Jerry R. Curry

My dear friend Geri Forsberg sent me a copy of Jerry R. Curry’s CD Generally Singing. Curry as you may know -- but probably don’t -- is a Republican candidate for president. He’s been on the ballot in about a half dozen states.

In his former life he was an opera singer, and listening to him brings tears to my eyes, especially every time I hear him sing “I’ll Walk with God.” It is one of the most gorgeous pieces of singing I have ever heard. His “Danny Boy” is in the African-American spiritual tradition, and is the most unusual performance of this song I’ve heard, other than when I heard it in Yiddish at the National Arts Club many years ago. (Now that was different!)

I also love Curry’s interpretation of the American spiritual “Deep River,” as well as his opera selections, and I’m not an opera fan. His voice is so exquisite that I want to keep listening and listening; it’s hard to turn off the music and get to work. He sings with such depth and feeling -- it’s clear that a strong believe in God’s love and grace is at the core of every word.

The title of the CD alludes to Curry’s rank as a major general in the army, a position from which he retired in 1985. Later he spent three years as head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He tells his story in the autobiography From Private to General: An African-American Soldier Rises Through the Ranks, published by Believe Books.

Curry and his wife live in Northern Virginia where they are active in their local Episcopal parish.

For more information, go to Curry’s web site at www.curryforamerica.com.