For Immediate Release: Free Will Baptist Bible College
NASHVILLE, TN—The 52nd annual Grammy © Awards set for January 31 in Los Angeles at Staples Center involve a junior Missions major at Free Will Baptist Bible College. Matthew Munsey, 25-year-old vocalist and instrumentalist, plays mandolin in a five-man bluegrass gospel band called Barry Scott & Second Wind that was nominated for a Grammy© in Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album category.
Son of the late Free Will Baptist missionary to Mexico, James Munsey, Matthew and his wife Juliana, an International Business student at FWBBC, will fly to California January 30 for the Grammy© Awards. Munsey auditioned for Barry Scott & Second Wind three years ago, and now travels weekends with the group, typically logging 1,200 or more miles performing in concerts as well as local churches.
“We were honored but surprised to receive the nomination,” Munsey said, “since this was our first album. Our debut project titled ‘In God’s Time’ is a 14-song collection released by Rebel Records. We are just one of five groups nominated for a Grammy© in this category, and we give God all the praise for the unexpected national recognition.”
Munsey is a second-generation FWBBC student. His father, the Reverend James Munsey, graduated in 1981. Younger sister Rachel is a freshman Education major. Another sister, Laura, graduated in 2005.
Matthew received his first guitar at age seven, his first mandolin at age 11. He also plays the banjo and the bass. He grew up on the Texas/Mexico border playing and singing with the Munsey family bluegrass gospel band, and traveling extensively to promote Mexico missions. He graduated from Tusculum College in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in organizational management, before relocating to Nashville and enrolling at FWBBC to pursue a degree in Missions.
“My wife Juliana and I are excited about preparing to serve the Lord on the mission field,” Munsey said. “We don’t know where we will serve yet, but we will finish our degrees in two or three years, and step through whatever door God opens.”
Matthew was elected 2009-2010 student body worship leader at FWBBC. He currently does 90 percent of the booking for Barry Scott & Second Wind, and maintains the group’s website (www.barryscottonline.com). The band hopes to play the Grand Ole Opry in 2010 and is working with Free Will Baptist missionaries to arrange a tour of Japan.
The popular bluegrass gospel group usually performs a 90-minute set at weekend festivals or other venues, in addition to scheduling services in local churches. “We play a lot of Free Will Baptist churches,” Munsey said. The group plans to release its first a cappella album in February with Munsey singing baritone. Half the songs are recorded in four-part Southern Gospel harmony and half as instrumentals.
The band was nominated for Bluegrass Gospel Group of the Year (Contemporary) at the 36th Annual SPBGMA Music Awards (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America).
Matthew’s younger sister Rachel will likely face a kidney transplant in a few years, her second transplant. “I am committed to testing to see if I qualify as a donor when the time comes,” he said. “That’s on down the road, and it’s in God’s hands. Right now, I’m playing with the band on weekends, studying to complete my FWBBC degree during the week, preparing to serve somewhere on a mission field, and trusting God to tell me when it’s time to move on and where to go.”
