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A Black Tie Affair

My old church would put on dinner  shows in the basement- mainly  Broadway and showtunes , where people would sit and have dinner and then enjoy a themed performance from the church choir and soloists. The shows were afforded as part of an endowment for the arts by Hardwood and Louise Cochrane, both prominent members of Tabernacle Baptist church and the Richmond community. When I started singing with the choir, I eventually was doing some numbers in these productions. 

These pictures were taken October 22nd, 2001, when I was 22 years old . This was one of the first times I really felt like I was close to  my ideal weight- even though I am about 220 lbs in these pictures. I felt very healthy , for the most part. Sadly, this is probably the best I  may ever look in my life time . I could look even  better, too. But anyway, singing in the church basement dinner shows was quite an experience , and it helped me gain confidence as a performer. The dinner shows ended in 2001, as the endowment fund  was used to upgrade the church  facilities. That year, because of  the September 11th attacks,  we did many patriotic songs that night . I sang "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood, and received a standing ovation. But mainly it was to honor those who had fallen in bravery and as a result of the attacks on the Pentagon and Twin Towers.







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