Music has always been part of Steve Arrington's life. Born in 1956, to
Dan and Lillian Arrington, in Great Lakes, Illinois, the family soon
returned to their hometown of Dayton, Ohio; where Steve grew up
listening to the music his family played on the radio and record
player. (Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye were in heavy rotation back in
the day.) Before he could read, he could identify the requested record
by the colors on the label and operate the record player. By age, five
he was playing drums on pots and pans. When he was about seven years
old, his grandparents bought him his first drum set, a blue sparkle set
of Slingerlands.
By age, thirteen, Steve regularly played in the Dayton Battle of the
Bands and various talent shows, very serious business in Dayton at that
time. In addition, about this time, he began gigging regularly with
various bands in the Dayton area. One band, the Soul Illusions and
Eluders, opened for major acts such as, Spider Turner, The Five Stair
Steps, Irma Franklin, Rufus Thomas, and Jerry Butler, at the Lakeview
Palladium, once a great Dayton venue. By his senior year in high
school, he played with a band called the Young Mystics, of whom several
members became the original members of Slave.
In 1975, Steve and friend Victor Godsey, (later the keyboard player for
Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame), began touring the states with a lounge
band called The Murphy's. In 1977, Steve went to California studied
Latin percussion and drumming with Coke Escovedo and played drums with
Pete and Sheila Escovedo, (also known as Sheila E.) He did a tour
with the Salsa West Coast Latin All Stars, led by the Escovedos, featuring
Carlos Santana on guitar.
He returned to Dayton in 1978, to join the gold record winning funk
group Slave, as drummer and later as lead singer for five albums
(The Concept, and Just A Touch Of Love,
Stone Jam, and Showtime).
In 1982, he formed the innovative funk band, Steve Arrington's Hall of
Fame for two albums, Hall Of Fame I and Positive Power. Band members
included Charles (Cedell) Carter on saxes and keyboards, Arthur Rhaimes
on guitar, Roger Parker (Dodge) on drums, Sam Carter on keyboards,
Buddy
Hankerson on bass guitar, Gary Jackson on percussion, and Victor Bruce
Godsey on keyboards,
flute.
After his conversion to Christ, Steve did
three solo albums, Dancin In The Key Of Life, The Jammin National
Anthem and Jam Packed.
1984, was the turning point of Steve's life. While recording in New
York City, he took a break and went for a walk. Near Time Square, he
saw a man carrying and wearing signs that said, "Jesus is coming."
Then and there, Jesus became his Savior and Lord.
Steve appeared on Pat Boone's Gospel Gold show on TBN. He was nominated
for the 1986 NAACP Image Award for Male Artist of the Year. 1986, also
included the very successful "Dancin in the Key of Life," European
Tour. According to music editor, Scott Galloway, Steve's solo album,
"Dancin in the Key of Life", paved the road for groups such as Sounds
of Blackness and Be Be and Ce Ce Winans to walk the line between gospel
and secular soul.
Steve returned to the states with growing questions within himself. The
next few years those questions grew into a major struggle not just
within himself, but also with the record labels and the people around
him, including his family. Steve could no longer view contemporary
music as he had his whole life. He had gone from seeing himself as an
entertainer, to seeing himself as an entertainer who was a Christian,
to seeing himself as a music minister of the Gospel. By 1991, this
transition took Steve out of the recording industry altogether, to seek
God and truly find God's will for his life.
During this period of studying and seeking the things of God, the Lord
gave Steve revelation about the state of music and musicians in the
church and in the world. The Lord also used this time for Steve to face
and gain freedom from the damaging effects of his secular music career
(sex, drugs, and rock and roll). God's grace has brought Rev. Steve an
ongoing revelation and humble understanding, of the awesome power the
Arts are to have in the Church. With this, there is a call to address
the controversy that surrounds the arts and to shed light on the
deception that Satan brought to the Church, that stifles our artistic
creativity in this most profound area where the message of Christ can
come forth with power and might. The Devil is a liar and the truth is
not in him. Rev. Steve has enthusiastically served as an evangelist, a
pastor, a music minister, and worship leader, grateful to be used by
his wonderful Savior, wherever the Holy Spirit sends him. Rev. Ste ministered on the Joys of the Arts in the Church,
throughout the body of Christ, through teaching seminars, from the
pulpit, as well as, in music and song.
Rev. Steve was keynote speaker at the People of His Presence
International Praise and Worship Conference, with Rev. Derwin Ward,
Martha Munizzi and Vicki Yohe. He was keynote speaker and taught at
several Tri-State Praise and Worship Conferences in Cincinnati, Oh. He
also played drums on "Let's Have Church" and "I Give You Jesus", from
the Evangelist Network Video Series, with executive producer Don
Gessner. In December 2005, Steve played drums for the Hope For
The Nations Tour to Cardiff, Wales, London, England and Amsterdam,
Holland.
Now, with a fresh perspective and new direction that speaks
to the social climate of our time, Steve has re-emerged with exciting new music
to begin the next chapter of a wonderfully innovative career. In October of 2009, Steve released "Pure Thang", his first album in nearly twenty years. You hear the journey, the raw excitement of discovery of new ideas, the appreciation of his own musical history and the musical legacy of so many that came before him.
Steve is currently working on a new album on the Stones Throw Label to be released later in 2010.
