| Sources |
- [S104] Cocke County, Tennessee, and its People, Cocke County Heritage Book Committee, (Walsworth Publishing, 1992), 169.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 2 Apr 2008.
Keys sings soulful testimony
By: DEREK HODGES Staff Writer
April 02, 2008
SEVIERVILLE - Some might call what Ashley Keys does belting with conviction, as she combines the powerful voices of popular music with a moving message about God. She, however, calls her music her own testimony.
Keys, a Cosby High School student who turned 18 earlier this month, has a lifelong passion for sharing the Gospel through song she says she got from her grandmother. She shared that love Sunday morning with an appreciative congregation at Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Ridge Road.
Keys has arthrogryposis, a rare congenital disease that affects the muscles in the joints of the limbs, often leading to muscle weakness and fibrosis. For Keys it means she has limited use of her arms and legs, and carries her powerful voice in a remarkably small frame.
Still, in adversity Keys has found a way to point others to the same Christian life she has dedicated herself to. The song she calls her testimony is titled, "I Get On My Knees," and calls on listeners to experience the power of bending their knees in prayer. Somewhat ironically, Keys herself cannot bend her knees. She says she has found truth in the song's message, though, and has made it her own.
"I've realized you don't have to actually get on your knees physically, you can just do it in your heart," she told the Mt. Zion congregation. "When I told my youth minister that, he told me I need to tell people about it."
That's just what Keys has done in the decade she has been performing, making the rounds at local churches sharing her songs and her story. More grounded than some of her less-talented contemporaries, Keys doesn't harbor illusions of grandeur or dreams of multi-million dollar recording contracts. Rather, she says she wants to be a social worker and continue to share her talent with local congregations. The reward there - helping lead someone to a soul-saving knowledge of Jesus - far outweighs the benefit of temporal fame, she says.
"I know I have to share my story," Keys said. "I've just decided this is how I share my testimony. I hope it means something to people."
Standing barefooted (she prefaced her performance Sunday by pointing out to her grandmother, whom she calls, "Maw," that she does, in fact, sing without shoes on) at the altar, Keys has a singular ability to move people with her voice, church member Michael Rawlings said.
"I've known Ashley for over a year now and I invited her today because I wanted people to hear her voice," Rawlings said. "She's just an amazing singer."
Youth Minister Danny Manning, who led Sunday's worship service, said Keys has an ability to call people to remember their own blessings.
"Amen," he said after Keys sang. "Sometimes we don't take advantage of the abilities we do have."
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1990 - (34 years)