The Journal: News of the Churches of God

Musical COG duo releases new disc

STREETSBORO, Ohio--Bob and Debbie Carothers, a husband-and-wife singing-and-songwriting duo and Church of God members, have just released a compact disc of music titled Glimpse of the Future.

Mr. and Mrs. Carothers composed and produced 13 songs for the CD they say express emotions and beliefs shared by many people with a Church of God background.

"In writing our music," said Mrs. Carothers, "we draw upon our understanding of the Scriptures as they relate to our life experiences."

For example, they wrote "Glimpse of the Future," the song with the same name as the CD, in response to the onset of doctrinal changes in the Worldwide Church of God in the 1990s.

They wrote "A Spirit That Comforts" after the death of Mrs. Carothers' cousin.

"In Your Loving Care" came after the illness and prayed-for healing of a friend.

Mr. Carothers plays most of the instruments on the recordings: electric, acoustic and bass guitar, piano, saxophone and flute.

Helping out is Bob's brother Chris on drums and friend Mark Huff on percussion. Chuck Wilkey and Greg Bovit are friends who helped behind the scenes.

Before their baptism and church attendance in the Cleveland area beginning in 1980 with the Worldwide Church of God, the Carotherses performed regularly with the Chris Michael Band and opened in concert for national recording acts.

After they began attending church and Friday-night gigs were no longer an option for them, Mr. Carothers went back to school to earn a bachelor's degree in music production and engineering from Berklee College of Music, Boston, Mass.

In 1989 Bob and Debbie started Harvesting Recording, a professional studio in northeastern Ohio they continue to operate.

Since last year Mr. Carothers is a voting member of the National Recording Academy, the group that hands out the Grammy awards.

Mrs. Carothers is an attorney with a law practice that offers legal counsel to music-industry professionals.

The Carotherses have performed special music for Sabbath and feast services many times, except during a 10-year ban from special music during their WCG days because someone, in Mr. Carothers' words, said their music "had too much rock influence."

But attitudes have changed, he said. "Some people in the church began to consider that maybe a little bit of that rock beat in the Carothers music wasn't so bad after all."

Nowadays Mr. and Mrs. Carothers meet on the Sabbath with friends and family in private residences. "We try to have a peaceful life," he said.

The Glimpse of the Future CD is available for $15 from P.O. Box 2161, Streetsboro, Ohio 44241, U.S.A., or