Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maurice Christian. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Maurice, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

It was during my sophomore year of high school; I was invited to join a dance group named “The Puppets” based in Chicago Illinois. They are one of the original “Soul Train” dancers who met and formed the group at the Board of Trade Building downtown Chicago where soul train first originated and broadcasted its dance programs. At the time I was living one house down from one of the members in which we met and became friends. We performed at local venues, park districts town halls, high school talent shows and even special guest at private events around the Chicago areas and gained notoriety over the first couple of years since forming the dance group.

After graduating from high school, I began attending “Devry Technical School” to become an electrician. I was three months into the program when our group “The Puppets” were discovered by the legendary California, west coast D.J, Wolfman Jack and was invited to go on tour with him and his “Shock ‘N’ Rock” review show. I enjoyed being in the dance group but was not prepared or expected an opportunity like this to come our way. Now I had a decision to make and turned to wise counsel: my mom.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up in a family of ten; six boys and four girls and I am the seventh member of the family. Music and dancing were part of our lives it was fun and also a release from everyday routines in life. With this in mind I became interested in playing the drums and did so at the age of fourteen before being invited to join a dance group. My mom helped me purchase a five-piece drum set in which I practiced almost every evening after school and Saturdays. I earned money over the summer months by drawing and painting picture posters for people: a skill I inherited from my mom. Now in my elementary years starting with the third grade, I was acting in school plays and later in that same year I was accidentally heard singing during a quiet time in class by my classroom teacher who called me out and took me to the principal’s office. I didn’t know it at the time, but it turned out to be a good thing. Later at recess that day I was asked to sing in front of all the third graders, then the fifth and sixth graders classes in which one of the classes my older brother was in. The good thing is… teachers pitched in to pay me and gave me ice cream for doing so. In my junior high years, I continued acting and singing in plays as well. Looking back, I can see now an unrealized skill set I had possessed but was totally unaware of it. It was after joining the “The Puppets” dance group and taken on tour with Wolfman Jack that entertainment was where I wanted to be. It was that moment I began to focus, develop, define and expand my gifts and talents. Being in a group helped me to be disciplined and develop work ethics to becoming a professional success with my crafts.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

There came a time in my journey when the group disbanded, and everyone went their separate ways. It was a very heartbreaking moment for me as my best friend and I after being together since childhood would be the first time in our lives, we would choose separate paths in which to travel, he returned to the familiar surroundings of our hometown where we grew up; Chicago, and I stayed here on the west coast. This was a defining moment as to what was next after much success and many years of being part of a team. I wanted to continue on the path of entertainment but not having the support of a team is difficult as a solo artist and each member of the group was so unique no others could replace them. And so, the challenge began of reinventing myself. I thought about giving up and returning to my hometown as my best friend did but there was a battle within my spirit that wouldn’t let me do that and I began to experiment with different things such as impersonations and later coming full circle back to singing and began writing songs which landed me a recording deal as a solo artist and as time went on I became stronger in this new role as soloist, combining all my past experiences. Had I given up… this new opportunity between the journeys would have never been. It’s a testament of having faith in yourself even when the odds are against you and things seem impossible. Keep going!

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

No matter what your goal is in life you need a supporting cast, especially those who believe in you and the goal you’ve set forth. Society’s role is simple: just ask what I can do to help? Financial support is always helpful for resources you will need to help you do the work. Also spread the word to others and on social media share the postings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://myintimatevoice.com
• Instagram: @mauricejustus
• Facebook: Maurice Christian
• Youtube: Maurice Christian Live Excerpts
• Other: tastethecraft.net (send- a- vibe music telegram)[email protected] (publicist)

  GHP Radio The Indie Live Spot (on playlist) songs from my newest cd “Be In My Life”)

  “The Greatest Story” cd on all social media music platforms

Image Credits

Maurice Christian: I own all rights to all photos.