Meet Kevin Darby | a christian mentor and music composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Darby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
I want to know that my struggles, my challenges, my failures, and the successes I have experienced in my life all contribute to my work of helping Christian believers who are “done” with church, but not “done” with God, to re-discover the “treasure” of a life with God. This treasure once held the ultimate importance in their life, but a myriad of issues in all kinds of churches have taken their minds off God and onto man and they no longer see the promise of that life of treasures.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have always put music in a high place of importance. Throughout my entire schooling, I was involved in the band, learning and playing French Horn. I also loved playing acoustic guitar, though mostly by myself, I eventually played in churches. I dabbled in songwriting but felt it was probably beyond my abilities.

I grew up in a church that only used acapella music, and I loved hearing and learning the beautiful harmonies that human voices could make. I graduated from LSU in Music Composition and then went into the full-time ministry. But after a couple of years, I realized that my gifts were in music and leading churches in worship. I worked full-time for three very large, metropolitan churches as the worship minister, as well as several churches where I volunteered to lead the worship. The family of churches I served in started using instruments as well as acapella singing, and they were all multi-racial church communities. Because of this, I learned many styles of music and expanded my abilities to produce church worship with the musical styles of the members of those churches.

Throughout my years leading in churches, I have been able to produce recordings of worship music from acapella to R&B, Gospel, contemporary Christian, and even bluegrass, rock, and orchestral. Early on, I was able to envision and produce a new church hymnal that had the ability to add new songs as they were written; and was sold to churches throughout the world.

My family and I have branched into new experiences over the last 4 years by worshipping in small, community-based house churches. It has been fascinating and transformative!

Now, I am working to create and soon will be offering a transformative online course called “Rediscovering the Treasure.” The goal is to help Christian believers who have been hurt by their involvement with controlling and destructive church practices so they can find again the amazing beauty of God’s family.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If we are talking about anywhere in the world, two places come to mind – South Louisiana and Tuscany, Italy.

I grew up in South Louisiana, where the food is real, authentic Cajun! We wouldn’t go to any big, expensive restaurants, I take them to the small “hole in the wall” places. We’d sample Gumbo, Jambalaya, Étouffée, Gulf Shrimp Boil, Fried Frog Legs, and in the Spring, Crawfish – fried, boiled, in every way possible!

If it was the right time of year, we’d go froggin’ or crawfishin’.

Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans, here we come!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had quite a few amazing people who have influenced me on my journey to 67 years old. Of course, both my parents, their character, and even their shortcomings, including my faith and love for singing. Then, my high school band director, Bill Raxsdale, inspired me usually by the insightful life lessons he would give just before the band would perform or compete. I wanted to become a great music educator because of him.

In college, where I became a Christian and decided to go into the full-time ministry, I was helped and influenced by several exceptional people, but Sam Laing, an Evangelist and Shepherd, was a great example of spiritual integrity and believed as I did, in the special importance of worship. It was during my time with Sam that I had the freedom and encouragement to explore deeper times of corporate church worship as well as individual times of worship and connection. In those days, I wrote many new music arrangements, and compositions, and produced music for a successful Christmas musical we performed over eight successful seasons.

Through some very personal challenges throughout my life, I was diagnosed with Depression and OCD. It was through these mental illnesses I discovered the work and books of Brené Brown. Her book, “The Gifts of Imperfection”, helped me make real progress in understanding the difference between guilt and shame. And in fact learning that our imperfections can be simply a springboard to great enlightenment.

Finally, every member in my immediate family has shaped me and supported me through everything, from my beautiful wife, Syntcha, my son and daughter, John and Kelly, and now my daughter-in-law, Jennipher, and both grandsons, Declan and Roman!

Website: https://www.kevindarbymusic.com/be-still-my-soul

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevindarby1957