Welcome to "The Gabriel Band"!
Bringing the "Good News" through Song and Music.
Freddie was born April 12, 1949 in Calhoun, Georgia.
His music career began at age 13 when he learned to play guitar. By
age 15 he formed a band and was recording in
Atlanta
Georgia’s Sing
Recording Studio with Johnny Jay and the Shays. They opened for
Jerry Lee Lewis concerts and played local dances in the mid 1960’s.
Freddie gave his life to Christ at the age of 21 and answered the
call to preach shortly after. By the late 1970’s he was playing
saxophone and joined The Adairsville Brass, a local gospel group. In
1985 he was asked to join the Gospel Brass recording for Skylite
Records of Nashville, Tennessee. The Gospel Brass traveled from Florida to
Pennsylvania, and the east coast playing
concerts and recording TV shows for Skylite Records on the PTL
network. The Gospel Brass served as the house band for Southern
Gospel Music’s Gem Awards Banquet and served as the house band for
the National Quartet Convention’s Singing News awards in Nashville, Tennessee.
The group received multiple nominations for southern gospel music’s
band of the year award.
Chris Craig was born December 4, 1969 in Rome, Georgia.
His music career began at age 7 when he began learning to play the
clarinet. Shortly after he moved to the saxophone and then settled
on the trumpet at age 8. Chris played for the
Ashworth Middle School band from 1982 to 1984, the Calhoun High School band in 1984-1985, and the
Gordon Central concert band from 1985 to 1988. Chris is a dedicated
Christian and member of the
Bridgeport
First Baptist
Church. He answered the
call to preach in February of 2007 and began playing the trumpet
again in May of 2008. Chris served as a Sunday school teacher at Bridgeport First
Baptist
Church
from 2007 to 2008, teaches vacation bible school for the 3rd
and 4th grade, and currently serves as children’s
director for the church.
In 1990 Gabriel was formed and signed to a
recording contract with Skylite records. Two Albums were recorded
under the Skylite label, The Nashville Song Stylings of Gabriel and
an album recorded with the late James Blackwood, and titled James
Blackwood and Gabriel.
In the late 1990’s Gabriel changed from a brass
band to bluegrass and cowboy style gospel and recorded an additional
two albums.
In 2008 Freddie and his son, Chris, reorganized
the group using former musician friends as a studio rhythm section,
and with the aid of now popular multi-track recording was able to
record back up harmony which will enable us to perform with a big
sound on the road with out having to carry a full band.
Gabriel is all about the ministry of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and it comes through loud and clear with their music
and testimony.
