A Face in the Crowd
Emil Justian was a punk before the term had a musical definition, sharing the stage with The Stooges and the MC5 in their heyday. Over time he gravitated toward blues and R&B, and in 1985 he hired on to front Matt “Guitar” Murphy’s band. Justian later teamed up with blues guitarist Kid Bangham for the Grammy-nominated 1997 release Pressure Cooker.
Three years ago, Justian and then-fiancée Jo, a licensed massage therapist, relocated to Nashville. After Jo gave birth to Emily Jo two years ago, Justian’s disillusionment with the music industry and desire to be close to home led to a full-time job at Hudgins Moving & Storage Co. For a while, Justian also taught preschool at the YMCA, where he developed a strong bond with Mary Mosley, whose husband, Herman E. Mosley, is pastor at Providence United Primitive Baptist Church. The Justians accepted the Mosleys’ invitation to come worship with them, and decided to have Emily Jo dedicated there. “The singing and worship felt so genuine there,” Justian says, “that a couple weeks later Jo and I were baptized there.” Recently, Justian received his preaching license from Big Harpeth United Primitive Baptist Association. And while that might seem a strange destination for a white kid from Detroit—he’s the first white preacher to be licensed by the association—it’s not so strange, considering that some of his earliest musical education came from listening to the gospel music emanating from Detroit’s Wealthy Street Baptist Church. “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” Justian muses. But rather than sounding cliché, out of Justian’s mouth the phrase has heartfelt significance. And his life—a journey from Motor City hard rocker to United Primitive Baptist preacher—certainly bears witness to the age-old expression.
— By Jack Silverman
Three years ago, Justian and then-fiancée Jo, a licensed massage therapist, relocated to Nashville. After Jo gave birth to Emily Jo two years ago, Justian’s disillusionment with the music industry and desire to be close to home led to a full-time job at Hudgins Moving & Storage Co. For a while, Justian also taught preschool at the YMCA, where he developed a strong bond with Mary Mosley, whose husband, Herman E. Mosley, is pastor at Providence United Primitive Baptist Church. The Justians accepted the Mosleys’ invitation to come worship with them, and decided to have Emily Jo dedicated there. “The singing and worship felt so genuine there,” Justian says, “that a couple weeks later Jo and I were baptized there.” Recently, Justian received his preaching license from Big Harpeth United Primitive Baptist Association. And while that might seem a strange destination for a white kid from Detroit—he’s the first white preacher to be licensed by the association—it’s not so strange, considering that some of his earliest musical education came from listening to the gospel music emanating from Detroit’s Wealthy Street Baptist Church. “The Lord works in mysterious ways,” Justian muses. But rather than sounding cliché, out of Justian’s mouth the phrase has heartfelt significance. And his life—a journey from Motor City hard rocker to United Primitive Baptist preacher—certainly bears witness to the age-old expression.
— By Jack Silverman
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