Background
Jeff Majors,
Gospel Harpist
- Born in Washington, D.C., on or before 1960
Jeff Majors' Dream
- Studied harp with Alice Coltrane in the '70s.
- Began on the trumpet, but inspired to play the harp by a dream
...from an interview with Black Enterprise in 2001
"At the age of 15, the Lord laid me down in a dream. And in that dream I was playing this instrument, and I was surrounded by imps.The notations from this instrument turned into arrows, and they started warding off these imps"
Jeff Majors Performances
Psalm 23
Early Harp Career
Wade in the Water
- Began performing in D.C. Jazz bands in the '80s
- Moved towards gospel music as a way to really feature the harp
Majors ... from a 2001 press release for a benefit concert
"I want people to appreciate the harp--which has been taken out of the commercial market for so many years--as the true instrument of celebration that it is."
Glorious Lamps (African Praise)
Majors' Radio Career
- 1991: Became a weekend announcer for Radio One
- 1993: Assistant Director at WWIN-AM in Baltimore
- 1998: Vice President for nine gospel radio stations in Detroit, Washington, and Miami
Sacred Series
- Jeff Major's music was used in several 9/11 memorial events
From the Gospel City website...
- first album reached #32 on Billboard's Gospel Chart
“My purpose is to send some comfort and healing in people’s lives, because that’s what the modality of the instrument was created for. Every time we see a harp, it’s so closely associated with angelic forces. When you see a picture of a harp, you see an angel with it, or you see a cherub with it. And that is the motive and direction in which I always try to play the music."
Majors' Harp Philosophy
... from an interview with Metro Connections:
- "It is the mother of all string instruments coming out of Africa"
- followed by Sacred 2000 and Sacred 2001, and then Sacred 4 You in 2002
- Named his harp "Hanifa," after an African queen
- Sacred 4 You reached #67 on Billboard's R&B Chart