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BLUES ARTIST GOT HIS START AT JSU Omar Cunningham, a former member of Jacksonville State University’s Gospel Choir, is a fast-rising blues singer who’s just released his first album, “Hell at the House,” which is listed at about number 80 by Billboard magazine. Billboard says Cunningham is the first black artist whose first blues CD has made its national chart. Billboard also listed Cunningham’s CD in its Top 20 Blues category. Cunningham’s first recording of the title song was made in a friend’s acoustic-friendly bathroom, and then it was burned to a compact disk and sent unsolicited to blues stations. It became an instant hit among listeners nationwide, and Cunningham soon found himself needing an agent and record producer. The song is about a man who’s fed up with all the hassle he’s catching from another woman. Cunningham writes his own lyrics, and quickly points out, “These songs are not about me – they are from stories I’ve heard or made up.” Other titles include “Paycheck to Paycheck,” “Older Love,” “Used and Abused” and “What Makes a Man.” “I’m working full time in law enforcement and also still going to JSU to finish my degree, so it’s not like my breaking into the entertainment world has to happen or anything, but if I make it as a singer, then that’s okay too,” he said. Cunningham, 33, a sergeant with the Ohatchee police force, recently pulled over a trucker from Mississippi who recognized him as a blues artist. “And I told him, ‘You’ve now got my autograph right there on your ticket.’” As if his recording success wasn’t enough, Cunningham has also become a successful author. He recently published a book, You Be the Judge (Trafford, 2002), about his experiences as a cop. Cunningham said he got his start singing in JSU’s Gospel Choir in 1989. He sang at a friend’s wedding and met someone who offered to record “Hell in the House.” “We put up towels and sheets in his bathroom, and the recording stuff was in the kitchen, and I sang the whole album in the bathroom at his house. Actually, part of it was in the bathroom, and part of it was in the closet. “A promoter came to a club where I used to work security, and I gave her a copy of the CD. The next day she called me back and said, “Hey, you’ve got something here.” Cunningham’s label is On Top Records. After four more courses, Cunningham will graduate from JSU and is planning on law school. His goal: entertainment law. Performing the Blues may seem ironic for a gospel singer, but Cunningham said the switch was a natural progression. “Everybody has, at one point in time, had the blues, so if you make it through the blues you’ve got to be thankful to God that He brought you from one point to another. So, I sing blues but I’ve got to say that my first love is gospel music and everything that I’m able to do comes from God. In my songs, I’m just telling some of the hardships that I’ve been through and some hardships that my friends have been through, and I’m thankful to God that I made it.” Cunningham says he writes his best songs by talking into a tape recorder while patrolling at night. “I have two tape recorders in the car, and I just pick one of them up and sing a melody. I sometimes end up with them on both machines, so I get off the tapes what I need and leave the other.” He says his inspiration “comes from living. “I’ve seen a lot of things, I’ve been through a lot of things -- this is really just a way for me to mend.” Cunningham’s CD (as well as bookings for performance appearances) is available by calling 205-444-1199. You can write to Cunningham at cunohm@aol.com. |
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