Singing strengthens family bonds
By Brian Buehler
Staff writer

EAST MOLINE -- A family that prays together stays together. Members of the Westbrook family have been singing together, too, for more than 20 years.
The 11 sons and daughters of the Rev. Charles and Barbara Westbrook began performing as a group in 1976. They started singing in the choir at their father's church, the Community Outreach Church of God in Christ in East Moline. The group has traveled extensively, performing contemporary gospel and spreading their ministry.
Although they no longer travel as far or perform as often as they once did, the Westbrook Singers are still together. The group still performs at their father's church every time there is a fifth Sunday in the month. They also have performed earlier this year at the Adler Theater and at The Mark of the Quad Cities.
Some family members have moved away, but brothers Larry and Gary a Westbrook and their sisters Brenda Lee, Delores Tingle and Cynthia Bryson have kept the group together.
A family tragedy led to forming the group in 1976, said Ms. Bryson, the youngest of the brothers and sisters, who all grew up in East Moline. In the years prior, the family had been drifting apart, she said.
``I'd like to think of it as my brainstorm,'' Larry joked of the group's formation.
``It wasn't Larry,'' responded his younger brother Gary.
The group formed after their brother Ken was shot and nearly killed in an altercation with a member of a band he was performing with in Minnesota, Gary said.
``They were good,'' Gary said of his brother's band. ``They had the choreography and everything.''
It's a miracle Ken was still alive -- the bullet missed his heart by about an inch, Gary said.
``The bullet is still in his body,'' added Larry.
After the incident, Ken returned to East Moline and the crisis helped reunite the family. Soon after Ken's return, the Westbrook Singers were formed.
When they started, the brothers and sisters not only performed the vocals but formed the backup band, including two guitar players, two percussionists, a keyboard and bass player and a part-time saxophonist.
None of them had a formal music education, Ms. Bryson said.``We all taught ourselves how to play.''
Today, family members only perform the vocals.
``We give all the credit to God first and our parents second,'' Ms. Lee said of their musical ability.
The group has two projects they are excited about. One is a performance at the upcoming Martin Luther King Millennium Birthday Celebration at 7 p.m. Jan. 15 at Augustana College's Centennial Hall.
``We want everyone in the Quad-Cities to be there,'' Larry said.
They are also planning their fourth recording, Gary said. The group hopes to record somewhere in the Quad-Cities and release a compact disc in the fall of 2000. They released their last recording in 1995. All the songs on that recording were written by member Darnell Williams.
Mr. Williams, Ms. Lee's son-in-law, considers himself an honorary member of the group. He came to the Quad-Cities from Indianapolis in 1995 and performs with a group of his own, the Quad City Metro Ensemble.
Moving to the Quad-Cities helped Mr. Williams realize his musical ambitions, he said. He had a vision of starting a group in Indianapolis, but it became a reality only after he moved.
``I love music, I love to create music,'' Mr. Williams said.
When watching them perform, it is obvious the family enjoys what they are doing. However, their mission is to do more than entertain.
``The bottom line is we have a mission,'' Ms. Bryson said. ``Jesus is alive, and we want people to know that he's real. He's the source of our talent. What we're doing is giving it back to him.''

WESTBROOK SINGERS
The Westbrooks live gospel to the fullest
The church has long been a strong foundation for the progression of black people. Throughout history, blacks have been religious and God-fearing.
Families are the support system within the church, so it's appropriate that this is the case with an East Moline based family: The Westbrooks. Their most active roles have been in the church and community while spreading the good news of Jesus Christ through gospel music and promoting family values and unity.
Rev. Charles B. and Barbara Westbrook migrated from the South to East Moline in 1940. They have 11 children who all finished high school in the East Moline school system. Rev. Westbrook began preaching the Gospel in 1951 when he founded his outreach ministry in Clinton, Iowa. Since 1961, he has been the pastor at Community Outreach Church of God in Christ in East Moline. In addition to his duties there, he later founded another outreach ministry in Des Moines in 1974.
His wife is also active in the church. She started the choir with her own children, who are self-taught musicians. For 22 years, she served as Sunday school superintendent. She is now active with the bus ministry and president of the women's department. Rev. and Mrs. Westbrook have been active in our community for years and have founded the Bi-State Southern Christian Leadership Conference SCLC.
Gospel is a musical style that Mahalia Jackson, Rev. James Cleveland and others have used as a way to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Charles Westbrook Jr. founded the famous Westbrook Singers in 1976. At one point, all of the Westbrook’s' 11 children were singing.
They have traveled around the country and performed with such famous artists as Bobby Jones and the Winans. My first experience of seeing the Westbrook Singers was the Martin Luther King Celebration at Augustana College in January. The singing was beautiful and harmonious. No doubt, all who heard them had to leave with a new appreciation of gospel music.
Unfortunately, gospel music isn't as popular as pop or hip-hop. All three of the Westbrook Singers adult children agreed that the media is needed to promote concerts and other community events. The Westbrook Singers believe they can meet the needs of all age groups through their music.
``There is nothing wrong with contemporary gospel music, however, if justification for the music is needed, it has gone too far,'' Cynthia said. ``The message is supposed to be in the song -- not before or after it,'' Gary added.
Rev. Westbrook doesn't have an opinion on contemporary gospel music and how it relates to classic gospel. He says, ``I just know real gospel music -- give me that old-time religion!''
Not only does the family sing and pray together, but they also worked together. At one point, 10 of the 11 adult c Westbrook children worked for John Deere -- as did Rev. Westbrook, who worked there for more than 30 years. In a loving family with a marriage that has lasted for 60 years, they are truly a close-knit family. And one of their main goals is to promote and perform their favorite music in the area. They want and need the area to embrace and endorse gospel music and would like to see a more diverse audience at their shows.
``We need more gospel music in the Quad-Cities area,'' said Larry Westbrook, who is local President of the SCLC. ``We need support from the community.''
``Once we get the support of the community, we can attract other gospel groups to the area,'' Cynthia added.
The Westbrook family has a strong presence in our community. By remaining faithful and loyal to the area, they have impacted many people and will leave a legacy. Their dedication to the community is overwhelming and what a blessing it is to have such Christian activists among us.
If you're interested in checking out one of the Westbrook Singers’ upcoming shows, you can see them at Gospelfest, May 11-12 at the Adler Theatre; on July 2 at the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest in LeClaire Park; and on fifth Sundays at Community Outreach Church of God in Christ.
Torria Norman is a correspondent for The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus.