About
Gary
Bio
Gary Spell is a native of Virginia Beach, VA. Following high school, Gary began working professionally in theater as a Musical Director and Director. After several years, Gary became the Producing Artistic Director of Dominion Theater, a professional stock theater, where he served for 9 years until the year 2000. Following 40+ productions at the theatre, Gary went into full-time ministry at Glad Tidings Church where he served a total of 12 years, eventually becoming Executive Pastor, and Worship Pastor at London Bridge Baptist Church for 6 years. Today he serves as the Senior Pastor for Tapestry Church, Founding Director of The Regent University Singers, and most recently the Founding Director for the Regent University Institute of Music and Worship. An accomplished playwright, composer, and arranger, Gary has multiple published musical works, many of which have been a part of the City of Virginia Beach’s entertainment productions for over 20 years under his company, GVI. Gary has 2 daughters, Grace and Judah, and a son, Josiah. He lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, Jennifer.
Other Material By Gary
What I Know
“What I Know” came out of a pretty dark season and became a kind of personal anthem for me. Here is a fresh recording with Nick Mitchell on bass and Andy Payne on drums.
The recording, mixing, and mastering are all done by Rob Ulsh at MasterSound and the lyric video is the genius work of Nick Mitchell.
Enjoy and – if you do – please like and share!
The First Man
Perfect for weddings or Father’s Day!
To all the dads and daughters out there! This was a song I wrote a while back for my little girl. Initially it was a Valentine’s Day gift.
Ella: The Life and Music of Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald was a humble and self-effacing vocalist who was fond of saying, “There’s nothing special about my voice.” The world disagreed. Having sold over 40 million albums and won 13 Grammy awards, Ella was dubbed “The First Lady of Song.” To this day Ella is considered by many to be the best vocalist of all time.
Ella: The Life and Music of Ella Fitzgerald chronicles the remarkable journey of a woman whose career was as unlikely as it was spectacular. From her childhood as an orphan and runaway on the streets of New York to her unexpected discovery at a talent show at the Apollo Theater, Ella was a woman whose life story was even more amazing than her incredible talent.
With fresh, new, big band orchestrations by Steve Haines, the score is on fire with songs like A Tisket A Tasket, Blue Skies, Caravan, The Man I Love, and many, many more. From homelessness to Hollywood, the story of Ella Fitzgerald is inspiring, optimistic, and infectious.
Listen on:
1619: When Destinies Collide
In the early dawn of August 20, 1619, a wounded ship limped through the mist into the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Its mission was dark and shrouded in political espionage. It was an English ship flying under a Dutch flag and carrying a letter of marque from the Protestant Dutch Prince Maurice – a license to legally pirate Spanish or Portuguese ships. The pirate was English Captain John Collin Jope, and the ship was The White Lion.
As The White Lion’s hull cut silently through the morning water, they passed, unceremoniously, by Cape Henry, the site where Christopher Newport had led his Virginia Company crew ashore for the “First Landing”. And now, just 12 years later, another “First Landing” was about to take place; one marked with pain and triumph. And one that would forever change the face of this still-infant nation.
1619 tells the compelling story of the first native Africans who set foot on American soil. It is a story of lives and cultures interrupted – and destinies grafted together. Told through riveting live performance with a powerful musical score, 1619 is a story that 400 years later must be told.
Listen on:
The Witch of Pungo
In 1706 the Commonwealth of Virginia convicted the first and only woman in its history of the crime of witchcraft. Now, 300 years later, the story is re-told in chilling fashion in The Witch of Pungo. In this half-hour mini-musical, the story of Grace Sherwood is resurrected with a haunting original score. You’ll discover the real story behind the witch hunt that mesmerized the early colonies in this remarkable tale, from the accusations to the dramatic conclusion – her trial by drowning! You’ll discover that what happened in colonial America centuries ago was far scarier than witchcraft. The Witch of Pungo is a story that, although ancient, is as contemporary as yesterday’s headlines.
Listen on:
Contraband: The Untold Story of Emancipation
On the evening of May 23, 1861, just a few hours after Virginia seceded from the Union, three runaway slaves rowed a boat across the Chesapeake Bay under cover of night and knocked on the massive gates at Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA seeking asylum. In violation of the Fugitive Slave Law, Fort Monroe Commander General Benjamin Butler let them in. When confronted with his war crime, General Butler, an attorney, proffered a legal argument that would change the course of history and the destiny of hundreds of thousands of lives: since Virginia had officially seceded from the Union, and since slaves were considered property, the slaves could be kept “as contraband of war”.
The stunning sequel of 1619: When Destinies Collide tells the continuation of the African-American story that took place on the very same plot of ground where the first Africans stepped ashore at modern-day Fort Monroe. Now, over two hundred years later, as word of General Butler’s decision began to spread, runaway slaves began to flock to what became known as “Freedom’s Fortress.” Before the end of the war, Fort Monroe would become a refuge for over 500,000 slaves.
Coming soon to your favorite services.
