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….
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
REV. JIMMIE BRATCHER IS DREAMING OF A BLUES CHRISTMAS
Gifted bluesman To Release Man! It’s Christmas on October 6, 2009
Nashville, TN – Gifted bluesman, The Rev. Jimmie Bratcher, is set to release his first Christmas project, Man! It’s Christmas, on October 6, 2009 on Ain’t Skeert Tunes.
Man Its Christmas
Produced by Rev. Jimmie Bratcher, Man! It’s Christmas, hits the ground running with a jubilant classic jazz rendition of the Bratcher-penned title track, which expresses the joy of the season while referencing just about every holiday symbol there is. A smokin’ jazz funk version of “What Child Is This” follows, leading into a down-home dobro-driven country blues arrangement of “Go Tell It On The Mountain.” Patriotic Christmas song “1941,” another original Bratcher tune, recalls the holiday just after the U.S. entered WWII, and expresses appreciation for those who have served our country and laid down their lives for our freedom. Backing Bratcher on the project are some world-class players, including Rick Yord (Suzy Bogguss, Lee Roy Parnell) on bass, Daron Tapscott (Joe Diffie) on fiddle and Kansas City’s Brandon Draper on drums & percussion. Bratcher is joined by Lester Estelle, Jr. (Pillar) on drums and Craig Kew (Proto-Kaw with Kerry Livgren) on bass on the live bonus DVD. Produced by Isaac Alongi (“Love, Marriage & Stinking Thinking”), the DVD gives the audience a front-row view of this lively holiday jam session.
Pastor, evangelist, author, singer, songwriter and guitarist, “The Rev” preaches in churches every Sunday, but on Saturday nights you’ll find him sharing his amazing testimony and blistering guitar licks onstage in blues clubs and at music festivals, prisons and even biker rallies.
Bratcher’s brand of the blues has been embraced by the Christian market and the mainstream blues industry alike, allowing him to perform at both Christian music festivals such as Creation East, Creation West Coast and Rock the Light, and at blues festivals such as Blues on the Hill, Simply the Blues Festival and Boxcar Full of Blues. He has appeared at venues along with Christian artists including Mercy Me, The Newsboys and Third Day, and with blues greats including Grammy winner and NARAS Lifetime Achievement Award winner David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Blues Music Award winners Zac Harmon and Otis Taylor, and Livin’ Blues Gold Award winner Hubert Sumlin, one of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
Bratcher, who serves as the bandleader and frequent commentator for the new Sky Angel/TBN TV show “Love, Marriage and Stinking Thinking,” is driven by the desire to point as many people as possible to the reality of the love that God has for them. “The blues is my most effective way to communicate,” says Bratcher.
Jimmie Bratcher’s Man! It’s Christmas will be available on Ain’t Skeert Tunes. For more information on Jimmie Bratcher, Man! It’s Christmas and his latest album, The Electric Rev, visit www.jimmiebratcher.com.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact:
McCain & Co. Public Relations
PH: 615- 262-1727
Email: mccainprnews@mccainpr.com
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“THE REV” TO HEADLINE AT BLUES ON THE HILL
The Rev. Jimmie Bratcher To Perform at Popular Texas Blues Concert Series on August 15
“I’ve been spinning the Rev. Jimmie Bratcher on the radio for about a year now…what hooked me was the stingin’ full-bodied guitar riffs, his very souful voice and the songwriting elements that give a positive message about life in general,” comments Chris Maley, Program Manager at KMBH Radio and Entertainment Coordinator of the Blues on the Hill concert series. Pastor, evangelist, author, singer, songwriter and guitarist, “The Rev” preaches in churches every Sunday, but on Saturday nights you’ll find him sharing his amazing testimony and blistering guitar licks onstage in blues clubs and at music festivals, prisons and even biker rallies. Bratcher’s brand of the blues has been embraced by the Christian market and the mainstream blues industry alike, allowing him to play at both Christian music festivals such as Creation East, Creation West Coast and Rock the Light, and at blues festivals such as Simply the Blues Festival and Boxcar Full of Blues. He has appeared at venues along with Christian artists including Mercy Me, Newsboys and Third Day, and with blues greats including Grammy winner and NARAS Lifetime Achievement Award winner David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Blues Music Award winners Zac Harmon and Otis Taylor, and Livin’ Blues Gold Award winner Hubert Sumlin, one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” According to Blues Revue Magazine, Bratcher’s upcoming release, The Electric Rev, “…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.” Produced by legendary Grammy Award-winning producer Jim Gaines (Carlos Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Journey) and Nashville’s Mike O’Neil, The Electric Rev showcases performances that are both intimate and raw. From the New Orleans street march of “Green Bananas” to the Sunday morning sound of “Pray for Me,” The Electric Rev speaks the language of the blues with a spirit that touches the heart and soul. The CD’s opening cut, “Call On Me,” urges those struggling in their lives and marriages to call on Jesus, letting them know that He is there with them through their darkest hour, all over a sweet gospel groove. “When the Blues Come” and “One Rock” express Bratcher’s love and respect for the blues, while the dobro-driven songs “Elijah’s Road” and “How Far Down” come straight from the soul of a man who knows just how far down the bottom is. Bratcher, who serves as the bandleader and frequent commentator for the new Sky Angel/TBN TV show “Love, Marriage and Stinking Thinking,” is driven by the desire to point as many people as possible to the reality of the love that God has for them. “The blues is my most effective way to communicate,” says Bratcher. Jimmie Bratcher’s The Electric Rev will be available on Ain’t Skeert Tunes on August 11, 2009. For more information on Jimmie Bratcher and his new album, The Electric Rev, visit www.jimmiebratcher.com. For more information, or to schedule an interview, contact:
High res DVD cover image and Word document available upon request. |
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 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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Blues Blast Magazine April 2009
The Reverend Jimmie Bratcher - The Electric Rev
Ain’t Skeert Tunes www.theelectricrev.com
The Rev. Jimmie Bratcher is an honest-to-gosh man of the cloth, along with being a pretty hot blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Based in Kansas City, MO, Bratcher brings, as one might expect, a strong gospel influence to his blues music and the songs contained on his latest CD release The Electric Rev., are entertaining and uplifting at the same time. Bratcher uses his music as part of his ministry to preach the word to both the churched and un-churched alike and takes his blues and his message everywhere and anywhere he is needed. He plays in venues ranging from blues clubs to churches to correctional institutions, bringing the Word with him. If his sermons are anything like his CD, Rev. Bratcher surely has a large and growing congregation, as he is one of the more unique and talented characters on the roots music scene today.
The Electric Rev Cover
When preaching time comes, Bratcher really turns it on, as evidenced on the CD’s opening cut “Call On Me”. The song calls those struggling in their lives and marriages to call on Jesus, letting them know that He is there with them through their darkest hour, all over a sweet gospel groove. Bratcher lays his soul bare on this and other cuts here and speaks directly to what is good in all of us, which is what makes his message understandable by all types of people, not just the already devout. Other highlights on the record include “Green Bananas”, “Pray For Me”, and “Cadillac”. Those looking for a different flavor in the music they love or for deeper lyrical content than the typical big-legged-woman-fuss-fight-boogie themes found in much of the blues may find what they seek as part of Bratcher’s flock.
Reviewer Mike O’Cull is a noted Chicago music writer and Blues Blast contributor. Visit his MySpace page at:
www.myspace.com/mikeocullmusic
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