God has blessed The Zion Messengers beyond measure and He shows no sign of ceasing. Preparing to release their third album, the group has yielded to God’s direction and significantly benefitted from all He’s enabled them to do.
The L.A.-based quintet consists of Travion Howze, vocals; Anthony Gates, vocals; Chris McFrazier, keyboard and vocals; Jesse Robinson IV, bass guitar; Tarron Overshown, drums; and Charles “Uncle Chucc” Hamilton, lead guitar and vocals.
Unified in their focus, The Zion Messengers readily admit that their relationship with Christ combined with their desire to sing ignited their rise towards the top of a crowded gospel music field. And according to their manager, Dana Lin, that is the main influence that directs their career.
“Our love for Christ and passion for music, specifically gospel, are the key factors that inspired, and still does inspire, The Zion Messengers to press towards the mark,” insisted Lin, who goes by the moniker, Ms. D – the Snoop Dogg of Gospel, in a nod to her 30 years of experience in the field.
“The Bible declares in Matthew 5:16, ‘Let your light so shine before me, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven!’ We simply want our light for Christ to shine, on-and-off stage,” she said.
That mission has guided The Zion Messengers since their founding in 2012 by “Uncle Chucc” Hamilton, who acquired his nickname from the rap legend, Snopp Dogg. A child prodigy, Hamilton was playing the organ, guitar, bass and drums in his church by the age of five. Nine years later, he started singing with his family as part of The Zion Travelers.
After studying music at L.A. Southwest College, he became more involved in recording and production. His expertise led to international engagements with Professor Iris Stevenson-McCullough, the renowned director of the Crenshaw High School choir, as well as work with artists such as The Game, Lupe Fiasco, Faith Evans and Terrace Martin.
In addition, Hamilton has long collaborated with Snoop Dogg on both gospel and secular tracks.
The Zion Messengers sing “Going Home” on Snoop’s “Bible of Love” album and Snoop is executive producer of their new project with producer Brody Brown.
“God used a worldly rapper to expose us all over the world and thanks for Snoop’s platform, we were the first traditional gospel quintet to make history by performing live on ‘The Jimmy Kimmel Show’ in April 2018,” said Lin.
Keeping Christ at the head of their life is definitely paying off for The Zion Messengers and they recommend that both aspiring and seasoned artists incorporate that philosophy throughout their journey through life and their gospel music careers.
“As a group, we stand firm on the Word of God and believe in always keeping God first,” noted Lin. “One of our favorite scriptures is Ephesians 3:20 – ‘Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.’
“This verse reminds us how powerful our God is. All we have to do is think of a plan and He can execute and increase that very thought and amaze us with His goodness and favor!”
To contact or book The Zion Messengers, call Dana Lin, a.k.a. Ms. D, at (602) 341-4042.
