Most of my music centers on Jesus Christ and God’s amazing grace. I primarily write in the Country Christian style, but every now and then I like to branch out when the mood strikes. You might hear touches of alternative Christian rock (I did grow up in the ’60s and ’70s), contemporary gospel, or even a hint of bluegrass gospel along the way. From time to time, I also step outside faith-based music into modern bluegrass or country.

One of my current projects is an album inspired by poems I wrote to my wife while she was deployed during Desert Storm in 1991. After all these years, I’m finally adapting them into songs — a project that’s been close to my heart for decades.

I was fortunate to play bass and sometimes piano in my late teens and early twenties for a country gospel group known as The Gospel Crusaders. We performed primarily at churches across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Then life happened, and I stepped away from performing for almost 50 years. During this time, I started focusing more on writing lyrics and music. In 2017, I picked up my mandolin and joined God’s Country in Largo, Florida. The group disbanded in 2023 when several members moved out of state, but we’re planning a reunion performance in 2026.

Even when I venture beyond my main focus of sharing the gospel through song, I strive to keep my lyrics honest, heartfelt, and sometimes just plain fun. Believe it or not, I’m not in this to make money — I write as an outlet to share the stories and experiences of life over the past 70 years. I write the lyrics for most of my songs, though I’ve been blessed to collaborate with a few talented friends along the way.

I use Studio One to produce my music and have built a large library of loops over the years. Some vocals are mine; others are performed by friends. And yes, I also use AI-generated voices or enhancements to vocals when needed.  I am in my 7th decade on earth and my voice doesn’t have the range it once had, plus I don’t have immediate access to female vocalists.  There’s a lot of debate about AI in music, but for me, the goal has never changed — to spread God’s love and joy. Technology is simply a tool, much like the studio innovations that have shaped music for the past fifty years.

In today’s music, many well-known and touring artists now use pre-recorded tracks and digital stems during live concerts to fill out harmonies, recreate orchestral parts, or trigger sound effects — it’s all part of modern performance. Whether it’s a backing track on stage or an AI vocal line in the studio, the heart behind the music still matters most.

I don’t believe AI will ever replace real musicians, but those who learn to embrace it and use it to enhance their craft will continue to flourish in the music industry.

I play bass, trumpet, guitar, piano, mandolin, and I’m currently working to get up to speed on the fiddle. You may not agree with my take on AI, and that’s okay. My purpose isn’t profit — it’s to share the message of God’s love through whatever tools I have, whether that’s a guitar, a loop, or an algorithm that helps me clean up a mix.

As W. Edwards Deming once said,
“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.”

Technology will keep evolving, and so will we. My greatest hope is that one of these songs touches someone’s heart or makes a difference in their life. If God can use even one of them to do that, then I’ve accomplished what I set out to do.

God bless you all.

Tom Holloway is following