PowerSource (musical group)
Encyclopedia
PowerSource was an American
contemporary Christian music
al group from Bedford, Texas
. The group was associated with a music ministry known as Gospel Workshop for Children, and is best known for the song "Dear Mr. Jesus" (written by Richard Klender), which crossed over to pop
radio and reached the Billboard Hot 100
in December 1987.
The lyrics of "Dear Mr. Jesus" deal with child abuse
and are sung from the perspective of a girl writing a letter to Jesus
, expressing her concerns after seeing a news report about a "little girl beaten black and blue" by her parents. At the end of the song, the narrator concludes her letter saying, "Please don't tell my daddy, but my mommy hits me too."
Recorded in 1985, "Dear Mr. Jesus" featured group member Sharon Batts, then 6 years old, on lead vocals. The song appeared on PowerSource's 1986
album Shelter from the Storm, but did not break through to pop radio until 1987, when it was played on Tampa radio station WRBQ
. Other stations, including New York's WHTZ
, began to play the song as well, some reporting hundreds or thousands of requests per day for it. The song's popularity was timely, as it came shortly after the story of Elizabeth "Lisa" Steinberg, a 6-year-old New York girl beaten to death by her adoptive father Joel Steinberg
in November 1987, became national news.
"Dear Mr. Jesus" (credited to "Powersource (Solo...Sharon)") peaked at #61 on the Hot 100 in January 1988, spending seven weeks on the chart. The album Shelter from the Storm reached #10 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian Albums chart.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
al group from Bedford, Texas
Bedford, Texas
Bedford is a suburban city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, in the "Mid-Cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth. It is a suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 46,979 at the 2010 census...
. The group was associated with a music ministry known as Gospel Workshop for Children, and is best known for the song "Dear Mr. Jesus" (written by Richard Klender), which crossed over to pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
radio and reached the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in December 1987.
The lyrics of "Dear Mr. Jesus" deal with child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
and are sung from the perspective of a girl writing a letter to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, expressing her concerns after seeing a news report about a "little girl beaten black and blue" by her parents. At the end of the song, the narrator concludes her letter saying, "Please don't tell my daddy, but my mommy hits me too."
Recorded in 1985, "Dear Mr. Jesus" featured group member Sharon Batts, then 6 years old, on lead vocals. The song appeared on PowerSource's 1986
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
album Shelter from the Storm, but did not break through to pop radio until 1987, when it was played on Tampa radio station WRBQ
WRBQ
WRBQ-FM is a commercial classic hits music formatted radio station in Tampa, Florida.-History:Formerly WPKM and later WEZX, 104.7 switched to a rock ’n roll format as Q105 in December 1973, home to the Q-Morning Zoo, Cleveland Wheeler, Scott Shannon, Dave Saint, Jack Harris, Bill Garcia, Uncle...
. Other stations, including New York's WHTZ
WHTZ
WHTZ — branded Z100 — is a commercial pop/contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
, began to play the song as well, some reporting hundreds or thousands of requests per day for it. The song's popularity was timely, as it came shortly after the story of Elizabeth "Lisa" Steinberg, a 6-year-old New York girl beaten to death by her adoptive father Joel Steinberg
Joel Steinberg
Joel Steinberg , a former New York criminal defense attorney, attracted international media attention when he was accused of murder and convicted of manslaughter in the November 1, 1987, death of a six-year-old girl, Elizabeth , whom he and his live-in partner Hedda Nussbaum had illegally adopted...
in November 1987, became national news.
"Dear Mr. Jesus" (credited to "Powersource (Solo...Sharon)") peaked at #61 on the Hot 100 in January 1988, spending seven weeks on the chart. The album Shelter from the Storm reached #10 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian Albums chart.
External links
- "Dear Mr. Jesus", Time magazine, December 21, 1987