My husband is a true musical phenom. I've never seen or heard of anyone with the talent and gifts that he has, not just musically but in all things. Everything he sets out to achieve he does, except when his health interferes. The first time I had heard him play was one of our very first dates. I was skeptical because, being a musician myself, I knew of how many people would say they are musicians, and could only play two chords, but the moment he began playing I was stunned. Awestruck doesn't begin to describe the amazement I felt at his skill and talent. And he can play and sing anything. It doesn't matter what genre, what song, what artist, he can play and sing with it. He has the most amazing voice that I have ever encountered. It sends chills down your spine, and flutters your heart, and makes your soul sing. The rasp and the power that he has. From the moment that he picked up the guitar he spent hours a day.
Original band, these were two guys that had played with all the greats. They were studio players. They had decided to play again, found Joshua, and sought him out. They taught him and allowed him to become the kind of person that they showed him. They gave him a chance to grow, and to grow musically in a way that he may not have been able to on his own. They supported him and encouraged him. They inspired Joshua to become the type of man that they gave him the example to be. The chance that they gave him, he in turn felt to pass along to others. He would use his endorsements and connections to sponsor Battle of the Bands for kids. He would call up and get memorabilia, watches, books, strings, and guitars. GHS strings, one of Joshua's endorsers, who had supported and endorsed Joshua since he started playing at 21 years old. Fender had donated guitars and a bass and overnighted it to them. He had a passion for reaching out to kids, working with one band for 8-10 hours a day for two weeks helping them to prepare. To learn. To grow, just like he had been given the chance.
All of the "artists" that are out there today are, frankly, crap. No one has any soul anymore, it is all manufactured on a computer, there just isn't the passion for music that used to exist. Even Miley Cyrus said, in an interview on Conan O'Brien, that "there just will never be another Elvis Presley." But there is! He's right here, and because of his health problems and his sickness stripping away opportunities for him, he hasn't had a chance to shine!
Joshua spent three and a half years in bed sick and suffering. He wasn't able to play, he wasn't able to sing or write. He wasn't able to eat or drink, and was completely alone. He had God and he had his thoughts. During this time he thought and prayed. More time than anyone has ever spent in their life. 16 hours a day he would pray. Reflecting on his life, on the things he had seen, heard and done, and the people that he had known. He thought about his music. What he couldn't do, he thought. And what he couldn't learn through doing, he willed into being. He wasn't even aware of this until he went into remission, and finally decided to go out to karaoke (the bar where we would later meet) He wasn't sure he could sing at all anymore, but when he did, he sang the way he had imagined, and that is what came out. A whole new level. His songs from his demo are from before then. He never wanted them to be heard, but then knew that if he put them out there, and especially for a cause as great and needed as aid for the homeless, than people would see, when his debut album is finally released, that people grow and change, even the greats, and that hard work, perseverance and fight can achieve your goals and dreams.
Now once his album releases, I know everything will change. My Joshua's voice and guitar and his music as a whole will change the world, the way his purpose has laid out for it to. But it is so frustrating, not just to see him not celebrated and his talent not shared with the world, but with his worsening health problems, to see him struggle with his music and at times having not been able to play or sing at all. It hurts him very badly, and he can't sing with his power and intensity because it causes him so much pain and singing. It's angering to see him struggle and work so hard at simple tasks like setting up his guitar, when I would watch him for hours tinkering, when we first met, to get that perfect sound.
It was always one take. One take and if it wasn't quite right, come back the next day, listen to it, and correct it in one take. He never made mistakes. His playing, his singing, his writing, all flawless. Now when he plays he struggles. It makes it difficult for him because his back locks up, his arms and his hands cramp, and the pain and the sickness start to overwhelm him. He stops being able to feel his music and just let it flow, to having to think about what he is playing. It's part of what separates him from every other musician out there today. The passion. The soul behind his music and his sound. How the music just flows from his soul through his heart, down his arms and into his fingers. And when he doesn't have that, he's always disappointed, because while it is still better than anything else out there, it's not him. It's not Joshua. He would get so sick that he would throw up, but he would get done, put it behind him and keep working. That had happened for years, but he could go right back into.
For those who have had the blessing of hearing him play live, they would agree that no talent has ever existed like Joshua Jet Vaughan. No one has ever had the power or rasp he has in his voice and no one has ever heard before the intensity and soul in his guitar or the heart in his lyrics. Though there are many musicians in the past that possessed this, Joshua was born with it but has always had to struggle through extreme illness and adversity to develop it; with a passion for life itself. His platform and forum was and is music. Learning from the greats that do not exist today. There are very few recordings of him, though he has paid his dues, done the hard work and played the gigs, toured the country.
The videos on the playlist below, two were from a demo that was never supposed to be released. He was going through chemo , and was in final negotiations for a record contract, after having gone over 70+ offers including Universal, Atlantic, and many others that are well known, deciding to go with Sony/Epic Records. They had heard him play live, and one song had been all it took for them to make an offer. But they needed a demo for legal purposes. They had negotiated the signing bonus, how many albums would be involved, and Joshua insisted on owning his masters. The songs Red House and Come Together were from this roughly recorded demo. He had gone in and played all the instruments himself, and added vocals. He's always been disappointed in it, because he was so sick from the chemotherapy treatments that they do not do him, his skill, his talent, his guitar or his voice justice.
The SRV Fast/Slow Blues jam was recorded on my smartphone during a warm up/sound check during a recording session a few weeks ago. He was just fiddling around trying to get his sound down, and I secretly recorded him and posted it on Youtube because he is so great.
The Drivin South Cover of SRV is of a concert we did back when we first met in 2009 that a tech had recorded. We had just begun playing together, and Joshua had taught me the bass. It was about two months of teaching, a week of rehearsals, before we landed this gig. At the time Joshua was only about 35% better. Though the guitar was a little harder because of the intensity that he would play with, it would cause him to become ill, playing very large strings. Very thick and powerful sound. There still was an extreme struggle for Joshua because while the emotion and passion was flowing through his body, so was the pain and sickness. His mind still wasn't as sharp, and his fingers were not as articulate, so even though, still not being up to par, his sheer will and passion won out.We had no idea that this recording was even out there until Joshua's cousin/our drummer posted it on Youtube a few weeks ago.
I can not wait for my husband's album to come out. 90% of his upcoming debut album was recorded when he was in remission. The album will be a 2 disc cd, with songs from his upcoming movie about his life that has already been green lit. On one disc is the soundtrack and Joshua was to star in it before he got too sick again. The other disc are mostly originals and a few covers of his true passion the blues. For the world to see his talent, his skill, his passion, his soul, the intensity of his guitar, the power and rasp in his voice. Everything from his inflections that he uses, to the words that he writes, to the melodies he sings, to the phrasing, the legato, the scat talk, the ringing of his high notes, the rumbling of his low notes, the soaring of his guitar. Joshua believes that one great song can change the world, and I know when Joshua's album comes out, the world will never be the same. With the struggles and the fight that he's been through and is going through, when the day comes that he is healed by God's hand, I will rejoice, and the whole world will rejoice with me. My husband is too important and has too much to give, too much love to give for his life to have been in vain. My Joshua believes to live your life in love. Love is the way to righteousness and the right way to live. Music is just one of many ways to change the world. For Joshua it's his way and God's way.
On a side note: My husband has always said that your words and your actions are only as good as the heart behind them. We all have the ability to make this world a better place. We all have our gifts. In today's world, many people believe that they are not enough. We must take pride and have dignity in what we do. There are no little people. There are no celebrities, everyone's life deserves to be celebrated. Everyone has something to say. And everyone deserves to be heard. We must stand firmly on our platform and those who have a voice and a forum must help those who don't. Whether you work construction or in a factory, or you're an actor or a musician, the lives you touch matter. We're all just people. We don't live by title or fame or fortune, but we can use these gifts as a way to reach out. From a person who just gives you a nod and a smile, that brightens and lifts up your day. Joshua always says I am a fan of no man. I am not a respecter of man. To me it is their words that are followed by actions and it shows their heart. But we all live through the same spirit. Growing up in the world, in a family with fame and money, he had seen the destruction it can cause. Or the foundation that it can build. No matter who you are in this world, you don't get to where you are meant to be (where you want to be) by yourself. Pointing out to me and others many times, stories of individuals that have made this world a better place. Recently he had been speaking of Nelson Mandela. Or Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. Each of them had went through sufferings. Yet, without the people to support them, they never would have made it through. Just a handful of people. To where they had been inspired so much to continue fighting for their own lives that when they finally had justice; it inspired them to fight for other people's lives. Jesus is our greatest example of this. He had his twelve disciples. It is never just us. One person's love. One person's sacrifice can change the world for the better for 7 billion. All we need is grace and patience. We must not separate ourselves from each other. We must look at how we act. We must understand that we can destroy lives or better them. Sometimes just by one word. One look. One gesture. It is disconcerning to my husband as people live their life as right fighters, not righteous fighters. Wanting to tear down instead of build up. He has spent his life alone. Always believing in himself no matter what. And no matter how hard he worked, no matter how much talent he was given by God, just a handful of people have helped him to push forward. As my husband has recently become more ill, something I feel that I should relay for him. When speaking of his music that has just been posted, knowing that it is not a percent of what he is capable of. He bears no shame with what he was going through at the time, and what he is going through, he did his best. He does not subscribe to the word try. He just does. That's what we all must do. We will fail, but the more times we fail, the more chances we have to succeed. We must take that opportunity to learn and grow. We must hold on to each other and must take the time for each other. Encourage. The world has so much to offer us, but we have more to offer the world. We just must realize that we are not alone in it. We must know who we are in Christ. We must help others. And accept them. Allow them to grow at the rate that is meant for them. Do not look through rose colored glasses. Our strength and our grace is a gift, but we must work for it. Striving for conviction and righteousness, and as Joshua often says, as we already all know this, this is derived from truth, and love. Because there is no greater truth than love. Embrace your flaws. So that you can be great. But always remember that the person to the left and right of you, the person that's behind you or ahead of you are just as important. For the people to the right and left are walking along side of you. The person behind you is striving to find their way, as you are leading, the person in front of you, you are following because they have made their way. But it is never ending. Understanding that to lead you must follow and to follow you must lead. And I feel that it is necessary to put one of my husband's humorous rants. Always stating that social media is such an opportunity to share and care. Though he embraces the world of celebrity for the opportunity it provides, not just for himself but for others, oh the things that we could do. But often ranting about Twitter. Having millions of followers and never reaching out to one of them, saying do these people not understand that without these followers, their support system, not their fans, their friends, they wouldn't be in the place that they are in today. If they don't buy your albums or movie tickets, you have no career. When dealing with movies, there are so many people involved, but only a few get the credit. It is no different than the man who makes your car. That takes pride in his work, that works 18 hours a day to keep you safe. And without that man, you'd be walking everywhere. Joshua talks of music as an absolute, though many people have a part to play in it, you are your own writer, director, actor, manufacturer. It is a gift that suits my husband perfectly. Often ranting, and how I love his rants, about Youtube. Youtube is a wonderful forum. But it is lacking in platform. Joshua grew up in a world that you had to work hard, you had to pay your dues. You earned respect and you became accomplished by these means, but also by the relationships that you had built along the way. To use Youtube to share. An opportunity that many take for granted. Screaming out look at me! As he would often say about the musician who would play in his garage hoping that an A&R rep would drive by and offer a record deal. It's not the views that matter. If you have something to say, it's the people that you touch. But it is great in many other ways. It is a great form of entertainment. It can lift us up. Everybody wants to be a Rockstar. How about just wanting to be yourself and when you are true to yourself the truth shines through to others. Everybody wants their every word and thought to be heard. On Twitter. On Facebook. Being able to comment to each other, but it's always so full of hate. Never understanding the dislike button on Youtube. Hiding behind a thumbs down. Saying don't dislike it, just don't watch it, and keep it to yourself. A way of hiding behind yourself to hurt someone else. Of course, being a musician he is mainly talking about music, He loves so much that he doesn't understand arrogance. Watching one of his friends on a talk show who believes that he should be paid because without him face book would not be where it is today. Stating, no, without the 90+ million friends you have a face book, you would not be where you are today. But as always full of joy for the success that each person reaches. Knowing that their heart longs for the same things that every man, every woman and every living being longs for. To use these social media tools , not for greatness, but to do something great with them for others. To share and care. When I listen to my husband I understand his passion for music. A song, a note, that can strike up and bring attention to every emotion we feel. But hide them. Which has brought back my passion for it. As everyday he inspires me, as I am a classically trained pianist, always telling me I have the voice of an angel, saying it does not matter how good of a teacher I am, it's how good of a student you are. Capable of learning the bass and playing a very complex song and a multitude of songs in a two month period. The willingness to learn will give you the opportunity to teach. How he dreams of waiting for us to be healed as we have our band Joshua Jet Vaughan and the Voice of God, we have our duo Mr. and Mrs. Smith. we have our record company GTRecords, how we fight and pray for the day that he is healed. He has so many ideas and all he needs is his health to put them into action as he is always fully committed and convicted. This is God's plan. And when that day comes we will rejoice. As will the world. For on that day it will be changed for the better forever. Amen!
~Anna Bella Vaughan~
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