Posted 3:40 am Saturday, October 17, 2009
Greg Swint Band Playing Free Concert In Lindale
By PATRICK S. BUTLER
Religion Editor
When successful Nashville songwriter Greg Swint stood in a prison cell with a noose around his neck just a few years ago, he hadn't the faintest inkling he'd be soon be singing passionately about God's amazing grace.
Religion Editor
When successful Nashville songwriter Greg Swint stood in a prison cell with a noose around his neck just a few years ago, he hadn't the faintest inkling he'd be soon be singing passionately about God's amazing grace.
But Swint - who earned Nashville Double Platinum for his song, "Love A Little Stronger," sung by Diamond Rio in 1994 - will do that today. A free concert of 12 new songs of Swint's faith will be performed by his five-member band from 6-7:30 p.m. at Grace Community Church of Lindale, 15567 Woodsprings Road.
The concert is a fundraiser for Swint to return to Nashville and record the songs about God's mercy and grace to a man at the end of the trail.
As a successful songwriter in the rarified air of Nashville elite, Swint pumped out songs that earned Gold records for artists such as Neil McCoy, Diamond Rio and John Berry. But the night he received his Double Platinum award - at a glitzy ceremony for the most air-played country song of the year for "Stronger" - was one of the most depressing of his life, Swint said to the Tyler Morning Telegraph in June.
"I just knew I didn't belong in that tinsel world with these songwriting legends (Vince Gill, Shania Twain and Kris Kristofferson) around me," he said. "My songs went gold, but my heart was black. That night, I couldn't wait to get to the nearest bar and get drunk, and that's exactly what I did."
Encounters with drugs and alcohol crossed the line with the law and he ended up in jail. His suicide attempt was foiled by an alert guard who cut Swint down as he was turning blue. Swint met Christ a few weeks later.
Greg and Lisa Swint moved from his native town of Angleton in South Texas to Lindale in 2009.
He was a volunteer judge for the Tyler Morning Telegraph's Song of Faith contest in July and August and is planning a Texas Mercy Fest on January 30 to benefit the East Texas Rescue Mission. He and wife Lisa started Broken Shackles Ministry and Greg sings on the weekends after his day job.
"We have a passion for reaching out to those folks who are trapped in the shackles of addiction and destructive life-styles in the "free" world and to those who are incarcerated in prisons," his Web site reads.
Now, Swint wants to return to Nashville with his 12 new songs, but this time with an entirely different focus. And with a little help from his friends.
"I've wanted to do an album about the saving grace of Jesus Christ for quite awhile," he said on Thursday. "But this time I don't have the backing of a record company. I have to do it on my own. I've had to call a lot of people for help."
The new songs are Nashville quality, he believes.
"I feel really good about these songs," Swint said. "I think they reflect a lot of where we were, and where God has brought Lisa and me, and where he's leading us."
Calling in favors and drawing on years of know-how, Swint has set up a high-quality recording session complete with professional studio musicians, engineer, mixing, mastering and producer.
"We can do all this for about $11,000," Swint said. "Trust me, that's a savings without cutting quality."
Dave Demay of Song City Studios of Nashville will co-produce Swint's album.
The concert is free, but a love offering going toward the CD project will be taken.
