With over seven million album sales Latin praise and worship leader MARCOS WITT is a music industry phenomenon. He spoke to George Luke.
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Within English-speaking Christian circles, the name Marcos Witt may not mean much. But to Christians of a Hispanic persuasion, the man is something of a legend. The best way to describe Marcos to non-Spanish speakers would probably be to call him Latin America's equivalent of Graham Kendrick - but even that only tells part of the story. For a start, I've never heard any mainstream pop stars cover Graham Kendrick songs, whereas I have seen covers of Marcos Witt songs surface on mainstream salsa albums!
Marcos is, first and foremost, a worshipper. You can then add to that his other job titles: singer, songwriter, record label boss, author, pastor and post-graduate student (and I'm sure I've missed a few!). In a 22-year career, he has recorded a staggering 26 albums (including four 'best of' compilations). Sales of his recordings and videos in Latin America, Mexico and the USA are in excess of 7,000,000 units. And in 2003, he won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Christian Album with his 'Sana Nuestra Tierra' ('Heal Our Land') album.
Marcos (full name Jonathan Mark Witt) was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1962 - the second of three boys born to Jerry and Nola Witt, a young American missionary couple. Shortly after Marcos' birth, the family moved to Durango, a small town in the north of Mexico, where Jerry and Nola intended to start a ministry.
Jerry used to fly to the innermost parts of Mexico and distribute Bibles to the Indians who lived there. One day in 1964, he was on one of these trips when disaster struck - and he was killed in a crash that has never been fully explained or resolved. Though her knowledge of Spanish was limited, Nola decided the best course of action would be for her to stay in Mexico with the children and carry on her late husband's work. She soon remarried - to another American missionary, Frank Warren, who took up the mantle left by Jerry, continuing his mission work and helping raise Marcos and his two brothers, plus the twin daughters the couple had later on.
As a child, Marcos attended an American school in Durango, and remembers Durango as being a very calm and pleasant place. "As my parents are pastors, I grew up very involved in the church, music, and school," he says. "I started taking piano classes when I was eight years old. Music was a big part of our lives in our house; it was mandatory to learn. I remember giving recitals to family and friends; those were my first musical experiences. Music that I always listened to and really enjoyed was my mother's (Marcos' mum is now one of the artists signed to his label; more on that later). It was always Christian music and I would also listen to all types of classical music." Marcos went on to study music at the University of Durango, and then attended the Bible Institute of San Antonio, where he did Theological Studies. He is currently doing a masters' course at Oral Roberts University.
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SOURCE: Cross Rhythms
