“The Grammy Award experience can definitely be a bit overwhelming. It’s a huge compliment to be there, but it’s a lot to take in at one time,” said Todd Dulaney, Major League Baseball player turned gospel sensation. From the New York Mets to the Grammy red carpet to Uganda, Africa, Dulaney is a testimony, personified.
Trading in his baseball bat for a microphone, Dulaney set off to make his mark in the kingdom, and the charts. Souled out. Inspiring. Temperature changing. When the right song is played and all is surrendered, the atmosphere can swiftly alter, ushering in a move of God. The proof? His sophomore album scoring at #1 Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums Chart.
From performances and appearances on BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel, TBN “Praise the Lord”, 15th Street Live, Atlanta Gospel Live, BBTV, TCT “I’m Just Sayin”, Dulaney’s anointing to minister through song is a gift that keeps on giving.
With multiple Billboard, Dove and Stellar nominations under his belt, the highly coveted Grammy Awards was a totally different beast for the Illinois native. Next to stiff competition, gospel mainstays Kirk Franklin and Shirley Caesar, Dulaney, who played five years of professional baseball, felt the pressure of such an enormous feat:
“There are so many high profile people there that it’s easy to be lost in the shuffle of everything. Being a Grammy Nominee kinda thrusts you into an ocean of talented people, which I actually embrace because it reminds me of my days of playing professional baseball where everyone that made it to that level belonged there, but being among the worlds best is a reality check in any field. Questions form in your head like, do I belong? Or Is my music strong enough to stand with the legends of today’s music world? So doubt tries to creep in.”
Being his own biggest cheerleader, the “Victory Belongs to Jesus” worshiper kept it moving, despite a Grammy loss for ‘Best Gospel Album.’ Dulaney, who shared the stage with other gospel superstars including Ernest Pugh, Donnie McClurkin and Fred Hammond, set sail to the Motherland, Uganda, Africa on a different mission.
“For me the Uganda trip came at the perfect time, cause I get off of the plane there with the number one song in the entire country. So for me it was like, every doubt that I had while standing among music’s giants was done away with when I stepped foot on the land in Uganda.
Two trips that produced two kinds of growth for me; one is being thick skinned enough to stand with the best in the world, and the second was the trip that confirmed that I belonged among the worlds best. I’m tremendously grateful for both experiences.”
One thing that Todd desires, is to keep the message of Christ on display more than the brand of the artist, the true fame that will never go out of style: “Without the Christ of the Gospel, we don’t have Gospel/Christian music.”
Keep up with Todd Dulaney on Twitter and Instagram.
