Dyersburg couple play vital role in ministry of rising gospel star

Philip and Tina Morris of Dyersburg recently attended the 2010 Grammy Awards and were then blessed to witness a dear friend and talented performer accept his first Grammy. The couple have been working behind the scenes on Jason Crabb's solo ministry for three years, with Philip taking the position of Crabb's full-time manager last July. No photos were allowed on the red carpet, so the couple snapped a picture in the limo. [Click to enlarge]

The past eight months have been a whirlwind for the Morrises, but their journey with Jason Crabb Ministries began when they walked into a West Tennessee church over a decade ago. They believe it was God's plan that prompted them to attend a Crabb Family concert in December 1999 and that His hand still guides them today as they settle into their unique places within Jason Crabb's solo ministry.

Fans of gospel music are no stranger to the Crabb Family and its rise from country church venues all the way to Carnegie Hall. The group won 11 Dove Awards and received multiple Grammy nominations in its decade of performing, "blurring the lines" between traditional Southern Gospel and Contemporary Christian music. The style must have worked. With Jason Crabb leading the family with his strong, soulful vocals, the group achieved 16 No. 1 songs, had affiliations with The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Dottie Rambo, Andrae Crouch and Bill Gaither, and had the honor of performing in one of the very last Billy Graham crusades.

After 10 years as the lead vocalist for the family group, Jason Crabb launched a successful solo career -- a new ministry that the Morrises donated their time to, although the two were very busy with their own careers at the time.

Eight months ago, after much prayer and consideration, Philip Morris left his job as vice president of Heckethorn Manufacturing in Dyersburg and began managing Crabb full time. Tina Morris continues to work on the financial side of the ministry in the little spare time she has from her job as vice president for Institutional Advancement at Dyersburg State Community College. Since that time, Crabb won his first Grammy and has been nominated for six 2010 Dove Awards.

But even with Crabb's recent successes, the Morrises most value the journey that led them to this place and the anticipation of what God has in store for Crabb's ministry in the future.

As Jason Crabb accepts a Grammy Award for Southern, Country or Bluegrass Album of the Year, Philip and Tina Morris are in the audience with their phones set to text friends and relatives the good news. 'We just claimed it,' said Tina. 'We had our phones set to text the minute they called his name.' [Click to enlarge]

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"This started a long time ago with one song," said Philip. "In December 1999, I heard the song, 'Please Forgive Me' on the radio and that the group was coming to Jackson, so we went to go see them. We really enjoyed their sound and their ministry."

When the Crabb family came to Dyersburg, Philip and Tina attended again. Philip learned that Jason enjoyed spending his off days in the deer stand and he chatted with the vocalist about their shared love of deer hunting.

"The group came back around six months later or so to Huntingdon, which was only about 10 minutes from our farm," remembered Philip. "He remembered talking to me in Dyersburg about hunting and I asked him where he went and he didn't have a place in Kentucky. I invited him to come up and hunt on our farm."

Crabb accepted. He and his wife, sister and brother-in-law packed up and joined Philip and Tina on their farm for a few days.

"From there, we kept in touch," said Philip. "We've been real close friends."

The friendship between the couple and the Crabb family blossomed and grew. The Morrises grew ever closer to the family who first inspired them with their music and then with their walk. The Morrises were invited to several of the group's Number One parties and even vacationed together at times.

After winning his Grammy, Jason Crabb and the Morrises attended a filming of 'The Price Is Right.' When a member of the audience informed host Drew Carey that he had a Grammy-award-winning vocalist in the house, he asked his production manager to find some of Crabb's music and played it for the audience during the break. Carey then recognized Crabb on the air and invited the group backstage after the show. The show will air on Friday, March 12. From left, Philip Morris, Tina Morris, Shellye Crabb, Jason Crabb, Drew Carey, George Addison and Kellye Addison. [Click to enlarge]

"Through the years, the Crabb family brought us so close into their family until we were the only outsiders (at those events)," said Tina.

"Then, about three years ago, the family felt themselves being pulled into separate ministries," said Philip. "So, Jason went out on his own to pursue a solo career. He asked - or we volunteered - to help get the business side of his ministry going."

At the time, both Philip and Tina had very demanding jobs.

Philip was vice president of Heckethorn Manufacturing. Tina was serving double duty at Dyersburg State Community College, filling the roles of both dean of business and dean of continuing education.

"So, our evenings became kind of the Jason Crabb business," said Philip. "We knew the cavalry was going to come around the corner and take this from us. But the longer we were in it, the deeper we got and no cavalry came."

In spite of the hectic pace, the Morrises enjoyed helping their friend with his calling.

"Jason started relying on us for just about everything when it came to the business and finances of the company," said Philip. "He was growing very fast."

Philip and Tina soon learned how to get a record made - how to select a record label, work the masters, buy a bus. ...

"A ministry is like any other business," said Philip. "Payroll had to be figured, bills had to be paid, personnel issues had to be tended to. It became our full-time, part-time ministry at that point."

"Its been a like a blur the last three years," said Tina. "It's been so crazy keeping up with that and keeping up with our jobs."

"Then, around July of last year, we realized that we needed more help or we were going to have to quit," said Philip. "It got to the point where we couldn't do what we were doing and do that at the same time. So, we prayed about it, all of us. And God just led us to the decision that I was going to leave Hecko and go into this full time."

Throughout their time working in the ministry, the Morrises have spent a lot of time in prayer. They were delighted to witness the movement of God's hand time and again as He directed the ministry into the path He had prepared for it. This era strengthened their own faith and gave them the ability to take the large step of leaving a secure job in a declining job market and venture into an area of business they hadn't planned to enter.

"I spent 38 years in manufacturing," said Philip. "And I loved what I did. I worked for some great companies - Dyersburg Fabrics for 15 years, Bekaert for 10 years, Hecko for 13 years. I think Dyer County's got great working ethics. So going from managing in the neighborhood of 400-500 people down to just a handful of band members and an office manager has been kind of difficult. But business is business and God prepared me all these years for this day. And Tina, too, with her financial background of 18 years at First Citizens and now her work in higher education."

"We knew how much work it was, because we were doing it," said Tina. "But Philip is really working 24/7 now. We wonder how we ever did it before. It's a change of lifestyle for us. He's literally always on call."

"God prepared us for this point," said Philip. "To be able to run Jason's business."

In the past eight months, the Morrises have held on as Crabb's solo career skyrocketed.

"Things have gone real well since then," said Philip. "Jason's first release, 'Walk on Water', went to number one. We released two new videos, 'The Best of the Crabb Family with Bill Gaither' and 'The Grand Finale.' We just finished a Christmas musical for this coming Christmas with Word Records. It will be released sometime in August for churches across the country. It's called 'The Star Still Shines.' And we are about three-fourths of the way done with a book about Jason's life called 'Through the Fire,'- that's his signature song."

Philip also spearheaded Crabb's latest promotional video, which quotes county music heavy-hitters like respected music critic Robert K. Oermann and Norro Wilson, who produced both Shania Twain and Kenny Chesney.

"If you have ever heard him sing, you have never forgotten the experience, because this man is one of the greatest male voices of his generation," Oermann is quoted in the promotion. "Searing, soulful and stunning, he can make the hairs on your arms tingle, raise goosebumps all over and compel you to turn it up to 10."

"I've lived my whole career wanting to hear great singers; and toward the end of my career, I've heard the best singer I've heard in 30 years," Wilson is quoted. "It was an absolute honor and privilege to work with Jason."

In addition to the promotional video, Philip had creative input into Crabb's latest music video for "Somebody Like Me," a stirring portrayal of what can happen when Christians are afraid to step out of their comfort zone and change a life. The video, filmed at Antioch Baptist Church at Three-Way in Medina, was produced by two-time Emmy Award-winning producer Stan Moore. The main character in the video was played by Alex Harvey, who composed "Delta Dawn" and "Rueben James."

"We had a Grammy Award-winning singer, an Emmy Award-winning producer and probably a Grammy-winning songwriter in our video," said Philip with a smile. "One of the neat parts of this job are the people I get to meet and work with."

Philip has met, worked with or negotiated with Bill Carter, who started Reba McEntire and Tanya Tucker, managed the Rolling Stones, and worked in the CIA; Bill Gaither; Daryl Worley; Vince Gill; Montgomery Gentry; Diamond Rio; Linda Davis; Third Day; and "All in the Family" creator Norman Lear.

"I'd say one of the very unique people I have talked to was Norman Lear," said Philip. "He created Archie Bunker. When he said my name, that was one of those 15 seconds of fame."

Another unique experience was stepping out on the red carpet and attending the 2010 Grammy Awards in California.

Crabb's first album was nominated and won a Grammy for Southern, Country or Bluegrass Album of the Year over fellow nominees Tracy Lawrence, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, Barry Scott and Second Wind, and Triumphant Quartet.

"We just claimed it," said Tina. "We had our phones set to text 'He won the Grammy!' so we could just push the button when they called his name. And they did!"

"The Grammies just topped it off," said Philip. "But we still think this is just the beginning."

"Jason is true," said Tina. "He's the real deal. He loves God. He really does, whether he's on stage or sitting there talking to you. He's real and that's why people love him."

In addition to his Grammy, Crabb has been nominated for six 2010 Dove Awards, including:

* Song of the Year for "Somebody Like Me"

* Male Vocalist of the Year

* Artist of the Year

* Country Recorded Song of the Year for "Somebody Like Me"

* Country Album of the Year for his self-titled album, Jason Crabb

* Special Event Album of The Year for Glory Revealed II, The Word of God In Worship, a project with several other artists including Amy Grant and Sara Evans.

The 40th annual Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards will be broadcast from the Grand Ole Opryhouse at 7 p.m. on April 23.

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"We believe, without a doubt, in 1999 when we walked into Englewood Baptist Church that God had a plan and we would end up here," said Tina. "When you know that, you don't walk away. You obey. We never had a second thought whether he could get paid or not. We knew we had to do it and we did. It's been an amazing journey."

"When you start doing business for God, I think the devil tries to find all kinds of ways to discourage you and derail you," said Philip.

"One of the greatest outcomes of doing this is how much it strengthens your faith," said Tina. "I mean, we were just ready to throw our hands up because it was a trial, dealing with issues that are out of your control and you'd have to stop and say, 'That's the devil.' We realized how much Jason depends on us and how important keeping the finances in really good shape were to the ministry. We just couldn't (walk away). We could do that because it was like God put us there and we were meant to do this and we would get a renewed energy.

"But we never struggled at the same time," continued Tina. "That was God's hand. It strengthens your walk. And then to see God's rewards in that. How He's blessed the ministry and how He's blessed us. There are stars out there who were worth millions that are bankrupt because they don't have someone who has their best interest at heart. We can account for every penny that goes in and out of that ministry. We've given so much and not taken a dime until Philip started working full time."

"This is really, really the beginning," said Philip. "And it's a fun journey."

To see Crabb's video "Somebody Like Me," visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC-MyglVb....

To visit Jason Crabb's official Web site, go to http://www.jasoncrabb.com.

To contact Morris concerning Crabb, e-mail philipmorris@jasoncrabb.com or call (731) 445-1805.