Thurl Bailey

Utah Jazz NBA center Thurl Bailey made his debut in the music arena on May 25, 1999 with his R&B release Faith in Your Heart. Though R&B in style, his lyrics are decidedly CCM. They touch on gospel topics, such as rescue from the wrong path, appreciation for his wife, the love of the Savior, and more. He collaborated with established LDS songwriters, including James Marsden and Sam Cardon, to create original songs for the album. He also covered one standard each from the R&B and contemporary hymn genres. Equipped with a wonderfully sonorous bass voice, Bailey's debut was an immediate success. Bailey is a Latter Day Saint, converting to the faith in 1996. He was baptized on New Year's Eve, 1996 at a chapel in Italy while he was playing in the Italian professional basketball league. An interesting note about his baptism was recorded in an article written by Dan Sorenson for HomeCourt magazine (May 1999). The Latter Day Saint baptism requires full immersion, so the Italians had a tough time locating a baptismal font large enough to completely immerse Bailey's 6'11" frame. Happily, one was found and the rest is spiritual history for Bailey. In his album notes, Bailey stated he had been interested in pursuing music since his youth. So for him, not only had he been able to achieve his dreams in basketball, with the album he achieved his dream of making music. To quote: "...So I feel truly blessed to be able to create this album. It's as though I have finally been able to make a long-awaited dream come true." He noted that his appreciation for the fact that he can express himself through music. Shortly after the debut album was released, Bailey made a successful comeback to the NBA, rejoining the Utah Jazz. Prior to his comeback, he had a three-year hiatus from the NBA, during which he played professional basketball in Europe. He is also a father with two children. Bailey's website is available at www.thurlbailey.com. ~ Dacia A. Blodgett-Williams