Born: June
4, 1962
Birthplace:
Durham, NC
Zodiac Sign:
Gemini
John Price Kee is an American gospel singer
and pastor.
Kee has been active for more than 20 years in
the music field. He is primarily known for mixing traditional gospel with the modern
contemporary gospel, and for having a soulful husky voice. Kee is also known as
"The Prince of Gospel Music".
At an early age, Kee began developing his
musical talent both instrumentally and vocally.
He attended the North Carolina School of the
Arts in Winston-Salem.
At age 14, he and his brothers, Wayne and Al,
moved to California. There he began attending the Yuba College Conservatory
School of Music in Marysville, California. During this time, he began playing
with various groups such as Cameo: Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds.
Due to having difficulty adjusting to
California, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina (only to find himself living
in a part of the city known for its violence and drug activities).
After watching one of his friends being
murdered in a drug deal gone bad, he rededicated his life back to God during a
visitation to a revival meeting.
In the mid-1980s, Kee formed a community choir
in Charlotte called the New Life Community Choir or "NLCC".
Over time, the choir grew in popularity and
has continued to travel throughout the area. The ensemble also included Kee's children.
In 1990, Kee founded the Victory in Praise
Music and Arts Seminar Mass Choir, or "V.I.P." to fellowship with
various ministries, songwriters, musicians, and choir directors nationwide.
In 2007, Kee was inducted into the Christian
Music Hall of Fame.
Kee said that during a trip to Michigan with
his choir, he received a calling from God to be a preacher. He was in his mid-twenties
when he became an ordained minister.
In 1995, while ministering in Ohio, Kee
received a prophetic vision. They went forward with building a Fellowship
Center in Charlotte, which could minister to the people in the community.
He officially founded the New Life Fellowship
Center, where he became and is still the senior pastor.
The church is in the same area where he had
once led a life of crime and drugs.