Today we’d like to introduce you to Dearick Milton
Hi Dearick, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in Canton, Ohio. The first of my mother’s five children and the product of a non-traditional household, I have very little recollection of the early years in Ohio. I was raised by my great-grandmother, and “the village” that raised all children during that era, in Columbus, Georgia.
It was in Columbus, Georgia where I matriculated through high school and earned my diploma from G. W. Carver High School, in 1982. Graduation was an incredible milestone for me. For many, it signifies accomplishment and the commencement of further educating through college. It marked the beginning of adulthood; trading in the learner’s permit for a valid driver’s license; and, for some, dating without restrictions, getting married, and having babies. I didn’t look forward to either of those things and neither did I celebrate the autonomy to be able to do so. Graduation was my ticket of escape from things of which many were none-the-wiser. On graduation day, I was celebrating survival.
Feeling pretty worthless and virtually unwelcome to any environment for the majority of my childhood, I needed someplace to channel my energy and creativity. I was often bored because I didn’t know what to do. Then, one day, my sister and cousin were playing around on my aunt’s piano one day and I was intrigued by what I was hearing and asked that they show me, but they refused. Once again rejected, this time, I felt as though I had a point to prove; so I committed everything I heard them play to memory.
The next morning would be a school day and I had no intentions of attending any of my 10th grade classes. I had a point to prove (out of spite) to my sister and cousin. When I arrived at school, I made a “b-line” downstairs to one of the soundproof piano rooms in the music building. There I stayed all day, skipping all classes, and only coming up for lunch. To date, I still don’t know how I graduated with good grades.
I would rarely go home afternoon school. Instead, I would go to our church, New Mount Zion Baptist Church, and I would practice all evening, until the church’s phone would ring. On the other end of the phone would be my great-grandmother, asking if I planned to come home before dark. I knew that was her way of telling me it was time to come home.
Fast-forward, learning to play the piano would become my life. Every waking and sleeping moment was consumed with memorizing chords and trying to convince my hands to not always move in the same direction. Within 6 months of having a seat at a piano for the first time, I landed a job at Greater Peace Baptist Church in Columbus. This is where music as a ministry began for me but it would not be the place where I would serve long. I became a musician in demand, and played for many choirs and groups across multiple metro cities. In my 10th grade year of high school, I was also offered the opportunity to host a local television show, named, “A Song in My Heart“, and was hosted by the late Evangelist Alma C. Williams.
Fast-forwarding further, to 1986, I wrote a song entitled, “Worthy“, that would open the doors to my formal introduction into the national Gospel music community. My experiences, still innocent, and my cerebral frontal lobe, not fully developed and without reasonability, my eyes were not ready for the things to which they would awaken. Consequently, I left the church, the community, and ministry, and did not touch the instrument I’d learned to love for a number of years.
Upon my return to music, however, it was shocking to discover that I had lost almost all the skills I’d worked so long and hard to develop. It was not easy to recover; it was not like relearning to ride a bike; nor was it as easy as recalling the lyrics to a hymn. It was like learning to walk all over again and never fully recovering. I never did; however, I was able to take that which I’d recovered and go on to write many more songs and work with many more choirs.
I left Columbus in 1988 with a wife (Sophia), a daughter (Linarra), and twins on-the-way, and moved to Macon, Georgia, after having received an offer from Pastor Emeritus, Eddie D. Smith, Sr. to work as one of the choir directors at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. Unfortunately, one of our twins passed away before term, but the other (my son, Dearick, Jr.) was born in 1989. The family and I left Macon and moved to Atlanta in 1993 to pursue another opportunity; however, we would not arrive in Atlanta with two kids, but three. We welcomed our youngest son (Donovan) to the family in 1992.
Atlanta has been good to me. Although it was our intention to temporarily reside here for no more than a year, we’re still here with adult children and five grandchildren. God has been good to us.
It was in Atlanta where I was introduced to Bethsaida Baptist Church (Stone Mountain, GA), where I served as Minister of Music for 18 years, and was licensed to ministry in 2010. Atlanta also the city that introduced me to my entry-level career in Telecommunications and Information Technology. Finally, it was also the placed where I was reintroduced to the Gospel Music industry.
Since 2003, I have been an active member of Gospel recording artists, Joseph Robinson and The Chosen Aggregation, having written and recorded a number of songs that God trusted me to pen. It was also through this relationship that I have had the pleasure being introduced to, and sharing venues and stages with many mainstream Gospel music artists.
I know I have given the readers more of a biopic than a short story and I apologize (laughing.) I’ve been out here a long time and there’s just so much to say to tie all the ends together. I promise, I’ll finish soon though.
At the request of my mother (Marian), I was encouraged to release my first single, “Get Away” in August 2020. It was not my best work, due to the pandemic, but I released what I had and it was well-received. That release, however, did not come before the very first Christmas song I wrote, “Christ Was Born (The Messiah)”, which was recorded by Joseph Robinson and The Chosen Aggregation, and has charted twice on the National Gospel Music Billboard since it’s release in 2019.
My newest single is entitled, “He’s That Kind of Love“, and speaks to the nuances of God, who He is, what He does, and what He enables us to do. The single was released on May 7, 2024, and the music video will premiere on August 13, 2024.
After I left Bethsaida Baptist Church in 2012, I made a few stops along the way before landing at LIFE Church of Atlanta. I have been a very proud LIFER (member) since 2018, and serve under the pastorate of Dr. Terence A. Merritt, M.D., in the Music and Arts Ministry, and the Ministerial Team.
For my birthday this year, I have asked my family to join me in recording one of my original songs, for which we will also premiere a video. I am super excited about this project. It is the first time we will have done a recording together and will definitely be the ultimate birthday present for me. That project, entitled, “Free to Worship“, will also be released this year.
Everything I have gone through and endured has brought me to where I am today. Although tumultuous, embarrassing, and sometime overwhelming, my experiences have all worked together to protect and preserve me for His glory.
OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS & RECOGNITIONS:
2018 – Graduated from the University of Phoenix with Associates of Arts in Information Technology with concentration in Information Assurance and Security (Cybersecurity)
– National Society of Collegiate Scholars, 2018
2019 – Nominated for an won the Gospel Choice Music Award for Contemporary Christian Song of the Year (Overcomers – Cowritten with Evangelists Darryl & P’Angela Jones), recorded by Joseph Robinson & The Chosen Aggregation, featuring Evangelist Darryl Jones.
2020 – Nominated and won the PrayzeFactor Award for Best Songwriter of the Year for “Christ Was Born (The Messiah)”, recorded by Joseph Robinson & The Chosen Aggregation.
2020 – Nominated for the Gospel Choice Music Award for Gospel/Religious Songwriter of the Year
2020 & 2023 – “Christ Was Born (The Messiah)” Charts on Billboard’s National Gospel Airplay Top 100
2020 – Nominated in two categories of the 23rd Annual Texas Gospel Music Excellence Awards (TGMEA): New Artist of the Year & Male Soloist of the Year.
2021 – Nominated in multiple categories for the 2021 Gospel Choice Music Awards, to include:
– Contemporary Christian Artist of the Year
– Gospel/Religious Producer of the Year
– Gospel/Religious Songwriter of the Year
– Male Artist/Vocalist of the Year
– Song of the Year
2023 – Graduated from the University of Phoenix, Cum Laude, with Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Technology with certification in Advanced Networking
– Order of the Sword & Shield Academic and Professional Honor Society, 2021
– Golden Key International Honor Society, 2023
2023 – Proclamation from the Honorable B. H. “Skip” Henderson, Mayor of the City of Columbus, Georgia, recognizing my many years of accomplishments and contributions, and proclaiming March 25, 2023 as Dearick Lynn Milton, Sr. Day
2023 – Recognized and inducted as a member of ForbesBLK
These are just some of them; however, to find out more, please feel free to visit the news section of my website, www.dearickmilton.com/news.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My road has not been smooth, by any stretch of the imagination; it was far from ideal. I realize I am not the only person who has suffered some horrendous moments during childhood. I would even venture to say that some may have suffered identical and worse situations and offenses.
Surviving molestation and other physical, psychological, and sexual abuses, from the age of 4; deemed a slow learner with a reading disability; dismissed as an outcast because of my quietness, shyness and mild manners; and even often being picked last by the team captain for any school sport event was my common day-to-day experience. I was “strange”, and I knew it. Consequently, I often recoiled into what is now call a textbook introvert. This story does not have a sad ending though; so don’t feel pity for me.
I often wondered why I never “fit in.” I tried everything but nothing worked. It wasn’t until I was of a mature age when The Lord finally answered my question. He said, “I wouldn’t let you fit because those with which you fit would have been unable to receive what I would later have you to take back to them.” From that point on, I was good with not fitting. It took a while for God to answer but the answer came when I needed it to.
I realize that for those of us who endured and are still standing today, we can attest that we are overcomers, and that, by the grace of God, we have conquered some things and are still conquering others. Whether conquered or conquering, all these things work together for good, so that we arrive to our many destinies understanding how each part played a part.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My professional career is as exciting, if not more exciting, than my music career. I work as a Senior Cybersecurity Project Manager for the leading cybersecurity company in the world.
In my career, I am known for being innovative, developing solutions and platforms that minimize levels of effort while simultaneously maximizing results.
I think what sets me apart from others is my ability to effectively communicate thoroughly, and with sincerity, clarity, empathy, and integrity. I think many of my characteristics in the marketplace are, in fact, transferrable skills from the many years I’ve served in ministry. I was born with a grateful heart and a heart that genuinely cares about people in general. When I work and interact with people, I often ask God, “How would Jesus handle this? How much grace would he extend? Will the people see You in me as I present and respond?”
I want people to see and experience God, even if I don’t mention His Name. I take that mindset with me everywhere I go; even to places God would rather I had not gone. I often hear, “You’re different.” I typically say, “Thank you”, but in my mind, my response is always, “I know. I’ve heard it all my life.”
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Second to God, my mother and father (Wilbur, Jr.) deserve the utmost credit; they brought me here, into the Earth, to fulfill purposes that only God knew of before I was formed. Although not really raised by either of them, I love them with so much love that I’m not sure my heart has room for more.
I have had many mentors, supporters, advocates, and cheerleaders along the way. The list is way too long to mention everybody, but I have to keep it abbreviated so it will all fit in the magazine (laughing.)
Ms. Willie Moore – Ms. Moore was my first cheerleader when I was learning how to play. She was one of the pianist at our church and would encourage me to know that I was doing well, even when I knew I sounded awful. She still cheers for me today.
The Late Revered Jesse Gary – Rev. Gary was the Pastor at New Mount Zion Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia, where I was reared. When I was first learning to play piano, many people were dismayed because I really didn’t know what I was doing and because I “banged” on the keys too hard. When the people would complain that I was going to tear up the piano, Pastor Gary would say, “Well, let him tear it up. We’ll just have to buy another one.” He supported me “out-of-the-gate” until the day he passed away. I am forever grateful that he did not concede to the demands of the naysayers.
The Late Evangelist Alma C. Williams granted me exposure to the tv-viewing audience as co-host for the weekly show, “Song In My Heart.” The show would air every Sunday morning at 8am, and many households would watch as they were preparing to leave for worship services. This exposure would serve to be the catalyst to my local celebrity, notoriety, and, many years later, a Proclamation from the City of Columbus, Georgia.
Mrs. Ann Dawkins – Mrs. Dawkins was the Minister of Music at Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church in Phenix City, Alabama, and hired me as the pianist. It was under her direction that I developed a deeper appreciation for hymns. When Anita Wilson released, “Jesus Will“, when few knew it was actually a hymn, I was very proud to say, “I know that hymn. I learned it back in the 1980s”, thanks to Mrs. Dawkins.
Joseph Robinson and The Chosen Aggregation have been EVERYTHING to me. Joseph was always embracing and happy to allow the choir to experiment and record some of the songs I’d written. These recordings make up the vast majority of my discography. Without Joseph and Aggregation, I am not sure my music would have ever been heard on the radio.
It was Richard Smallwood and Donald Lawrence who unselfishly opened other doors and rooms into which I would have otherwise not been invited. Donald, however, challenged me to trust that I was good enough and to record. I thought I could do it in a few months, but he told me to give it a minimum of five years. That conversation was in 2013 and although I had successfully recorded with Joseph Robinson and The Chosen Aggregation, I didn’t release a solo single until 2020, 7 years after I accepted the challenge Donald imposed on me.
Lastly, but definitely not least, my family has been an entire support system for me. Along with my mom, dad, and children, my siblings, Michael: Paula; Eddie; and Jay; and all my in-laws, have been rocks for me. I feel terrible not mentioning my whole family, because they; my childhood neighborhood families; friends; extended families; just everybody, have been rooting for and supporting me. I just want everyone who may read this to know that I thought about YOU too, and I thank you very much for your love and support.
Pricing:
- Ministry in Music Workshop (On-Site) – https://www.dearickmilton.com/book-online
- Ministry in Music Workshop (Virtual) – https://www.dearickmilton.com/book-online
- Wedding Officiant – https://www.dearickmilton.com/book-online
- Custom T-Shirts – https://www.dearickmilton.com/shop
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dearickmilton.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearickmiltonsr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dearick
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dearickmilton
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dearickmilton
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearickmiltonsr
Image Credits
Image Credits: Carl Cochrane (Mad Scientist); Dearick Milton, Sr.; Drew A. Giles; Epiphany Photography
