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Calvin Hunt
“He will
never leave nor forsake you” -The Testimony of Calvin Hunt
Many music lovers have come to know Calvin Hunt as a featured
soloist with the Grammy and Dove Award-winning Brooklyn
Tabernacle Choir, but his personal and musical story
reaches far beyond the successful projects that catapulted
him to a public stage.
Calvin Hunt’s life has been filled with stunning highs and lows,
but his humble warmth and unwavering optimism persevere
because of his rock-bottom commitment to the truth that
Jesus Christ changes lives – and continues to restore his
own life.
One of eight children, Calvin knew the struggle of growing up as
the child of an alcoholic single mother. To ease financial
burdens at home, 12-year-old Calvin found work at an
Italian pizzeria in his hometown of Queens, New York, and
became a trusted employee for the next seven years. Two
significant events marked his 14th year of life: the young
guitarist and singer formed his own band, and he
personally experienced the joy of salvation while kneeling at an
altar. Always labeled the “strongest” child by his mother,
Calvin’s commitment was tested as he shared his new faith
at home and received only laughter in response.
After moving away from home at age 17, Calvin immersed himself
in his band, riding the ups and downs of that lifestyle,
and began to dabble in drug use. But after his band broke
up during a studio recording session, his life quickly
spiraled downhill. Calvin’s wife Miriam discovered that
the musician-turned-construction worker had become
addicted to crack cocaine. Over the next six years, Calvin would
often leave his wife and two young children, disappearing for
days and weeks on binges – even sleeping in doghouses –
because he was utterly unable to free himself from the
bondage of his drug use.
The woman Calvin married believed God was not yet finished with
him, and she prayed unceasingly for her husband. Miriam
began faithfully attending Christ Tabernacle, thankful for
the understanding and prayer support of this new church
family. And on one unforgettable night, after another
weeklong binge, Calvin felt compelled to show up at Christ
Tabernacle. As he entered the building, Calvin heard his
name being called out in countless fervent prayers that he would
come home to his family and be rescued from his addiction.
Calvin stumbled down the aisle of the church – seventeen
years after he first experienced the living God – and
reached the altar, falling into the arms of the loving
Savior who never gave up on him. Calvin soon completed a
drug treatment program at Teen Challenge, and his life was
never the same. Today, Calvin still works one-on-one with men
who need the same kind of deliverance, and he prays and
weeps with Miriam for the healing of these men and their
families. Calvin Hunt knows it made the difference for
him: “Somebody believed in Him enough to pray for me.”
During his time of restoration, Calvin began to play bass guitar
for the music ministry of Christ Tabernacle, but when his
pastor’s wife overheard him singing, she was convinced
that he needed to focus on serving as a soloist with the
choir. Later, during a visit to Christ Tabernacle, Jim
Cymbala (pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle) quickly came to
the same conclusion when he heard Calvin sing, and invited him
to join the Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers. That simple
invitation led to Calvin’s participation in the
award-winning projects recorded by Carol Cymbala and the
Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.
Over time, Calvin and Miriam became convinced that God was
leading them into full-time ministry, and with much
support from their church family, they stepped out in
faith. Calvin’s solo ministry has allowed him to travel
all over the country to sing and to share his story.
But Calvin Hunt’s story does not end with his deliverance from
crack cocaine addiction; he is the first to say that being
a Christian does not exempt anyone from hardships in life,
and loss has become a familiar challenge for Calvin and
his family. His mother passed away in 2004, his oldest
brother Dwight died in 2007, and two other siblings
preceded that brother in death. And in 2005, as initial
plans were being made to record Calvin’s latest solo project,
Bridges, Calvin and Miriam were interrupted by an event that any
parent would find unimaginable: Monique, their oldest daughter,
was murdered by her ex-boyfriend – in front of her three
young sons. Calvin and Miriam not only had to deal with
this heartbreaking loss, but also the knowledge that they
would become parents again. They prayed together as a
family, wondering if God would have a different
plan for Calvin’s music ministry, but Calvin said the answer
became clear: “The Lord revealed to me that they did worse
than that to His Son, and he never stopped loving.”
In spite of, and perhaps because of these new challenges, Calvin
and Miriam Hunt are even more convinced that God has
called Calvin to sing and preach the Gospel to reach
hearts in need of hope and encouragement. And Calvin is
finding that Bridges is an important tool for this latest
chapter in his ministry. He points to the high- energy joy of
the Take 6 hit, "Come On," the roof-raising testimony to
God's faithfulness in the Traditional Gospel song, "Never,
Never," and the tender classic, “What Sin,” as highlights
for him during live ministry. “This CD allows me to
encourage people to look at life and know that God is the
author of life.”
