This gospel tinged album

features the Circa 94 Beats Productions:

“(Go Back) To The Old Time Way”

&

“Rain”!

After a decade of blazing his own trail as an independent artist, Tim Dillinger moved into a quiet, country home in upstate New York and began a new life as a marketing director with a small book publishing company.   “I didn’t want to sing anymore.   The bulk of my heroes died in 2010 and it hit me hard. “  It was a near-death encounter that reminded him of his calling.  “I had a dream when I was in the hospital.  My mentors were sitting in a circle around me and they reminded me that I hadn’t passed on what I’d gleaned from them yet.”

As he recovered, he immersed himself in the music of Aretha Franklin & James Cleveland.  He began noting ‘seeds’ for new songs and made plans to move back to Nashville, the city he considers his home.  Weeks after moving back to Nashville, he received a call from Grammy-Award nominated, Dove & Stellar Award winning producer, B. Slade who said he had music for him.  Tim flew to LA and together they wrote “Baton”, which was based on the message Tim had received in the dream.   “It set my vision in stone—to carry on the tradition of my teachers with my own spin on what I learned from them.   Not throwing away the old school, but rather weaving it with something new.”

A little less than a year later, The Baton: 1985 took shape.  With production from industry royalty such as B. Slade, the Grammy-award winning Dony McGuire & fresh talent such as Darnell K. Miller (Ty Tribbett and G.A.), Mike Hicks (Keb Mo) & Circa94Beats, The Baton: 1985 is a musical tour de force, a look back and a look forward simultaneously.

“1985 was a time when people were crossing over for the right reasons.  Artists like Tramaine Hawkins, Amy Grant, The Winans, Stryper were taking the gospel outside of the church and relating to the unchurched with fresh music & a unconventional ways of spreading the message.   So, I approached this from two perspectives.  The first was: what makes Jesus who He is to me & how do I share that in a conversational way.  The second was: how do I inspire believers to go outside the walls of the church and be a relatable light…a friend to those who don’t know how to relate to the Jesus that we know.”

With endorsements for his work coming in from iconic figures such as Jennifer Holliday, Pam Grier, Sarah Dash & Nona Hendryx of Labelle & others, it’s a testament to the foundation of the music serving as a bridge between generations, cultures & musical genres.   This bridge is strengthened by collborations on The Baton: 1985 with CCM pioneers Reba Rambo-McGuire, Pam Mark Hall & Patsy Moore.

“I’ve had the blessing of having amazing teachers:  the unsung singers in the little holiness church I grew up in, running revivals with Beverly Crawford as a teenager,  recording with Daryl Coley, performing with so many legendary artists over the past decade and it feels like all of those experiences and influences have all congealed and settled into my own clear vision.  I’m excited to honor my teachers through this new music and see them live on through Baton.”

Discography: Love Is On My Mind (2004), The Muse (2006), Remixes (2008), Gospel(2010), The Baton: 1985 (2013)

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