Howard McCrary

Traversing the worlds of gospel and secular music, multi-talented Howard McCrary has built a solid reputation as an award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and musician whose resume includes some of the most prestigious and important artists in contemporary music. Howard McCrary brings a mix of artistry, enthusiasm, skill and positive energy to each and every project.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Howard grew up in a decidedly musical atmosphere.  One of ten siblings, Howard became a part of the family group known as The McCrarys with two of his brothers and two of his sisters. The team’s initial work was in the gospel field.  In the early 1970s, the group performed throughout the U.S. and Canada, recording one album Sunshine Day for Light Records.

In 1974, when the family decided to move from gospel to secular music, Howard decided to step out on his own, exploring his talents as a writer, arranger and accompanist. He co-produced the album So Good and was nominated for a Grammy for “Best Gospel Performance, Male” for that record. During the late 1980s, Howard traveled the world intermittently with different evangelists; in 1987, he was given ASCAP’s Duke Ellington Award for most promising writer in gospel music and was commissioned to write the piece Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow for the Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.

 As the 1980s ended and the 1990s began, Howard’s workload accelerated considerably: he was featured as a background vocalist on Quincy Jones’ best-selling Back on the Block, as well as arranging vocal parts for the song Keep the Faith on Michael Jackson’s 1992 multi-platinum set Dangerous. He began working with Chaka Khan in 1993 as keyboardist and musical director. Later, he worked with Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer on the film The Power Of One. Howard's studio activities have included production work with teen idol Jennifer Love Hewitt, soul diva Sandra St. Victor, gospel great Helen Baylor and successful R&B group Changing Faces. For three years Howard has worked as a Vocal Stylist with the Legendary Seth Riggs.

 Howard moved to Hong Kong in 2005 and merged into the local music scene quickly. He performed on the Soundtrack of the Chinese Movie Confessions of Pain, Happy Funeral and Love in Space. He also performed with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Hubert Yan, in his first national appearance in China in 2008. He composed a contemporary piece Water is Life and a revision of Deep River’s Three Rivers for the government of Qinghai for the national conservation of water and drought prevention. He was recently asked to return to Qinghai for a repeat performance this year in 2009 for “Green Peace for China” where he composed and performed with the acclaimed José Carreras and The China National Symphony Orchestra a song Hear My Plea. Howard performed to a full house two evenings at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in his debut concert Peace and All That Jazz with full orchestra in 2013. Also returning to the Hong Kong Cultural Centre performing for this Holiday performance with the inspiring The Chinese University of Hong Kong Chorus. In 2014 he will be premiering his first piano concerto Black Butterfly with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra.

 “Music is,” he notes, “a Universal Theme that is a part of each of us, an expression where we can find this ageless transcending power lifting us as one, as we celebrate the gift of life and our humanity.” Howard McCrary feels that through his music and creative ability, he would like to inspire hope, harmony, healing and the dream of world peace. He hopes to inspire others through music and sharing the many benefits of meditation on a daily basis and how it can produce inner peace which can lead ultimately to world peace.

As both an entrepreneur, vocal coach and masterful musician, Howard McCrary has much to celebrate as he continues to find new ways to express his boundless artistry and make a contribution of love, compassion and goodwill to the world through his music.