CCM
June 1981
"Nobody Knows Me Like You"
Benny Breaks Into New Sound
Benny Hester, a man of immeasurable talent and the zeal to commit that
talent to the Lord, has just released his second contemporary Christian
album, Nobody Knows Me Like You. Produced by Michael Omartian on
Myrrh Records, this release is a considerable improvement over his first
album on Spirit Records, Benny Hester.
Nobody is an insightful collage of the artist's deeply spiritual
messages to the body of Christ and convicting heart-knocking songs to the
believer - but they minister to all in a very special way. Every song,
from lyric to melody to production, Hester claims,was prayed over and inspired
by the Holy Spirit.
Grammy Award winner Michael Omartian
produced Nobody Knows Me Like You. How did the two of you get together
on this project and what was it like working with a talent so laureled
in both the Christian and secular industries?
Mike is a very up-front person about the Lord. He's really very refreshing
to be around because he's so open.
The way that we met. We were introduced by Stan Moser and Buddy Huey and
I had just signed with Myrrh... Whenever I thought about the album I thought,
well, I didn't want there to be any chances taken if I were to have a new
producer. I didn't really want to just jump into a relationship with someone
that I wasn't sure of. So when I talked to Stan about who should produce
it, I said, "Who do you think should do it?" Buddy and Stan were both standing
there and they just said, "Michael Omartian," and they both said it at
the same time. I said, "Good idea..."
It really was a lot of fun... It was the most enjoyable thing that I've
ever done. He's quite a nice guy and I treasure his friendship very much.
You have said that Nobody
Knows Me Like You is a concept album. Did you set out to write a concept
album, or did it just gradually develop?
The tune "Nobody Knows Me Like You" came to me one day when I was just
thinking a lot about all the weaknesses in my own life. I know what my
past is. I really sort of took my eyes off the Lord and started focusing
on some of those things in my past that made me feel real crummy. I could
see that it was really wrong, that the power of Christ was in my own life
and I know that there are many people who do that; many Christians... the
Lord gave me the whole song in just a matter of a few seconds. So the tune
was written and after that, other tunes started coming: "No Man's Land"
and "Step by Step," tunes that I didn't related to "Nobody Knows Me Like
You." I didn't get a correlation at all. I was just writing as the Lord
would give me the inspiration...
So when I wrote these songs, I had no idea that the Lord was really fashioning
this into a concept that really revolved around the title track, "Nobody
Knows Me Like You," and that these songs would really be talking about
the trials and the troubles and the things that we are going through that
are really complicated.
Songs like "Rubber Canoe," whenever you take your eyes off the Lord, you're
obviously going to be swamped, because you've taken th foundation out from
under yourself, so you're going to sink. Tunes like like that may sound
very ridiculous on the surface, but they're not. That song has a very serious
message, We also decided to do the old hymn, "Christ the Solid Rock," it
really does just put a bow on the package, because the words to it are
just so incredible.
What would you say to be the over-all
concept?
The over-all concept is really summed up in that tune, that Christ is the
solid rock, that He's the only solid thing in our lives. And we don't stand
a chance unless our lives are founded and secured in Him.
You know that as a Christian, maybe people have heard that all their lives,
but until the reality of it, until the trouble comes, until we're shaken
up, when disaster happens, until we face something very severe in our own
lives, boy, we can just float for a long time, and never realize what that
means... The same with these songs, many people will be able to understand
what they're saying because they are experiencing the difficulties.
Is this album oriented to a particular
side of ministry, to the body, the church - or is it directed in a more
evangelical vein? If a person who was not a Christian heard it, would he
pause and think about Christ?
Yes, I feel that a person would pause and think about Christ if they heard
this album... All my lyrics have always been real open about the Lord,
I've never tried to conceal a message, tried to hide it or sneak it over
anyone. It's just not my personality... I believe it's also to the body
of Christ. I don't have in my own heart a line drawn that says, "Oh this
song's going to the non-Christian and this one's to the body of Christ."
There are songs that are obviously to the body of Christ. "Goodbye Salty"
is one of those songs. It talks about us as fishers of men, it talks about
us as being the salt of the earth. It's talking about when Jesus comes
back to receive us unto himself. It talks about those things, but it's
going to be very easy for a person who doesn't know the Lord to listen
to that song. And even though the first or second hearing of that tune
doesn't grasp its full meaning, they're going to know that there's a meaning
there that transcends what is heard right on the surface of that tune.
So, I feel that as a Christian or a non-Christian listens to this album,
they're going to be able to relate to many of these tunes right where they
are. Right in the situation that they're going through.
Have you begun work on material
for the next album?
Yeah. I have songs that I've already started working on for the next one.
I'm very excited about the next one, Michael is too. It's very seldom that
you finish up a project that lasts this long and has the intensity of that
one that we just did and you're ready to turn around and do another one.
And as we looked at each other in the final days and we talked, Mike and
I both agree, we're just ready, we're ready to start the next one. We're
just going to do it on the Lord's timing, but as the tunes come, we'll
be putting that one together in the next months.
