Welcome!

Welcome to Rickie Byars Beckwith.com!  

Rickie's Mini Blog  written June, 7, 2010 (I remember becoming aware that I can't blog and write a book at the same time) 

And so my blogging friends, God blesses each every one of you. I just can't blog anymore. But it was great to try to see if I could write everyday. I did pretty good until eye surgery which happened a little over a month ago. It has taken this long for my eyes to heal and I still have a little ways to go. It is really cool to "watch" my vision get better and better. A lot of people do just the opposite and their vision diminishes with every year. Right now, that is not my deal and I'm happy to be able to see the text before me. 

Like I said, I embarked upon a writing project (actually two) and my time is filled with trying to complete the works. In the meantime get ready to receive what for me is my favorite CD to date. It reflects a charm that one can only know on an Electric Wurlitzer piano. Encouraged Ricardo Rouse on guitars,  Georgia Anne Muldrow on background vocals and a crew of very fine musician masters i.e. James Gadson, Ndugu Chancler, Leon Mobley, Sekou Bunch, Diva Gray and any day now... John Barnes and Manose (chuckles). I took Michael's advice and did what I have been threatening to do for a long time and that is; to include a storybook of how the songs occurred. Often, at concerts or live appearances with Michael, I will tell the story of how a song was written. It really opens the mind of the listener when they are aware of the impetus or inspiration of a song. So that's what I'm doing and that is also why I might not be blogging as much( for those of you who care).

And I have grown a lot in the last month while my eyes improved. That oil spill crisis with the deaths it has caused and will cause to wild and domestically living things is the wake up call that won't let us go back to sleep. "Wake up and don't sleep!" is the constant mandate of my son-in-love, Dudley Perkins a.k.a. Declaime. Greasy and greedy for oil, humans have been taking the blood from the veins of the Earth and Earth just got tired of it. It's like she's saying, "HEAH! Can you handle this! Is this what cha' won't? Well here is some oil for your plastic bags, hard plastic cooking utensils, gas guzzling cars, and whatever else you think you need that drives you to drill for my blood, MY Salt, MY Iron and MY Coal and MY Diamonds! I am giving you something you can feel." Earth is brilliant, though. Without emotion, she will balance it all... WE may die in the process (yikes!), but that's the way it is sometimes. For today, let's do our best to bring our best, live as best we can and have fun doing what we came to do. Thanks for sharing your moments with me. 

Blessing You All Today with BB Love and Infinite Gratitude and...

Loving You for Real, 

Rickie BB 

End of Blog but... if you have time, read on...

I am constantly adding dates so feel free to check out my Calendar here. Don’t forget to help me plan my Summer Tour Schedule by clicking "Eventful" on the left and let me know what city you live in! My latest CD is NOW on sale here on my website.  Also, check out my current LIVE music video on the right and let me know what you think on Facebook and MySpace!

Thank you Jeff Kushner and Crew for the lovely Supreme Inspiration video. Your generosity is amazing. Cedi Raja Ali and Robert Cain, thank you for very sweet, Water in A Dry Land video. Mikki Willis continues to rock with the Alle-Alleluia video... (classic)! And final and continued Kudos to Peggy Callahan, and the Free the Slaves Foundation for the chance to travel to Nepal and shoot the powerful Grateful For the Day video while participating in the amazing service of the FTS Foundation.

INCREDIBLE NEWS!!! 

My husband, Michael Bernard Beckwith (woohoo!), myself, the Agape Choir, Niki Haris, Siedah Garrett, Will.I.AM, Ronnie Robinson and Tim McAfee-Lewis  continue to be featured in a dynamic PBS special, THE ANSWER IS YOU that is now airing all over the USA. CHECK IT OUT!!! It's really, really good. Agape Media Int'l did a fantastic job in producing the show. Please watch it and be inspired to order a CD or DVD from the program to support Public Broacdasting Stations.

Your support will also encourage local PBS stations to replay the special and the music and message of Agape will be heard all over America. To date, the PBS markets are BOOMING with interest and folks are LOVING the special. The music is wonderful and you will really enjoy it. So don't miss it. Go to www.agapelive.com for the programming schedule or just contact your local PBS. FIND IT!!!

OLDY BUT GOODY NEWS FLASH!

In response to the need for assistance due to the disastrous earthquake in Haiti, we put together a concert within three days that included The Agape International Choir, Agape Children's Choir, Niki Haris, Howard Hewitt, Chaka Khan, Tina Marie, Brenda Russell, MAMA Byars and me. (go to www.agapelive.com in the Live Stream section shows the whole thing). It was fantastic what we achieved together. We can do so much more and more often.

So what else is up! A great sky above and infinite chances to find a way to love.

Dream with me for a moment....... my turn:) I dreamt of starting a great school for children K-12 who would benefit from a creative approach to learning (and WE HAVE!!! It's called Kuumba in Motion ages 3 to 13 - a Saturday FUN place!). I dream of learning how to swim really well (yikes!) I dream of putting an end to slavery, any kind and anywhere, once and for all. I dream of building healing centers where people can really get healed, not just medicated. I dream of building an archive of the songs Michael and I have written for the last 21 Years (And we have begun this work!!!). I dream that the whole world will know what it feels like to live in health, wholeness and happiness. 

Let it be so that we each do our part to make the world a better place. We got a GOOD incarnation this time. Let's DO something with it! And I dream of singing to you real soon, and celebrating the beauty of what we can be when we express the wonder in our soul. 

Thanks for staying awake with me.  

Love and Light, 

Rickie BB