HIGHLIGHTS OF A MUSICIAN
EDUCATOR AND
Delton Alford has been an influential Christian music leader for 50 years.
Delton Alford with the Lee Singers, whom he led from 1963 until 1978.
■ by WANDA GRIFFITH W
HEN TALENT and train- ing are honed into a great musical skill, the result is “Wow!” That is often the
expression you hear when Delton Alford directs a choir and orchestra.
Music is in Delton Alford’s DNA. Be- ginning with his first piano lesson in the first grade and the trumpet he ordered from the Sears and Roebuck catalog in the fourth grade, Delton taught himself to play so he could play in church and later in the school band. In church he sang in the choir as a soprano, then an alto, and finally moved to the tenor sec- tion. His creative talent eventually flour- ished into extraordinary artistry of direct- ing, arranging, and writing music.
24 EVANGEL • SEP 2010
Recently more than 150 members of the Lee Singers Alumni Choir stepped onto the risers in the Conn Center at Music Explosion 2010 to sing “Praise to the Lord”—the only choral setting every group of Lee Singers has sung since the choir was organized in 1962. The occa- sion celebrated the 25th anniversary of Music Explosion and 50 years of Delton Alford’s music ministry.
Delton and his sister, Tannis Alford Duncan, were reared in Church of God parsonages. He was saved at age 10; he became the church pianist while still in high school. “We had three piano play- ers who fought all the time,” Delton said. “My dad finally tired of their behavior and told me on a Wednesday that I was going to play for the service on Sunday. That started my career as church musi-
cian and has lasted until today.” At age 13, Delton attended a Florida State Summer Bible and Music Institute and met the renowned Otis McCoy— singer, writer, editor, and one of the teachers. “I was his accompanist, and he made a huge impact on me,” said Delton. “When I was 18 or 19, I had a similar experience when I met Vep Ellis, popular songwriter and gospel performer, and had the opportunity of arranging and producing music for him. Those experi- ences were important in shaping my atti- tude about church music.”
Educational Influences
In education, there was another whole set of influences. Dr. Ray H. Hughes, then president of Lee College, brought Delton to the faculty when he
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