The Christian cowboy: Ripley's Carroll Roberson writes gospel songs with Western flair

RIPLEY • Carroll Roberson of Ripley has been writing, recording, and performing gospel music with a fantastically Western aptitude on the grounds that 1986.

In March, Roberson’s new music, “good Mornin’ Lord,” changed into Cashbox magazine’s No. 1 gospel song, notwithstanding now not the primary No. 1 hit to Roberson’s credit score over his long musical career.

“We’re making an attempt to do some thing nobody else is doing, and people reply to it," the sixty five-year-old stated. "The Lord’s been first rate to me.”

Roberson referred to his signature sound, with lush orchestral preparations and standard Spanish guitar and horns, is an homage to his favourite musical have an impact on â€" Marty Robbins.

“I’ve acquired an old West heritage,” he mentioned. “Like my daddy, I’m kind of an ancient cowboy at coronary heart. Marty Robbins become my favourite. You hear loads of that in my song.”

For the remaining 25 years, Roberson and his spouse, Donna, have hosted their own tv show, “here's Carroll Roberson,” which facets his tune, as well as Bible teaching. He pointed out being in front of the camera isn’t always enjoyable.

“I don’t really like being on tv, but it’s a medium that reaches a lot of people everywhere the area, throughout all denominations, with the message of Christ,” he mentioned. “My spouse and i infrequently watch our application. As you grow old you don’t are looking to see yourself on television.”

The weekly demonstrate airs on the Christian tv network and is posted to social media systems. whenever he cuts a new album, Roberson observed he likes to travel to scenic Western locations to film the song movies that develop into a part of the tv demonstrate.

“It’s a protracted, complex situation,” he spoke of. “And it’s expensive. My producer helps me scout the areas and a camera crew meets us there. We had been in Jackson gap, Wyoming, final fall. That turned into doubtless the most attractive region we’ve filmed. It become like a postcard.”

Like a real cowboy, Roberson noted he'll quickly “saddle up” and head West once again.

“I’m leaving in about a week to head to San Antonio,” he observed. “We’re going there to film a new video for the album I simply entire. We’ve found that horses and Western scenery basically attraction to a wide demographic of individuals.”

while not every person responds positively to the Western motif in Roberson’s music, he referred to staying real to what he loves has served him well, and has served the greater intention of his work.

“I’m form of a misfit,” he spoke of. “Thank God the dominion is so distinctive that God’s acquired a demographic of americans that like what I do. I could be in an old Western town doing a Marty Robbins-vogue music, however it’s bought the message of Jesus.”

while Roberson’s musical roots are within the American West, his religious house is in the Mediterranean. Roberson is a “universal flyer” to Israel, the place he pointed out he skilled a deepening of his faith.

“I took my first trip to Israel in 1991,” he spoke of. “That turned into a online game-changer for me. It taught me the origins of the Christian religion. Jesus grew to become real for me, now not simply a name on the page.”

seeing that that preliminary go back and forth, Roberson has led thirty-five Holy Land excursions with corporations of 40-50 people. He pointed out his visits have both challenged and galvanized his religion.

“i realized how little I knew,” he pointed out. “I all started to analyze the Hebrew language and study the Bible contextually. in the event you start to analyze the deeper things of the Bible you directly recognise we’re all pretty shallow.”

Roberson talked about his travels in Israel have proven what he lengthy suspected concerning the follow of Christianity in the united states.

“If going to church changed into the answer our country wouldn’t be going via what it’s going via,” he pointed out. “so that’s no longer the reply. What we call church in the usa can be a canopy-up. We lack so plenty when it comes to the real truth of the Bible. despite the fact that I nevertheless believe in attending church, if you’re gonna have a deep stroll with the Lord you should go deeper than simply going to church.”

Even in a rapidly altering tradition, Roberson talked about he sees the reliance on traditions as some of the the leading stumbling blocks for the future of religion.

“probably the most greatest stumbling blocks to religion in the us is americans getting locked into traditions,” he talked about. “We should understand that Jesus transcends all these cultures and variations. We’re now not serving a culture or a tradition. those issues alternate, but Jesus is an identical the day prior to this, today, and continuously. We serve him, and we need to use some wisdom to propagate the gospel.”

In his own life, Roberson observed he tries to maintain it simple.

“It’s all about loving Christ, loving his people, and the way you are living day to day.”