Many people know Charlie Richardson best as the worship leader who wrote “There is a Peace,” sung by Rebecca Dennison on our Before the Throne CD.  But Charlie has written several of our favorite original songs at Sojourn, like “Thorns,” “Blessed are the Poor in this Life,” and “Where Your Praise Never Ends.”  One of our two upcoming CDs based on the hymns of Isaac Watts will have a Charlie Richardson song as well.

He also regularly leads worship at Sojourn, where he was a part of the original small group of young people who gathered in an apartment to talk about God — the nucleus of what would become Sojourn Community Church.  He and his wife Jill left for a few years to lead worship for a buddy in charge of an Indiana church’s college ministry, and eventually returned to Sojourn when that ministry was firmly established and serving around 150 students. 

Hear a Sojourn band, led by Brooks Ritter, perform Charlie’s “Where Your Praise Never Ends” live in a worship service

I talked with Charlie about his music recently.  He doesn’t particularly like to talk about himself because Charlie is as humble as they come.  But on the other hand, he’s warm and honest, and as his songs attest, eager to make known the things that God has done in his life.

Bobby: Were you always into music?

Charlie: We always had music in the house. Dad played and sang. I started playing pretty young and dropped off for awhile but I remember my first guitar: a Series 10, which was a knockoff Strat. I was probably nine or so. I loved that thing.

I grew up on James Taylor, Crosby Stills, and Nash, the Beatles, and my dad.  His music career goes way back. He was always involved with church music and he recorded in Nashville years ago.

Bobby: Did you have any formal training?

Charlie: I had guitar lessons for about a month and hated every second of it. That was about the time I got my Series 10 but I ended up just learning by ear. Dad always had a room set aside with guitars in it and I’d just go in there and look through books or try to learn what he was doing by ear. I had a neighbor that started guitar about the same time I did. We sat around and played all the time.

Bobby: Did you play or sing in church as a kid?

Charlie: Sure didn’t.  I’m an introvert.  The only way I’ll get up in front of people and sing or play anything is if I have my guitar with me.  It’s like a security blanket.  Nathan Quillo got me involved.  (editor’s note: Nathan is one of Sojourn’s founders.  He led youth worship for a southern Indiana church in years prior to Sojourn’s founding, and taught several kids who would grow up to be part of Sojourn, including Charlie as well as Nathan’s younger brother Jeremy Quillo, also a worship leader and songwriter here.  Nathan is still active at Sojourn, and owns Quills Coffee and Books with his brother Gabriel).

Nathan is the most influential person — whether he knows it or not — to help me understand why I was playing music. I’d watch Jeremy play every Wednesday night in “Quest” (the high school ministry).  Nathan was good at poking around and find your talents and what you had to offer. He knew I had some kind of guitar talent and one day he said “You’re gonna start doing this.” It would have taken someone telling me I had to do it, and that’s what he did. It’s exactly what I needed.

In less than a month he had me up there. Jeremy was like my worship leading mentor and was right beside me, but Nathan just really threw me in there.

Watch Charlie and a Sojourn band perform his song “Thorns” on Louisville’s Fox network TV affiliate, WDRB, on the morning news program “Fox in the Morning”.

Bobby: When did you start writing songs?

Charlie:  Everybody has their songs you have to write for your girlfriend, and songs you have to write when your girlfriend breaks up with you.  I did a lot of that. Worship songs didn’t come along till later. After my senior year of high school I went through a pretty bad break up and started writing some worship songs.

Then right when Encounter started up (the college ministry he became involved in after Sojourn’s founding) I dove into that ministry.  I started writing songs for the church because we were experimenting and understood that if we’d write new songs, the kids would sing them. During all of this, I got away from writing anything that’s not for the Lord. Next to that nothing else really seems important to me.

Bobby: Musical influences?

Charlie: James Taylor is influential because of that Travis picking style that I love to do. Tommy Manuel is big — he’s a phenomenal guitar player. My favorite would be Bruce Hornsby and my favorite CD of all time would probably be his Here Comes The Noisemaker. I’m all over the map, stylistically — Jeff Buckley was huge.

Bobby: What are some of your long range goals in music?

Charlie:  If God wants my music out there it’s gonna be out there. Obviously you have to put forth some effort. My effort is “Don’t say no if God gives you an opportunity.”

My dad always said, “When the door’s open walk through it. When it closes walk through another one.” That’s my philosophy with serving the Lord. He’s gonna lead where He wants you so just walk through the door and trust that if He closes one door he’ll open another.

Visit the Sojourn Music Facebook page and hear Charlie’s song “There is a Peace,” from Before the Throne, in the Facebook music player.

Bobby: Are there certain themes in your songs that crop up again and again?

Charlie: Yeah.  I’m always thinking about what’s after this life.  I’m looking forward to being with my God.  That’s what makes me excited.

I just can’t wait to be gone. I love this life, I love my family and everything God has given me.  But if you’re a Christian and you really know you’re saved, and you’ve got that desire in your heart to see your savior, you’re not gonna want to stay here.  I hope I accomplish everything He wants me to do but man, if he wants to take me right now I’m not complaining.

Bobby: What’s your songwriting process?

Charlie: There is a long period of time sometimes between when I start writing and when I finish a song.  It comes in spurts.  I feel like the songs are already out there; it’s just whoever grabs them first.  Sometimes I’m able to reach out and grab one and pull it down real fast.  Ideas can be out there one minute and gone the next so when I get one and can hold onto it and finish it I’m real excited.

• enclosure: http://www.drakeaudio.com/10-14-07%20Sojourn%20Worship/T7.mp3 9855585 audio/x-mpeg

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