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I Am What I Am

Gloria Gaynor will tell you, “I have more than survived. I have thrived.” Indeed an optimistic message accentuates her new gospel album, Testimony, and it’s delivered with the exhilarating vocals that have become the legendary performer’s trademark.
 
For Testimony, Gaynor partnered with Grammy-winning producers Chris Stevens (TobyMac, Mandisa) and F. Reid Shippen (Jonny Lang, Robert Randolph) to create a roots gospel collection that relies on Gaynor’s own songwriting, a couple of hymns, and a stunning interpretation of Bob Dylan’s “Man of Peace.” Special guests include Yolanda Adams, Jason Crabb, Mike Farris, and MercyMe’s Bart Millard, as well as first-call studio musicians Daru Jones (drums), Drew Ramsey (guitar), Shannon Sanders (keyboards/B3), Jason Webb (piano/keyboards), and Willie Weeks (bass). Latrese Bush, Melinda Doolittle and Jason Eskridge provide dynamic background vocals.
 
As a songwriter, Gaynor considers herself primarily a lyricist and she embraced the collaborative process of setting her words to music. She also appreciated Stevens’ concept of roots gospel, noting, “That means to me that the roots of the music, and the lyrics, are based in what gospel used to be years ago. I think that the basic thing is that it’s more bluesy.” Yet she is quick to clarify that Testimony is not a sad album, observing, “There’s enough sadness in the world.”
 
For the first time in a career that stretches back to the 1970s, Gaynor recorded in Nashville. The sessions took place inside one of Music Row’s most historic buildings, the former RCA Studio
A. “The idea of having all the musicians in the room with me, recording some of these songs, was electrifying – so inspirational,” she says. “Whenever anybody asks me what I think is the main difference between music today and music back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I always say the spontaneous creativity that can only happen between live musicians working in the studio together, inspiring one another.”
 
Gaynor nearly lost everything after falling backwards over a stage monitor at the Beacon Theatre in 1978. Paralyzed from the waist down, she endured spinal surgery and a four-month hospital stay. Thus, it isn’t a coincidence that Testimony begins with these lyrics: “There was a time I was broken / I didn’t know which way to turn / I was paralyzed…” Gaynor remembers turning to God to fix the situation. "I left the hospital pretty certain that He would, not knowing how,” she says. “The record company had called and said, ‘It's over. We're not renewing your contract.’
But God had other plans and as we always say in Christianity, ‘But God.’”
 
The label acquired a new president who kept Gaynor on the roster; she cut “I Will Survive” while wearing a back brace. The song’s message of resilience and strength resonated across generations, serving as a cornerstone of the disco era. And because the universal appeal of “I Will Survive” transcends genres, it continues to be a mantra for multitudes of music fans.
 
Immersed in the temptations of fame and wealth, Gaynor recommitted herself to Christ in 1982 after a night of reckoning with drugs and alcohol. “I literally felt the Holy Spirit grab me by the collar, stand me on my feet, and say, ‘That’s enough.’ I was visibly shaken. That was a huge turning point for me. It feels like it happened yesterday. I'll never forget it, ever. When God puts his hands on you, you don't forget it,” she recalls.
 
“Now seems like the right time to release this album, only because God’s timing is perfect,” she adds. “You have to be persistent about being patient. When you’re doing what you love – what you’re created to do and fulfilling your purpose – patience comes easier because you’re having so much fun. All the other stuff is icing on the cake. I mean, we all love icing! But you need to have a little more patience. It’s easier to have patience, getting to that part, when the cake is good!”

I Am What I Am

Gloria Gaynor

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