Chords for Chris Freeman on Gospel Music Today

We are very glad to have with us today in the Gospel Music Today studio, one of our favorite people in the world of Southern Gospel,
Chris Freeman.
Chris, welcome to Gospel Music Today.
Thank you so much.
It's a privilege to be here, for sure.
You have an exciting new project.
_ Tell us about it.
Yes.
Well, it's my first one I've ever done, after being out here on the road for 42 years.
It's my solo.
_ And what I've done is I went back and got a lot of the Henson songs that I sang on.
And then one of them I never sang on, but I know the people know what it would have sounded like if I did sing on it.
But and it's been a very emotional ride for me, to be honest.
Never dreamed that it would be that emotional until the very first time I walked into the studio and they started playing, recording the music tracks.
And I mean, I just squalled and squalled.
And it's been that way ever since.
But that makes it feel like it's new to me.
Yeah.
And _ it's like they almost mean more to me now than they did back when I was actually singing them night after night.
And let's let's step back a couple of years for people who may be new to the Southern gospel.
Yes.
We're talking about when you sang with the original Henson.
Yes.
And I, you know, I'm always quick to tell everyone that I actually made them famous.
And but I was just 17 when I went with them.
[B] A lot of people don't know that.
And but God had a plan because he knew one day that I would be on my own with my family.
And _ they were just kind of like a training ground for me.
And some of the best, some of the greatest singers, _ by far some of the greatest writers.
And I think a lot of I think back now when I listen to a lot of it, I'm thinking we were almost like before our time.
Yeah.
When it comes to the music, the production.
But then I think we were just all young kids and we wanted people to like what we did.
But if they didn't, then that's just the way it was.
We still going to say we weren't going to [Abm] change our sound and how we felt.
Yeah.
Because we _ got to please the Lord when he gives it, when he gives you the [D] ministry and the call.
That's the way I look at it.
And you're right.
We we hear those songs all the time, _ sometimes done well, sometimes not so well.
But they always sound fresh.
And some of those songs are 30.
Oh, probably 40 or more years old.
And it's songs that, like I said at the time, one of them for sure was that I could still go free.
We dreaded singing that song every night because it felt like it took half of the program to get that song finished.
_ And but now that I'm older and more mature [C] and I listen to the song and I started singing it, it's not that I didn't pay attention to the message back then.
But like anything, I think we took it for granted.
Yeah.
And but now that I sing the song and I listen to the message.
_ No wonder it was one of our most requested songs.
Yeah.
You know, because it's just such a blessing.
And I did How Wrong You Are, which was my very first song [Eb] that I recorded with the Henson's.
And I'll never forget the first time I went into the studio with him.
I was a nervous wreck. _
And I mean, I cried more than I sang.
Honestly, truly, I got real embarrassed because I just thought I said, I'm not any good, you know.
And but they were always there to say, hey, you can do it.
[Gb] You're here because [B] we know you can do it.
And but I've never liked to record.
I don't I think that's just not my cup of tea.
Now, my husband and the Kaylin, Missy, all of them love to record.
Not me.
I'd rather let me sing it on stage.
That's why, you know, I like to sing it.
But and I'm my worst critic.
You know, I don't want [D] to listen to myself.
I don't want to watch myself on TV because I'm thinking, you know, oh, that was stupid.
I shouldn't have done that or whatever.
And but then I realize I don't want to give the devil any ammunition,
because first thing he's going to do is when I [Bb] sing that song, I'm going to think about when you look so dumb when you was on TV with that or whatever.
_ _ But I am what I [E] am.
And I probably I don't know if I could sing or talk if they cut my hands off.
I don't know.
It'd be because I mean, I use I put everything in it.
But I but I love who I sing about.
And he's been real to me since way, way back, way, way back.
And we love to hear that.
And we love to see the hands flying around. _ _ _
It's part of what I that's me.
That's exactly right.
Exactly right.
You have a good producer on [B] this.
Oh, yes.
He's a little hard to work with sometimes.
I mean, he is.
But as long as I cook him breakfast, he loves breakfast.
And but no, Darryl.
In fact, this was all of Darryl's idea.
He is because I've always been really careful _ not to really ride off of the Henson's name because the fact I want people to know who we are.
_ And I mean, there's still times that people will come up to me and say, I've listened to you guys on radio for so many years.
And I never knew you were the girl that sang with the Henson's.
And to me, that's a good feeling for the fact that they liked my music before they knew what my past was. _
But [Bb] because it takes all of us working together, you know, and my husband works harder than anybody I know.
I mean, literally, he is drives the bus, sings, plays the bass, works in the studio, takes out the garbage.
[B] So, I mean, I've got it made.
What more can you ask for?
It's a good deal.
We will be looking forward to the new CD. _
[Ab] Of course, the Freemans are on Facebook.
Oh, yes.
And the Freemans website is?
The-Freemans.com.
OK, very good.