Ivan Parker • Concert Artist PDF Print E-mail

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Ivan Parker
www.ivanparker.com

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 • 7:00 PM

Recordings and hit singles may come and go, but rarely does a recording artist come along who posesses a voice capable of delivering songs which will last a lifetime. Ivan Parker’s is one such remarkable voice.

The first time Ivan Parker stepped on stage to sing was in a Pentecostal church in Sanford, North Carolina. One Sunday night his father, the pastor, asked, "Does anyone have a song to sing?" Immediately, 2 -year-old Ivan jumped off his mom’s lap, ran to the microphone and started singing, "On the wings of a snow white dove, He sends His pure, sweet love."

That was my first solo, Ivan said.. ’I just kept singing until my dad finally said, OK, I think that’s enough." Today when Ivan steps to the microphone, whether it’s in a church or in an arena packed with thousands of admirers, he will never hear anyone say, "OK, Ivan, that’s enough."

With the same enthusiasm and passion that sprang forth from that 2-year-old’s heart, Ivan continues to sing gospel music. After recording a total of 30 projects and ten videos - 15 with the Gold City Quartet, three with The Trio and the remainder solo projects - the song goes on.

Ivan was saved at age 9 in his daddy’s church in Sanford, when an evangelist preached a fiery sermon on the rapture of the church and heaven. "I remember that night well," he said. "I was sitting on the back row with all my friends. When the invitation was given, I couldn’t get to the altar fast enough. My mom and dad had always told me that whenever it came to salvation, I couldn’t get to heaven on their experience - I had to have my own."

This decision that Ivan made at age 9 stayed in the forefront of his mind, even though he admits that he made a lot of mistakes along the way. "But I knew Jesus loved me and had His hand on me. I didn’t know what God had planned for my life; I just knew I wanted to sing."

In June 2003, "It’s True" - the title song on one of Ivan’s CD’s - climbed to number 2 on The Singing News top 10 list. This is one of Ivan’s favorite songs, because it talks about how loved ones (including his dad) made the crossing.    

As they are passing from here to there, they are saying, "It’s true...it’s true. All the things you’ve heard about heaven are true." With permission from the writer, Ivan rewrote parts of the song to make it express his sentiments.
 
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