Victory in Jesus

Description

NOTE: This album is currently available as YouTube playlist only (see below).

Contemporary Christian music album by New Jerusalem, Lonnie Hull DuPont and Don Wharton. These SE Michigan-based artists regularly featured in area Youth for Christ rallies and sang at a great number of area churches, venues and events. This is the second of New Jerusalem’s two albums. New Jerusalem was comprised of different members through the years, and at the time of this recording, the group members were: John Boshoven, Thomas “Hoppy” Colvin, Tom and Louise Harkaway, Terri Shonk Maurer, Nicki Hans Cary, with J. Hunter Raiford and Kim Flanery on sound.

Credits

Produced by Doug Howell and Hoppy Colvin.
Acoustic guitar: Lonnie Hull DuPont, Dan Leonhardt, Don Wharton
Bass: Hoppy Colvin, Rob Martens
Piano: Doug Howell, Don Wharton
Flute, alto flute, recorder: Kathy Janka McClatchey Whiteman
All other keyboards and synthesizers: Doug Howell
Drums: Doug Howell, Ken Michalik
Percussion: Ken Michalik
Bassoon: Rita Reinhardt
“John Box”: Barb Young
Vocal arrangements: Doug Howell, Hoppy Colvin
Piano arrangements: Doug Howell, Hoppy Colvin, Don Wharton
Instrumental arrangements: Doug Howell

Engineers: Rob Martens, Will Spencer, Kim Flanery
Recorded at Solid Sound, Ann Arbor, MI
Label illustration: David Stouder
Photography: Mark Garski, Eugene Harkaway, Jim VanHeyningen
Album design: Jim VanHeyningen
Album mix: Kim Flanery, Hunter Raiford
Third Firkin Music Company • TF-333-1

1979 Notes

(From lyrics insert) February 13, 1978 we received news that several New Jerusalem members had been involved in a head-on collision over which they had no control. Those of us at home went to the hospital to pray and to offer comfort to our friends as we waited for news of the condition of those injured. The first few days seemed endless as we asked the Lord to show us His purpose.

After several months, we look back and offer praise to our Lord for His grace and compassion in restoring us again to health. Pain and suffering are a part of life; our Lord himself became a man to experience just the same. But we have seen the power of our great Master Physician in all His love to us as He has healed our broken bodies and given us a new song to sing.

February 1978 will remain in our minds as we remember just how great the Lord’s compassion and grace are toward us. It is to Him we dedicate Victory in Jesus, knowing that this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith (I John 5:4 NASB).

Doug’s Notes (2023)

After I left New Jerusalem to join Good News Circle, I was still in close contact with NJ and many friends in Ann Arbor. In 1979, when I had just recorded my Singer album, the current iteration of New Jerusalem (which had reformed itself a couple times over the years) asked me if I would help them create a new album. I ended up producing it with Thomas “Hoppy” Colvin, doing some arrangements for it and playing keyboards. I also contributed two songs.

As I’ve mentioned in my post on the first New Jerusalem album, NJ was sponsored by Youth for Christ. Other area artists also performed representing YFC from time to time, two of which were Lonnie Hull DuPont and Don Wharton. (I was also involved in other recordings featuring Lonnie and Don.) For the Victory album, named after a song of Lonnie’s, NJ, Lonnie and Don joined forces. They were all my friends, and some very dear, but it took a jolt from the Archivist, Ken Scott, to remind me of this album a couple years back. He reminded me I was listed as a producer, and it got me thinking. I went looking and found a couple of copies, and immediately added it to the list of projects I wanted to someday post online so others could hear them. That day has finally come!

Note: If anyone has a better digital version of the album (or access to the masters!), please let me know and we can replace this with an updated copy.

I’d like to dedicate this digitized version to my fellow producer and dear friend Hoppy, who left us for more heavenly climes a few years ago. He played bass for New Jerusalem, as well as being in other music groups, playing on several of my recordings, and donating some of his own songs to both NJ recordings and other projects. I have yet to encounter anyone who had such an innocent zeal for making music for the Lord.

I remember well how he, after my Bluer album was released (which he played on), insisted on taking me to meet Rob Martens (who played bass on Victory), who with Will Spencer ran a studio steeped in Ann Arbor music lore, Solid Sound. (Rob and Will regularly figured in my own musical resume ever since that day.) But that was just like Hoppy: excited for anything he could do to spread God’s love through music, encourage others and support their success, with never a thought for his own gain. We miss you, Hoppy.

Dearest Lord, rain down your gracious blessings on all these dear friends, their families and faithful supporters and listeners, and as we grow old and pass from earthly sight, may your love keep shining bright through these musical snapshots from long ago.