Helen Baylor

Gospel soul singer Helen Baylor travels throughout the country conveying the message of God's saving and healing power. She describes her concerts and performances as "a church service set to music." Her music ministry has taken her not only to performing concerts but also to performing in prisons, women's shelters, and housing projects.

Raised in Los Angeles, Helen Baylor began her music career as a child performing on the nightclub circuit. By her late teens she had been the opening act for such popular artists as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and B.B. King. She left Los Angeles at the age of 17 to travel with the musical Hair. For ten years she performed in musicals and was a guest vocalist for groups such as Captain & Tennille and Chaka Khan (occasionally appearing as Helen Lowe). Despite all her musical success, Baylor turned to a life of substance abuse and broken relationships during the '80s, and slowly, her life was falling apart.

After much soul searching and a determination to remain clean and sober, Baylor joined the Crenshaw Christian Center. After extensive classes and sessions on the Bible, she decided once again to start her singing career. She began performing solo, spreading the message of God. Her songs are based on her personal experiences of her hardships in finding God. At the age of 35 she recorded her first gospel album, Highly Recommended, on Word Records.

Baylor's most successful album, The Live Experience, is the one that made her a favorite on the gospel music circuit. The album combines 11 of her greatest hits, and was recorded live at a Los Angeles concert with more than 6,500 people in attendance. "God Is Able" reminds people that God is with them through their trials. The song is a direct reflection of growing up in a church setting. "Look a Little Closer" is based on a personal experience when Baylor convinced a friend to turn to God for help. Baylor's songs relate to everyone which makes them so popular.

With a knack for bringing the message of God through contemporary music, Baylor has touched the hearts of many. She combines the sounds of jazz and rock with gospel, creating songs that people can listen to repeatedly.