Bio -- Aaron Jeoffrey
As Aaron and Jeoffrey Benward see it, the path of faith often turns 90 degrees north and becomes a mountainous trail filled with loose rocks, slippery footholds, dangerous cliffs and seemingly impassable sheer walls. What’s the good...
Updated Aug 09, 2001
As Aaron and Jeoffrey Benward see it, the path of faith often turns 90 degrees north and becomes a mountainous trail filled with loose rocks, slippery footholds, dangerous cliffs and seemingly impassable sheer walls. What’s the good news? The pair also believes that traversing the difficult way of faith produces strength, confidence and breathtaking vistas that can’t be seen from the valley below.
To 24-year-old Aaron Benward, the image of an upward trek sums up perfectly the message of Aaron Jeoffrey’s third Star Song Records release, which is fittingly titled THE CLIMB.
"As you move up the mountain, you look around the next corner, and you see a place you know you’d like to be," Aaron says. "Or you look around another corner and realize you’ve been that way before and you don’t want to go there again. It’s a constant process of growth, of reaching for God."
Their own journey has led the father-son duo to grow into well-defined roles as they release THE CLIMB and prepare to perform its songs on tour. Musically, Aaron takes more of a lead-vocal role. Meanwhile, his dad, Jeoffrey, provides a larger share of the matchless harmonies for which Aaron Jeoffrey has become known on its first two projects, which produced six #1 hits, and a "Song of the Year" Dove Award nomination for "He Is."
Stylistically, Aaron Jeoffrey allowed the music on THE CLIMB to develop into a live, more spontaneous sound. "When you put four great musicians in a room together and just let them play, the results are amazing," Jeoffrey says. "We did the song 'Stranger' in one pass."
Giving the album a live feel also allowed Aaron Jeoffrey to anticipate how the music and lyrics will influence audiences when the group goes on tour—a concern that is always foremost in Jeoffrey’s mind. The duo will play 60 dates on a Fall 1997 tour with labelmates Phillips, Craig & Dean.
"One of my concerns is, how is each song going to communicate in a live setting?" Jeoffrey says. "Before Aaron Jeoffrey, I had a solo career, and I’ve been in ministry for a while. So I recognize points during a concert when I need to step up and communicate a message that is relevant to the evening and to all age groups: Aaron is really in touch with the youth culture, and he can speak to threir day-to-day issues."
Aaron and Jeoffrey also complement each other in the creative process of selecting songs and settling on a sound and message they want to achieve. "We’ll sit down together and talk about the direction we want a song to go," says Jeoffrey. "There are times we differ, but we always work it out."
The two agree that "Heal Me" contains one of their favorite messages on THE CLIMB. The song, co-written by Kevin Stokes and Connie Harrington, is a passionately performed prayer for renewal that features a powerful string arrangement and stellar keyboard work by John Andrew Schreiner.
"Everyone can relate to the first line of that song, because everyone has been there," Jeoffrey says. "It’s Sunday morning, and you’re in church, and you realize that something isn’t right inside you; there’s an emptiness. This is a big song because it’s a cry for healing from the only place we can find it."
The title track, a song written by Aaron and his friends Lowell Alexander and Jeff Silvey, sprung from a realization Aaron gained while reading a book by Max Lucado. "He was reminding me that life is a climb, and that so many of us get worn out," Aaron recalls. "We’re all at different places in our walks, learning different lessons, and we all need encouragement. It just seemed to sum everything up."
Another track that holds a special place in Aaron’s heart is "Leave A Legacy," which he also co-wrote with Alexander and Silvey. As the father of 2-year-old Luke and 6-month-old Grace, Aaron says he hopes and prays that he’ll be able to "pass on to them the things that my father has passed on to me. I want them to see Christ in me."
Jeoffrey, who is still busy raising Aaron’s younger siblings, 16-year-old Sareece and 13-year-old Colin, also is partial to "Leave a Legacy." "When I first heard the song," Jeoffrey says, "I was really proud of Aaron, to know that he’s thing about the way he wants to influence his children’s lives. When Aaron was born, I prayed, ‘Lord let this be the start of a new legacy.’ I’m beginning to see that the Lord is answering that prayer."
One of The Climb’s funkier tunes is "Stranger." A particular favorite of Jeoffrey’s, the song was written by former Kansas keyboardist Michael Gleason. Aaron and Jeoffrey take turns on lead vocals, and the two combine smoothly on the chorus.
"There’s a great line in that song that is so true: ‘And the words from home are/Few and far between/For a stranger," Jeoffrey says. "It’s a reminder that we’re just passing through. Now, we see only a dim reflection of what’s to come.
What’s to come for Aaron Jeoffrey? They intend to keep on sharing and—living out in their own lives—a message of grace and mercy. It’s a message that is evident in each song on THE CLIMB, but especially on one of Aaron’s favorites, "A Moment of Mercy."
"We need to know that God’s grace and mercy are real," Aaron says. "Lots of Christians beat themselves up. I know I’ve done that. The message of that song, and the message I want to share, is that God loves us a lot more than we can comprehend. It’s an honest prayer to cry out and say, ‘I need you, Lord. I don’t have it all together.’ And in that one moment God can turn everything around in our lives. He’s about new beginnings, new mercies."
To 24-year-old Aaron Benward, the image of an upward trek sums up perfectly the message of Aaron Jeoffrey’s third Star Song Records release, which is fittingly titled THE CLIMB.
"As you move up the mountain, you look around the next corner, and you see a place you know you’d like to be," Aaron says. "Or you look around another corner and realize you’ve been that way before and you don’t want to go there again. It’s a constant process of growth, of reaching for God."
Their own journey has led the father-son duo to grow into well-defined roles as they release THE CLIMB and prepare to perform its songs on tour. Musically, Aaron takes more of a lead-vocal role. Meanwhile, his dad, Jeoffrey, provides a larger share of the matchless harmonies for which Aaron Jeoffrey has become known on its first two projects, which produced six #1 hits, and a "Song of the Year" Dove Award nomination for "He Is."
Stylistically, Aaron Jeoffrey allowed the music on THE CLIMB to develop into a live, more spontaneous sound. "When you put four great musicians in a room together and just let them play, the results are amazing," Jeoffrey says. "We did the song 'Stranger' in one pass."
Giving the album a live feel also allowed Aaron Jeoffrey to anticipate how the music and lyrics will influence audiences when the group goes on tour—a concern that is always foremost in Jeoffrey’s mind. The duo will play 60 dates on a Fall 1997 tour with labelmates Phillips, Craig & Dean.
"One of my concerns is, how is each song going to communicate in a live setting?" Jeoffrey says. "Before Aaron Jeoffrey, I had a solo career, and I’ve been in ministry for a while. So I recognize points during a concert when I need to step up and communicate a message that is relevant to the evening and to all age groups: Aaron is really in touch with the youth culture, and he can speak to threir day-to-day issues."
Aaron and Jeoffrey also complement each other in the creative process of selecting songs and settling on a sound and message they want to achieve. "We’ll sit down together and talk about the direction we want a song to go," says Jeoffrey. "There are times we differ, but we always work it out."
The two agree that "Heal Me" contains one of their favorite messages on THE CLIMB. The song, co-written by Kevin Stokes and Connie Harrington, is a passionately performed prayer for renewal that features a powerful string arrangement and stellar keyboard work by John Andrew Schreiner.
"Everyone can relate to the first line of that song, because everyone has been there," Jeoffrey says. "It’s Sunday morning, and you’re in church, and you realize that something isn’t right inside you; there’s an emptiness. This is a big song because it’s a cry for healing from the only place we can find it."
The title track, a song written by Aaron and his friends Lowell Alexander and Jeff Silvey, sprung from a realization Aaron gained while reading a book by Max Lucado. "He was reminding me that life is a climb, and that so many of us get worn out," Aaron recalls. "We’re all at different places in our walks, learning different lessons, and we all need encouragement. It just seemed to sum everything up."
Another track that holds a special place in Aaron’s heart is "Leave A Legacy," which he also co-wrote with Alexander and Silvey. As the father of 2-year-old Luke and 6-month-old Grace, Aaron says he hopes and prays that he’ll be able to "pass on to them the things that my father has passed on to me. I want them to see Christ in me."
Jeoffrey, who is still busy raising Aaron’s younger siblings, 16-year-old Sareece and 13-year-old Colin, also is partial to "Leave a Legacy." "When I first heard the song," Jeoffrey says, "I was really proud of Aaron, to know that he’s thing about the way he wants to influence his children’s lives. When Aaron was born, I prayed, ‘Lord let this be the start of a new legacy.’ I’m beginning to see that the Lord is answering that prayer."
One of The Climb’s funkier tunes is "Stranger." A particular favorite of Jeoffrey’s, the song was written by former Kansas keyboardist Michael Gleason. Aaron and Jeoffrey take turns on lead vocals, and the two combine smoothly on the chorus.
"There’s a great line in that song that is so true: ‘And the words from home are/Few and far between/For a stranger," Jeoffrey says. "It’s a reminder that we’re just passing through. Now, we see only a dim reflection of what’s to come.
What’s to come for Aaron Jeoffrey? They intend to keep on sharing and—living out in their own lives—a message of grace and mercy. It’s a message that is evident in each song on THE CLIMB, but especially on one of Aaron’s favorites, "A Moment of Mercy."
"We need to know that God’s grace and mercy are real," Aaron says. "Lots of Christians beat themselves up. I know I’ve done that. The message of that song, and the message I want to share, is that God loves us a lot more than we can comprehend. It’s an honest prayer to cry out and say, ‘I need you, Lord. I don’t have it all together.’ And in that one moment God can turn everything around in our lives. He’s about new beginnings, new mercies."
Originally published August 09, 2001.
