Hundreds of people are remembering Grammy-nominated gospel singer the Rev. Timothy Wright at the Brooklyn church where he was pastor.
Ben Vereen was among those who paid respects at a viewing Saturday at the Grace Tabernacle Christian Center Church of God in Christ. The actor and dancer had known Wright for years and tells Newsday "his spirit will always be with me.''
Remembrances are set to continue with a second viewing and a concert tribute Sunday. Wright's funeral is scheduled for Monday.
Wright died April 24. The 61-year-old "Godfather of Gospel'' had been paralyzed from the neck down and in poor health since a July 4 car crash that killed his wife and grandson.
Son David Wright says he feels joy at knowing his father is no longer suffering.
Wright released more than a dozen gospel recordings, writing many of the songs. His latest album, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," came out in 2007.
In 1994, his record "Come Thou Almighty King," with the New York Fellowship Mass Choir, made the Billboard Top 20 charts for gospel albums and was nominated for a Grammy for best traditional soul gospel album.
He got another nomination in that category in 1999 for "Been There Done That," recorded with the B/J Mass Choir and featuring Myrna Summers.
"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" features the New York Fellowship Mass Choir. The title track, written by Wright and his wife and recorded live at a Church of God in Christ convocation, expresses the plight of a woman displaced during Hurricane Katrina: She encourages herself and others by calling the name of Jesus. Among the other songs on the album was "You Must Come In At the Door."
According to the book "Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Encyclopedia," by Bil Carpenter, the Brooklyn-born Wright began playing piano for his local church at age 12 and also began composing at a young age.
By his early 20s, he was music director at Brooklyn's Washington Temple Church of God in Christ.
He began writing songs for such fellow musicians as Mattie Moss Clark and the Rev. Isaac Douglas, according to Carpenter's book, and in 1976 formed the Timothy Wright Concert Choir. Among the choir's albums were "Who's on the Lord's Side?" and "Do You Know the Light?"
