Excerpted from Can I Get a Witness, Spiritual Gifts CD (Guyden 8055)

Spiritual Gifts grew out of John Ellison’s growing friendship with West Virginian Roy Elswick, a food executive and Sunday-choir singer. They had met over food, not music. John’s experience in Switzerland, where he has come to perform on New Year’s Eves and cook Southern fried chicken for the guests at the hotel where he performs, started him on a career in food that complements his music.  The recipe for his Southern fried chicken led to his making up batches of “Some Kind of Wonderful” spice, which proved popular enough for him to have it manufactured and distributed in eastern United States and Canada.  John promoted the spice in Wal-Marts by playing music in the aisles, cooking up batches of chicken and giving samples to Wal-Mart shoppers. One of the sales people for Roy, who manufactures and packages dry biscuit, gravy, pancake and other mixes, ran into John on a visit to Wal-Mart and suggested he call Roy. John did not make that call, but on a second encounter at a different Wal-Mart, John realized that the suggestion may be more than mere coincidence. 

When they met, Roy took John to his church, the First Baptist Church in Hurricane, West Virginia. Having sung together for fifteen years, the choir impressed John with the harmony they achieved. On the phone call, Roy said he would look for a band to play with the church’s singers. He found it nearby at the Gateway Church in St Albans, West Virginia, where the group had been working together for five years.

Ultimately, Roy’s expertise and facilities are being deployed for John’s spice, while John’s musical skills in writing, performing and producing music have expanded Roy’s musical horizons.