We had the good fortune of connecting with Douglas Baynes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Douglas, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am a native of Atlanta, the first born child of a teenage mother; and raised, as was common in that era, by my grandparents. I struggled in school due to a never diagnosed case of dyslexia. Our household economic status was on the poverty line, even though my grandparents owned their home.

Music was an integral part of our family dynamics; but, my love for it was born when I was placed in music around the age of ten (10), playing percussion instruments. In middle school, I played concert bass drum and realized that I truly related to this instrument. In high school, our band leader, after learning of my love for the drums, forced me to play drums set up for a right-handed drummer even though he knew that I was left-handed. I not only learned to play right-handedly, but, I also became a good drummer, playing in many bands (including at churches) over my lifetime.

Growing up poor, and labeled as un-teachable was difficult for me, until I was introduced to the world of electrical wiring in my tenth grade year. Through electrical training, my career path was set, and I worked as a Master Electrician until I was injured in the early 1990s.

My desire is to reach out to children that would like to learn how to read, play and write music; but perhaps do not have the means to join their school’s music program, and to teach them how to appreciate the beauty of this type of artistic expression. God’s Gospel Creation Ministries, will soon begin creating a program that will allow us to reach out to children in our community and make a difference through music. It is my prayer that their lives will take on greater meaning, and they will avoid some of the pitfalls that idleness has to offer our youth. GGC Ministries desires to make a difference.;

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
God’s Gospel Creation, the band, is a service driven entity; often volunteering our services to help other organizations raise funds to help a church or community project. We are proud to say that our music is a blend of genres, from country to contemporary, as we hope to inspire people from every culture and generation. No, it hasn’t been easy, but, God has made it doable.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely take them to any of Atlanta’s rich African American History locations, and to my favorite place of all, a hobby train shop.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a great shoutout to God for inspiring me to write, giving me a voice to sing, and gifting me to create music. To my mom, Marion Daniels, who bought me my first, and only set of drums, on her minimum wage salary. Then to my lovely wife, Debra, who helps me to remain consistent in keeping the songs authentic and God-focused. Lastly, I’d like to thank the band members of GGC, who volunteer from the goodness of their hearts and from their love of musical creativity.

Website: https://www.godsgospelcreation.com/

Facebook: God’s Gospel Creation @GGospelCreation

Other: dbaynes1961@gmail.com financialbreeze@gmail.com

Image Credits
n/a

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