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- Born: 1953, Los Angeles, CA
- Active: '90s
- Genres: Gospel
- Instrument: Producer
- Representative Albums: "Highly Recommended", "Love Brought Me Back", "Helen Baylor...Live
- Representative Songs: "Helen's Testimony", "The Sea of Forgetfulness", "Look a Little Closer
Biography
Gospel soul singer Helen Baylor travels throughout the country conveying the message of God's saving and healing power. She describes her concerts and performances as "a church service set to music." Her music ministry has taken her not only to performing concerts but also to performing in prisons, women's shelters and housing projects.Raised in Los Angeles, Helen Baylor began her music career as a child performing on the nightclub circuit. By her late teens she had been the opening act for such popular artists as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and B.B. King. She left Los Angeles at the age of 17 to travel with the musical Hair. For ten years she performed in musicals and was a guest vocalist for groups such as Captain & Tenille and Chaka Khan (occasionally appearing as Helen Lowe). Despite all her musical success, Helen Baylor turned to a life of substance abuse and broken relationships during the 80s. Slowly Helen Baylor's life was falling apart.
After much soul searching and a determination to remain clean and sober Helen Baylor joined the Crenshaw Christian Center. After extensive classes and sessions on the Bible, Helen Baylor decided once again to start her singing career. She began performing solo spreading the message of God. Her songs are written based on her personal experiences from her hardships to finding God. At the age of 35 she recorded her first gospel album, Highly Recommended on Word Records.
Helen Baylor's successful album, The Live Experience, is one that made her a favorite on the gospel music circuit. The album combines 11 of Helen Baylor's greatest hits. The album was recorded live at a Los Angeles concert with more than 6,500 people in attendance. "God Is Able" reminds people that God is with them through their trials. The song is a direct reflection of growing up in a church setting. "Look a Little Closer" is based on a personal experience when Helen Baylor convinced a friend to turn to God for help. Helen Baylor's songs relate to everyone which makes them so popular.
With a knack for bringing the message of God through contemporary music, Helen Baylor has touched the hearts of many. She combines the sounds of jazz and rock with gospel creating songs that people can listen to repeatedly. In her collection album The Live Experience she recreates the songs from her previous albums. She and her manager/husband James Baylor travel the country with a message of hope and goodwill. ~ Kim Summers, All Music Guide
