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Brian James Wallace -- Contents

* 1 Biography o 1.1 Early years o 1.2 Musical career o 1.3 Music Collections o 1.4 Personal life * 2 Musical influence * 3 External links -- 1. Biography

1.1 EARLY YEARS

Brian James Wallace was born on July 24, 1952 in Toronto, Ontario - His father was an official in Christ Church - Mimico (Anglican), where the family attended. In his early years, at visits to his grandmother's home - where there was an old upright piano - he would try to improvise songs he had heard at church and on the radio - following in both his father's and his grandfather's footsteps. His parents soon decided that he should take music lessons - studying with Toronto teacher Lawrence Goodwill for many years. He continued to be steeped in music in the family, as two or his uncles also played the piano and at the many family gatherings he began to absorb the techniques if improvisation. Later on, in his teens, he would often take on the role of supply organist at his home church when their regular organist was not there.

1.2 MUSICAL CAREER

His twenties saw him branch out to supply organist and musician's work at several Toronto churches of various denominations, where he learned different styles and approaches to gospel and choir music. Early appointments included work at: Presteign United Church, Mount Calvary Free Methodist Church, St. Margaret's Anglican Church and Dufferin Street Baptist Church.

During his university years and later twenties, he expanded his musical reach into playing for non-profit theatre groups SunShine Theatre (1977) and in the Etobicoke Jazz and Rock Group (1975-1978) as well as playing Bass Clarinet in the Scarborough Concert Band.

Through his twenties and thirties, he continued to receive training in classical composition and performance at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto - by such teachers as Samuel Dolin.

In 1979, he was invited to a part-time relief-organist job at St. Clair Church in Toronto. Eventually, he accepted that this was God's calling and the supply work eventually stretched into a full-time ministry. As of January, 2009, he remains the choirmaster and organist at that church.

From the early years at St. Clair, Wallace had composed songs, choruses and musical worship material. After accepting the appointment at St. Clair, he began to hone his skills by writing for his choir. Since 1979, he has written close to 400 songs, hymns and choruses and done many adaptations of existing works by other Christian composers.

A brief early foray into writing pop songs produced a small body of work, but he accepted that God's will for him was not in the secular music world and since the mid-eighties, he has concentrated solely on gospel and choir music - periodically collaborating with other gospel composers and artists.

In 1989, he formed QuayNote Choral Music to catalogue and promote his body of work - all of which has been self-published and made available for free non-commercial use. Felix Music, a later division (2008) of QuayNote Choral Music, has begun to concentrate on the web diffusion of his songs.

1.3 Collections


 * Praising Him (collection of gospel choruses and song - 1987)
 * The 1994 Chorus List (collection of choruses and hymns -1994)
 * More Praise To Him (hymns and choruses - 2003)
 * The Best Of Brian James Wallace (collected chorus and songs - 2007)

1.4 Personal Life

Along with his musical endeavors, Brian James Wallace is an automobile enthusiast and member of several car clubs including the Greater Toronto Fieros, Ontario Crossfire Group, Pennock's Fiero Forum and others. His passion for things mechanical has proved useful during his life, as maintaining, tuning and repairing musical instruments has been part of his day-to-day regimen.

2. MUSICAL INFLUENCES

Early influences include the Anglican body of worship music as found in the 1964 revision of the Anglican/Epicopal hymnal and the Presbyterian Hymnal. Later influences include the American gospel composers and artists Lenny Smith Sr., Ralph Merrifield, Michael Card, CeCe Winans, The Toronto Gospel Choir, the Jamaica Thrillers and Andraé Crouch.

3. EXTERNAL LINKS


 * 1. Brian James Wallace / 4Praise.org: http://4praise.com/new/artists/7739.htm
 * 2. choruses and hymns: - http://freepraiseandworship.org/cgi-bin/files/list/7739.html
 * 3. website: http://www.bjwallace.com
 * 4. Brian James Wallace / HigherPraise.org: http://www.higherpraise.com/lyrics/added/added0052.html
 * 5. Brian James Wallace / MP3 download: http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=2411153&song=MILK+AND+HONEY