By Al Benson
Aurora resident Huntley Brown, internationally acclaimed pianist, author, and martial arts black belt, played and preached recently at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Aurora.
At the piano, Brown opened the service with praise music, and closed the service with “Onward Christian Soldiers.”
As guest preacher, he delivered the message entitled, “He Saw the Best Lessons from the Life of Gideon.”
A book and music CDs by Brown were available for purchase.
A native of Jamaica, Brown grew up in a Christian home. Without knowing how to read music, he learned to play the piano by imitating his brothers and his father who played the accordion and on a small piano.
Mostly, he learned by listening to different recordings.
After graduation from high school, he played keyboard in hotel bands and piano bars in Jamaica. Dissatisfied with the club scene, he dedicated his life to Christ and started to spend time daily in the word and in prayer.
This decision led him to the United States, where he earned a bachelor’s degree from Judson University in Elgin, and a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
Brown is the pianist for Ruth Graham and Friends Ministries and is a minister with the Franklin Graham team. His music ministry has taken him all over the world, with television, radio, and concert, appearances in Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, China, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Grenada, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Russia, Palestine, Singapore, South Africa, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, St. Maarten, St. Vincent, Slovakia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Wales.
In the United States, he has performed from coast to coast, from the Crystal Cathedral, to Living Word Christian Center, to Willow Creek Community Church, to Big Rock Baptist Church.
For many years, Brown was the artist in residence for the Total Living Network in Chicago with host Jerry and Shirley Rose.
Recently, he has added a new facet to his ministry, teaching and offering seminars on music and worship services. He often travels with the international school of evangelism team of the Graham Association, for whom he lectured and performed at the Amsterdam 2000 world conference on evangelism.
Brown was a lecturer and performer at the First International Gospel Music Festival in Italy.
While at Northern Illinois University, Brown met Annette Chestnut, a fellow Caribbean student from Barbados.
Following graduation, he and Annette were married. They reside in Aurora with daughters, Natalie, Natasha, Nicole, and Nadia.