Andrew Culverwell

b. England. Andrew Culverwell is that rarity in gospel music - a British singer who has made inroads in the US market. He was working at a shoe factory when he experienced ‘enlightenment’. He recalls offering a prayer at this time: ‘Lord, I feel you have something special for me to do. If I’m to do it here in this factory, I’m willing to stay. But if it is to be somewhere else, then I know you will open the door, and I’m willing to go.’ This could have remained a bored ramble attributable to any number of factory workers, but soon after Culverwell found the courage to embark on a financially precarious career as a touring musician. By the age of 17 he had begun touring throughout England as part of the contemporary gospel group the Four Kingsmen. They worked together for four years on the British circuit, Culverwell using the experience to develop his singing voice and personal identity. As a consequence he was signed as a solo artist to Polydor Records in the early 70s. However, the secular album Where Is The Love? failed to make a commercial impact, and he did not record again until Andrae Crouch invited him to audition for Manna Records. Thereafter he relocated to the USA, recording three well-received albums for the label. Several of the songs, such as ‘Born Again’ and ‘Come On, Ring Those Bells’, were soon revisited by other gospel artists, including Evie Tornquist. For Take Another Look Culverwell moved to the World Inc. subsidiary Dayspring Records, by which time the expatriate singer had become a firm favourite on the US contemporary gospel scene. He is now settled in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and daughters.