It Wasn’t an Accident…
Kim Jordan Talks About the Car Wreck that Saved Her Life
By Kanette Worlds II
As published on Gospelcity.com and DetroitGospel.com (2004)

Mama May Have…
The daughter of a music teacher, Kim Jordan’s vocal ability came as second nature. She began singing at the age of five and directed her first full mass choir in her early teens.

Her talent took her all over Detroit performing in concerts and churches. “Everybody knew me from music,” said Kim.

By the time she graduated high school and moved to Washington D.C. to attend Howard University, she’d grown tired of music. She was determined to get a degree in law or communication, anything other than music.

“I was sick of it because I had taken it for granted. I was full of myself and arrogant about who I was and what I could do because I knew I could always do it.”

One day while sitting in one of her classes, Kim heard music coming from the Fine Arts building across campus. She realized how unhappy she’d been neglecting her gift and immediately broke down in tears.

“I knew I wasn’t doing what I was suppose to do,” she said.

Papa May Have…
Kim’s father, Rev. Joseph Jordan made sure the family actively participated in church. As pastor of Corinthian Baptist Church in Hamtramck and president of the Council of Baptist Pastors, Rev. Jordan and his children were constantly in the eye of the public.

Although Kim practically lived in church while growing up, she didn’t fully understand what it meant to have a relationship with the Lord. “I was one of those 'PK' kids that if my dad said go left or jump, I went the other way.”

Fresh out of college, Kim began an international tour with jazz legend Gil Scott Heron, a musical match that lasted for 12-years. Kim saw the world and experienced the best and the worst that mainstream music had to offer.

“In the 80’s and 90’s the entertainment world was all about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. That environment overlapped in the fashion and music industry and some of my friends didn’t make it.”

Kim said she was ashamed and embarrassed to tell her family that she strayed away from the church, but she couldn’t keep her life a secret from everyone.

“I knew He [God] was trying to get my attention,” explained Kim after one of the most traumatic experiences of her life.
In 1992, Kim and friend where riding in a moving truck on the way to New York City. As they neared a highway overpass, the top half of the truck failed to clear the bridge and smashed into the cement sending Kim face-first into the steering wheel.

Two weeks after the crash, Kim tried to play the piano and couldn’t. Her head injury prevented her fingers from connecting with the notes in her mind. She was so embarrassed that she fled the country and went to Europe, hoping to avoid any familiar faces.

“That’s when I found God. It saved my life. That was the turning point in terms of me discovering who I was for the rest of my life.”

Humbled by her condition, she slowly retrained herself to play the piano.

When she finally returned to New York, she could barely play but an opportunity to produce re-ignited her career and her relationship with the Lord.

God Bless The Child That’s Got Her Own…
Kim currently owns and operates, ProSounity Music Entertainment producing gospel jazz artists and music. Her latest release, Full Circle is a personal testimony detailing her growth over the last 25 years.

“The project is called Full Circle, because I started out in the church and came back,” explained Kim. “If God can turn me around and show me that I have purpose and destiny that means He can do it for anyone.”

Although she’s performed, written, and played with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, and Taj Mahal to name a few, she said her greatest achievement is her ordination as Minister of Gospel at her home church in Hyattsville, MD.
“My main function now is to be of service as oppose to being self-centered.”

Kim hopes her company will become the premier gospel jazz label and isn’t worried about using her industry connections to build her business.

“I’ve watched the Lord walk one of my songs up the Billboard chart. I’ve watched him and I know it can happen,” Kim said. “He’s equipped me with all that I’m suppose to have.

Kim Jordan's Full Circle Detroit listening party will be at the Upper Room Christian Entertainment Complex on Grand River/Telegraph Saturday, November 27, 6 to 8 p.m. The listening party is open to everyone including: media, industry professionals and jazz and gospel music lovers alike. For more information visit www.theupperroomcec.com or call 248.426-2300. For more on Kim, visit www.kimjordan.com.