ASA Adventist Society for the Arts
Editor – Josh, you are not a stranger to the music world. You have been involved in songwriting and performing for many years. Where did it all come from and how did your musical journey begin?
Cunningham – Playing and writing music is something I have done since my teenage years. As a thirteen year old kid growing up in the backwoods of a small rural town in Australia, I became absolutely obsessed with the guitar. Not only did it give me something to do with my time, it also gave me a vehicle for expression. Some years earlier, my whole family had started guitar lessons, but I was too small for the instrument so they gave me a ukulele instead. Shortly after that, the family moved to a town where there were no uke teachers and I gradually lost interest in it.
At the age of thirteen, I was at a birthday party for a friend and we watched the movie “Back to the Future” starring Michael J. Fox. The scene where he played Johnny B. Goode at the high school prom totally captivated me and I decided then and there what I wanted to do with my life. I found the old family guitar hiding in a closet and worked out how to play the song from the movie by listening to it on a cassette tape we had recorded straight from the TV speaker! There began a love affair with the guitar, which eventually grew into a love affair with songwriting.
Music with a Purpose
Many years later however, I entered into a love affair with Jesus Christ and music and songwriting became so much more in every sense. Now I can see the purpose of those many years of being involved in music on a professional level. It is sometimes easy to reflect on your past and wish that you had made different decisions. The reality is none of that time and experience was a waste. I learned much, gained invaluable experience, and developed a voice and a style through all those years which God is now giving me opportunity to use for His glory and His purposes.
Listen to Josh Cunningham
