) since the mid-1980’s. A former record executive at Pearl Records (Houston, Texas), Wells is also credited with aiding the early career of national gospel artist Kim Burrell.; The interview covers his early religious upbringing within the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, his religious conversion in a “country” revival in Citra, Florida (1979), and his eventual movement to the Pentecostal church. Gaining his first exposure to professional gospel singing as a member of the Southern California A.M.E. Mass Choir, he began directing choirs at Loveland Church in Fontana, California. Eventually becoming the business manager and assistant director of the San Bernardino Community Choir, founded by Dennis Jackson and directed by William Brown, Wells is best know for his work as the founder of the Riverside Mass Choir. Heavily influenced by the Los Angeles Gospel Music scene, he credits membership in the GMWA, Keith Pringle’s Pentecostal Community Choir, and the music of Andrae Crouch, Edwin and Walter Hawkins, James Cleveland, the Winans, and the Clark Sisters as his major influences.; Topics covered in the interview include the power of song as a tool of conversion and deliverance, tarrying, gospel preachers, the influence of the Hammond B-3 organ and Leslie speaker, the role of community choirs, the Bible’s King David as a musician, playing by ear, ministry to youth, hip hop culture, musician salaries, marketing gospel, the music industry, and the role that online music downloads play on record sales and profits. Specific songs mentioned in the interview include; “Try Me Again”, “Precious Lord”, “Oh Happy Day”, “Stomp”, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, “Yes, Lord!”, “I Surrender All”, and “Hallelujah Jesus”. Bishop Wells is married to Gospel singer Shervonne (Anderson) Wells.