LEGENDARY Bromsgrove composer Roger Jones has appealed for help so he can continue to spread his divine music across the country.
Roger was working as Aston Manor School’s head of music in the early 1970s and, after realising the choir was running out of suitable material to perform at the school’s Easter concert, decided to write some of his own.
That decision led Roger on a path to writing his first musical, Jerusalem Joy, which gained national recognition and was performed on both radio and television and featured as a complete programme on BBC’s Songs of Praise.
By 1984 Roger was being asked to perform music all over the world but wasn’t able to do so while teaching at the same time, so he and his church group set up Christian Music Ministries (CMM), a charitable trust to support him financially.
But CMM has found money harder to come by in recent years as many of its regular donors are ageing, while the introduction of Spotify and other forms of streaming means fewer people are buying his recorded music as a CD.
“The trust has been marvellous and has never failed to give me and my wife a payment at the end of each month, although sometimes it’s touch and go.
“But streaming has been a major hit to the music industry, especially for someone like me who is writing Christian songs.”
Roger has written 25 musicals and performed them around the world with CMM.
Other achievements include leading music at Villa Park when led music when Desmond Tutu came to Birmingham, and in 2019 received the Thomas Cranmer Award for Worship from the Archbishop of Canterbury.
But he said he is still as keen as ever to continue to bring joy to people’s lives with many events planned throughout the country and a weekly show he hosts on Brumside Radio.
“It’s been an absolute joy, we have recently helped to set up the first-of-its-kind Appledore Christian Music Festival in North Devon so many joyous events are on the horizon.
“It’s been a miracle so many people have helped us.
“We know there is a cost-of-living crisis but we would be eternally grateful to anyone who will help us continue this journey.”
Visit //www.cmm.org.uk/index.php/support-us/ to support Roger and CMM.
