In less than a month we will be packed up and heading to Sturgis!!! We will be ministering/performing for six days and many of those days we will be doing three performances a day!
Words cannot describe how excited I am to be able to take the music and the message to the thousands of folks who will hear us, either at The Legendary Buffalo Chip or on Main Street. We are two thirds of the way to making our budget of $35,825.00 and by faith we believe for all to be meet. We have received gifts from some unexpected places and also some of the churches where I’ve ministered lately have given generously. We still need help to cover this our largest event in the history of our ministry.
If you would like to assist us click here to contribute or you can mail a check to,
Ransom Ministries, Inc.
PO Box 901495
Kansas City, MO 64190
We are also looking for an additional van to transport some of our crew. So if you have a road worthy van give me a call (816) 294-1113.
Peace & Blessings,
Jimmie
PS, here is a link to a video about the events click here….
Check this out The Rev on the bill with ZZ Top, Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Dave Mason & The Dobbie Brothers here is a link
Here is a tune for you, From the 2009 DVD Man! It’s Christmas LIVE & MORE The Rev & Band taking some time to jam on one of Jimmie most requested songs. With Lester Estelle on drums (Pillar), Tim Gonzalez on harmonica (Toby Keith, Ronnie Milsap), Craig Kew on bass (Proto Kaw), Daron Tappscott on fiddle (Joe Diffie) and The Rev on guitar.
Check it out…
That’s right NOW!!! I just signed the contract me and the band will be playing 5 days at the Legendary Buffalo Chip August 9-13, 2010 in Sturgis, SD for the 70th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally & Races. I was so excited we shot a video of me signing the contract check it out…..Jimmie
 The Rev. Jimmie BratcherThe Electric Rev (Ain’t Skeert Tunes) |
Style:A soulful hybrid of blues, funk and gospel
Top tracks: “Elijah’s Road,” “Pray for Me”
In a nutshell: With a voice like Lyle Lovett and the guitar chops of B.B. King, Reverend Jimmie Bratcher preaches an unusually funky gospel on his latest album. But it is one that no less moving and inspiring than the most well-worn worship song. Bratcher, a regular on TBN’s Love, Marriage and Stinking Thinking, tries his hand at everything from impassioned dobro breakdowns (”Elijah’s Road”), a New Orleans-style shuffle (”Green Bananas”) and sax-driven funk on this fun and surprisingly powerful disc.
June 8, 2009
UPDATE
I heard from Chaplin Herbie Harris some wonderful results of our recent event. Of the 819 residents at Ellsworth Correctional Center 811 attended our recent event!!! WOW!!! I have been doing prison ministry since the early ’80’s and this has to be the most remarkable event I have ever been part of really, really, really remarkable. So I just had to let you know. My story about the event is below…Jimmie
June 2, 2009
May 2009 Out of the Box Event - Ellsworth KS
Well it happened again!!! A choir of voices singing my songs back to me. The choir was made of 500+ inmates on the yard at The Ellsworth Correctional Center in Ellsworth, KS. I was so moved by the voices of the men singing back to me my words from their favorite songs of mine.
When we were there last Christmas they kept requesting songs of mine that I couldn’t remember the lyrics to, so I was determined not to let that happen again. While I was rehearsing it hit me just what these guys were singing. “Who I am is not at all, who I wanted to be come, where I am is not the place, I wanted to arrive, Change Me” the lyrics from “Change Me”. Do you thing they can relate or what?
I guess for me it was a wake up call to know just how effective one of my songs/sermons can be. It can get down inside a man’s heart and become the confession/prayer/mediation that gives him the desire to change, now that is powerful. I could go on with the stories of how many of these men are being touched by our message and music. Maybe sometime we can sit down and I’ll take a couple of hours to tell you story after story of the lives we see changed. It is so wonderful.
Peace,
Jimmie
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Gospel Music Week Notes
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
This is my first time to be at Gospel Music Week referred to as GMA here in Nashville. As you may know we have contract a public relations firm to assist us in getting our message out to the world. Here are some notes on what I have been doing.
Sunday evening, April 19 The McCain & CO 11th Guitar Pull
A guitar pull is a Nashville tradition which is basically singer songwriters sharing their songs. Nine artists including “The Rev.” played. The artist ranged from urban, to kids music, from John Schlitt former singer with Petra to Cowboy Dan who has a kids show on Daystar. Every one took a turn and they all loved “Green Bananas”.
Monday, April 20 Interviews,
This week is about art and press meeting together in the same place so that is why I am here. The interviews started this morning with One Mediator TV, a show from Ireland. Then WHIF 93.3 Radio from north Florida, then G Force Radio a show from London England, then a pre-interview with The 700 Club. A pre-interview is to determine if they want to do something with me on the show or not. Then with Fusemix.COM a popular on line web destination.
So that was about 5 hours of talking about myself??? Man it wiped me out. So now I am off to do it again today. Telling people about the Good News about why I am out telling it.
I’ll write more later….
Peace,
Jimmie
Here is a video, cover of a Dylan tune of The Rev and some fine players… Enjoy
The Rev, Paul Clark, Phil Keaggy, Eric Stark, Josh Meyers and Others
Check out this review from the February / March 2009 issue of Blues Revue Magazine
THE REV. JIMMIE BRATCHER
The Electric Rev.
Ain’t Skeert Tunes
The Rev. Jimmie Bratcher looks like someone you might find on an East Coast college campus an intellectual hipster who reads Kant while sipping white wine. It’s all the more startling, then, that “Call On Me,” the opening track of Bratcher’s fine new album, erupts with a blast of righteously down home funk. It’s as if Ray Charles has been reincarnated in the body of a character from a Woody Allen movie.
Bratcher is a study in contradictions. The Kansas City-based performer is an evangelical minister who splits his time between churches and bars. But listeners wary of folks who use religion as a political force can rest easy: Bratcher’s approach, at least on this outing, is universal enough to stand on its own in a multicultural world. This is due in large part to his strong sense of musicianship. Surrounding himself with a cadre of first-rate musicians, Bratcher builds each performance on intelligent and unexpected elements - the tuba, for instance, that rumbles beneath the opening track. Bratcher accompanies himself ably on guitar, and his voice is excellent: clear, soulful, and penetrating, with a built-in elasticity that lets him explore diverse musical forms without straining.
The Electric Rev Cover
“Green Bananas” is a fun New Orleans-styled shuffle, while “Pray for Me” captures the slow blues intensity of classic Percy Mayfield ballads. “One Rock” arrives with a spirited burst of pure gospel energy, balancing the darker mood of tracks such as “When the Blues Come.” Bratcher’s power diminishes when he embraces heavy rock balladry: The wry humor that makes much of the disc sparkle disappears on heavy-handed tracks such as “Cadillac” and “How Far Down.” This comes as a disappointing surprise, since Bratcher ventures into serious territory elsewhere without sounding leaden. Fortunately, spirits rise for the closing track, a funky cover of “Grits Ain’t Groceries.”
As Bratcher proves on The Electric Rev., blues and gospel aren’t merely acquaintances; they’re branches of the same family tree.
-David Freeland
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March 30, 2009
A few days after I believed on Jesus in December 1976 a guy who I had never really meet stopped by my house and dropped off a few records. I had never heard of the artists but they soon became my life line to another world, a better world for sure. Who were the artists? Paul Clark and Phil Keaggy.
Last week I was invited to jam with both Paul & Phil two of my all-time favorite musicians. I was blessed and stressed at the same time. Bless to be invited and stressed because Phil is in my opinion one of the greatest guitar player alive!!! WOW. But I found both these men to be great men of faith and honor. I had a blast.
During sound check Phil walks over and says “hey Jimmie, you ever do this”? He’s giving me a guitar lesson on the spot. Needless to say I came home and have been practicing that riff and you know it will show up someplace in my playing.
Paul is one of the best songwriters in not only Christian music but in my mind all of music. He for sure has spoken to my life.
One of the lessons I have learned from being around successful people is that almost all of them have this really outstanding attitude. They are kind, gracious, encouraging and willing to give. I think it is the coolest thing. Being around people like that makes me want to try harder and be better.
Anyway, I heard there was going to be some bootleg YouTube clips leaked out and when they do I will for sure let you know.
Peace,
Jimmie
PS, if you don’t know who Paul Clark & Phil Keaggy are here are their links.
