The group has gone through several changes, including starting with four members and ending with two, facing major health issues with lead singer Da'dra Crawford-Greathouse and finally possibly changing to a new record label. All of these events have made the brother and sister powerhouse of Anointed stronger and ready to face the world together.
I recently caught up with the two at a Gospel Music of America event in Tennessee and we talked about their past, their present and just what plans they had for the future.
Gospel at BellaOnline-
Let's talk about the beginning, you started out with four members and now it's just the two of you, how did that happen?
Da'dra-
Most people saw four, but that was not how it was in the beginning. That's how we were signed but my brother and I started out singing when we were oh say five or six years old. We were booked all year just as the Crawford Family Singers. It became four and this is a long story but I will try to keep it short, in a very easy manner. I was at a Winans concert saw NeCee got the vision and we talked and she said I'm on board. The next thing we knew Steve went to camp met Mary and said..."Hey maybe she can be the fourth member" so that's how we all came together. Then Mary left and then NeCee left. [laughs] So Steve and I are right back where we started but it's all good. We keep in touch and just recently Mary got married and we sung at the wedding.
Gospel at BellaOnline
Da'dra, I understand that when the CD "If We Pray" was made you were going through some medical issues?
Da'dra-
Well as we begin to record we had several songs that dealt with prayer not only did we have "If We Pray" but we also had "I'm Praying for You" and we noticed a theme to the CD. Now that I look back it makes sense during that season of transition. The whole situation with me and having a tumor really caught me off guard. Here I was crisscrossing the country and I had no pain. Many times we prayed with an intercessor and she said there is something wrong with your body and it will come out. In fact I was working out ya'll [laughs] loosing weight saying Ooh I'm gonna be cute! But then I noticed that my stomach wasn't going down. So I went to the doctor and sure enough I had a tumor. So I had surgery and my doctor told me that he had never seen this before but where my tumor was growing it had died. When he got in there all he had to do was remove the tissue.
Gospel at BellaOnline-
And now you have a son?
Da'dra-
I have a little boy and they thought I would not be able to have children but God is the master physician. He knows what's best!
Gospel at BellaOnline-
Steve what are your thoughts about the making of the CD?
Steve-
Prayer was probably the thing we did the most. The scripture that says "Pray Without Ceasing" that was the scripture. We prayed constantly because we really wanted to make sure that we stayed in God's perfect will. It was just right up our alley. Especially with September 11th happening it was phropetic for the entire nation.
Gospel at BellaOnline-
I understand that you are now studying to be ministers and taking your service to a new level?
Da'dra-
We don't have our license yet but we did complete the two year course to become ministers. The recording artist thing came really as a result of being called to the ministry. I was called when I was 16 but I didn't run out and start preaching...so all ya'll who think you got called today don't go runing out tomorrow to preach! [laughs] People would ask me to speak and I would turn them down but then my church starting asking me to preach and I was like, well I guess it's okay since they are asking. [laughs] So that's how things started for me.
Steve-
I never really wanted to do it[laughs] but when I was called, I will never forget it I was at a church and I was bored! [entire room laughs] So I was like God your word is so fresh and exciting and alive and this place is so dead. I was getting more out of it at home (watching the television ministers) than at this church and I prayed to God and I said "Come on God this is not representing you the way that it should. You've gotta raise some people!" and He said "Well if you are complaining then you do it" I was like, "No God maybe you can train some other people" and He was like "No you do it" [laughs] So I said okay Lord I will do it and here I am.
Gospel at BellaOnline-
Now let's talk about future plans, you've done some movies..Veggie Tales right?
Da'dra
That was really funny and strange. I was like "We're vegetables ya'll" [laughs] It was something that God told us a long time ago that we would be involved in and it came to pass. We are going to be in another movie soon and we will not be animated. [laughs] We are also in negotiations to sign with a new record label.
Gospel at BellaOnline
What label?
Da'dra
I'm not gonna say which one right now. Things are still up in the air but I will say it is a big deal for us and we are very excited.
Steve-
Yeah very excited! [laughs]
Da'dra-
The key is to be content where you are and just go ahead and enjoy where you are while you are on your way to where God is taking you. I think that's they key to having peace and knowing that God is ordering the footsteps of the righteous everyday. That's what he is doing for us.
