Steve Kercher Band Music

Steve Kercher is an award-nominated performing songwriter and recording artist. In 2010, his song, “The Friend of Africa”, was nominated for “Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year” in the first round of the GMA Dove Awards. ("The Friend of Africa opened my eyes and heart bigger for the world." - D Price, Billboard Magazine; “Amazing Song” - Jennifer Simpson, CBS Radio; "The most powerful song released in 2009." Rick Hendrix, FOX/American Idol).

During the summer of 2006, while Israeli forces

occupied Lebanon, the Steve Kercher Band, was on a concert tour in

Turkey with his four-member band. The tour brought

them to Antakya, just 20 miles north of the Syrian

border. “It was a tense time in that area.” Kercher

recalls. “The Turks were very sympathetic to the

people of Lebanon and very critical of Israel and

America.” But the band experienced a different

sentiment from their audiences. “They really embraced

us. I think the fact that we were musicians performing

concerts in their country softened their hearts toward

us.”

Since returning, he has referred to the tour as "The Peace and Hope Tour", as many of the songs

and anecdotes were about peace and reconciliation. One moment that stands out for Kercher is

when he introduced his song, Kill Them With Kindness, at a show in Selcuk, Turkey. “I told the

story behind the song of a time when I was bullied in high school. Instead of lashing out and

seeking revenge I gave the kid two boxes of M&Ms as a gift. He never bothered me again and

we were friends. After telling that story the audience erupted into cheers and applause and we

hadn’t even played a note of the song yet.”

Kercher stayed closer to home in 2007. But his summer wasn’t void of travel. The recording

artist began The Friend of Africa song project that has brought him to studios in the Boston area

as well as a studio in Los Angeles and

one as far away as Anchorage, Alaska,

of all places, to record vocal parts he

wrote for the African Children’s Choir.

The young choir, who recently

appeared on the season finale of

American Idol, was touring Alaska.

Kercher simply booked a studio in

Anchorage and arranged for the choir

to participate on the recording. “It was

a fast and furious trip.” Kercher says,

“But I captured what I needed. They

sound amazing.”

The Friend of Africa is a song Kercher co-wrote with Kevin Belmonte, the award-winning author

of Hero For Humanity, the Life of William Wilberforce. The song celebrates Wilberforce’s

victory over the slave trade in the U.K. that inspired the abolitionist movement in the U.S. in the

19th century. (The motion picture, Amazing Grace, starring Albert Finny, is also based on

Wilberforce’s life. Belmonte was the Historical Consultant to the producers). Belmonte is an old

buddy of Kercher’s from his days at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. Belmonte was

also Kercher’s Best Man at his wedding.

For the Los Angeles session of The Friend of Africa, Kercher brought together two studio

legends – bassist Abraham Laboriel and drummer John JR Robinson. The two musicians are

among the most recorded in history having worked with some of the greatest recording artists

including Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Steve Winwood, k.d. lang, and many

others. Also at the session was Kercher’s co-producer, Marty Walsh, who is a former Supertramp

guitarist that most recently recorded on hits for Leann Rimes including the platinum selling, I

Need You. “These guys were so fully engaged in the song while recording.” Kercher remembers

of the session. “They gave 110 percent.”

And if the summer couldn’t be more exciting and filled with activity, Kercher’s wife gave birth

to their fourth child – a daughter – Anna Magdalena, named after J.S. Bach’s wife. Kercher

refers to Bach as his musical father. “Since I began studying classical guitar six year ago,

particularly Bach lute suites, I have an affinity for his life and his music.” This is Kercher’s

second daughter. He also has two young sons.

But that’s not all. The songwriter received a call on his cell phone while in Alaska that his song,

The Love That Lasts Forever, was chosen as a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting

Competition.

Steve Kercher credits much of his musical success to his time at Berklee College of Music in

Boston where he studied voice performance, songwriting and music business. “My musical

passions thrived at Berklee,” Kercher recalls with fondness, “although it was a very difficult time

as well. I always tell prospecting students that it’s easy to get in to Berklee but it is very hard to

stay. You have to work hard and stay focused. It’s very demanding.”

The lessons of perseverance are just as important, it seems. Kercher looks to the future with

hope. “I intend to continue this musical journey wherever it takes me.” It is a journey that has

already taken him half way around the world.