Page 23 - Florida Sentinel 2-12-16

Local
Gospel Singer Releases Second CD
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
When you’re born into a family where your father is a pastor, and all of your siblings are gospel singers, your future has been laid before you.
Joe Gay, Jr., a native of Bealsville, Florida, said he’s always admired his father, Rev. Joe Gay, Sr., and his late grandfather, Leonard Gay, because of their singing ability.
“I was inspired by my sib- lings when we’d all gather around the piano and sing or play an instrument.
“I started singing when I was 15, and now I’m a musi- cian as well. I’ve had the for- tune to have performed with some major gospel groups, like the Soul Stirrers.”
Unlike other gospel singers, Gay said he has no plans of getting into secular music, although he’s had a lot of offers.
“With me, performing gospel music isn’t about the money. It’s just something I really love to do.
“I’ve traveled all over the southeast with different groups, and now I’m releasing my second record, “Nobody’s Fault.” This song is to remind
JOE GAY, JR.
us that we have to be account- able for the choices and deci- sions we make in life because it’s nobody’s fault but your own.”
Gay, who writes his own material, said he considers himself a traditional gospel singer.
“The new generation of gospel singers wants to be en- tertainers. That’s why their stage productions are so big.
“I believe gospel music can reach people today the same way it did decades ago, espe- cially during the 1950s and 1960s.”
Gay’s new CD can be pur- chased from Good Gospel Music, Deacon Horace Greene, on the corner of 34th Street and Louisiana (Mona’s Fashion Building), or by call- ing Gay at (813) 312.3449.
Dispute Rages On With Veteran’s Park
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Veteran’s Park Senior Committee Chair, Dave Braun, said during their last Council meeting, a new pro- posal was approved for one of the memorials at the park, but there was still a dispute over the design.
There was also a dispute over whether it would be ap- propriate to call the memo- rial “The War Between The States,” or “The Civil War.”
Braun said some com- mittee members had raised concern over the accuracy of the history of the wars repre- sented by memorials at the park. There are a total of 21 memorials, and 14 of them have been made a part of their master plan.
Sub-Committee Chair- man, David McAllister, said identifying the casualties of each conflict was their pri- mary concern.
“I was particularly inter- ested in the Civil War, and we put together a committee consisting of a lot of histori- ans. We weren’t able to find Union casualties from Hills- borough County.
“We want to give recogni- tion to the casualties by cre- ating a huge headstone in their honor.”
McAllister said the main feature of the Civil War me- morial was a dome and a generic steamship of the era that reflected the Union blockade.
“It would have been a unique memorial, and we had an artist to draw up a concept that was approved by the
DAVE BRAUN
committee. We actually had a groundbreaking and were in the process of fundraising.”
Of particular interest to McAllister was his commit- tee’s approval of the memo- rial being known as “The War Between The States,” instead of “The Civil War Memorial.”
“Everyone thought it was more appropriate for the con- flict to be known as The War Between The States.
“A design concept was passed and it was reviewed in meetings by the public, and they thought it was great. I don’t understand why Braun said it was a failed de- sign.”
McAllister said he’s going to request the Board of County Commissioners look into this dispute and he’s op- timistic that a compromise can be reached.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-B