Derrick Horne
phe·nom·e·non; noun. An exceptional, unusual, or abnormal person, thing, or occurrence.
Seldom do artists have the luxury of surrounding themselves with virtuoso talent. Fewer still have the technical tools and abilities with which to enhance said talent at their beck and call. Rarest of all are those who respond to the difficult and daunting challenge of harnessing, sculpting, directing and focusing such singularly unique abilities into one precision crafted, finely tuned vessel.
These words describe Derrick Horne: Proficient keyboardist, bassist, guitarist; prolific songwriter and astounding lyricist; accomplished arranger and producer; seasoned MIDI programmer and recording engineer; gifted vocalist; musical prodigy who began performing publicly at age 6; learning guitar on his father’s knee; as a teen, routinely honored at university jazz festivals and statewide concert band competitions; at 13, playing on his first recording; at 17, recording with the legendary James Cleveland; at everything he does, phenomenon.
When timing, preparation and opportunity intersect, destiny can be apprehended. Darryl Ford, Detroit’s top on-air gospel jock and business manager to Thomas Whitfield, was on tour when he first saw and heard Horne. Immediately struck with Horne’s talent and personality, a friendship and business relationship grew, and soon Horne relocated from his native Texas to Detroit. This move opened the door to touring with Whitfield, Fred Hammond, Commissioned, Witness, Vicki Winans, and others. Whitfield, known as the Maestro, was Horne’s greatest piano influence, as well as his inspiration for playing piano. It was a dream come true to work with him’’. Destiny called. Derrick Horne answered.
Horne’s passion for excellence fueled his debut CD release Servant and the classic This Time it’s Personal, which was followed by I Still Believe. Each project showcases his many musical gifts. A myriad of influences create his musical tapestry, captured in projects which fuse old and new school pop/r&b with jazz, blues, rock, funk, and classical. His fluid vocal phrasing and delivery draws constant comparisons with DJ Rogers, James Moore, and jazz great Bobby Caldwell. Slated for 2018 release is his first solo jazz offering, which will feature him in a jazz setting on multiple instruments. Other releases include If It Had Not Been, Just Let Me Worship, The Healing Flow, which features healing scriptures set to varying musical movements, Blessed Encounters, a hymn collection, It Feels Like Christmas which features a new spin on Holiday favorites, and Quiet Time Worship an instrumental piano CD. Horne has literally appeared on hundreds of recordings, resulting so far in several Grammy, Stellar, GMWA, Dove, Billboard, and American Music Award nominations. He has also garnered two GMWA ‘‘Producer of the Year’’ considerations. He produced Tonya Hairston Ware’s Stellar Award-nominated A Taste Of Heaven and produced songs on Terrance Bell’s GrammyAward -considered God My Hero. In 2023 his output included If Tommy Was Here, a tribute to Thomas Whitfield, the Christmas favorite The Greatest Time of Year, and Tyre-a tribute to a fallen youth.
Horne has anchored radio favorites in genres ranging from contemporary to traditional and everything between, inclusive of Marvin Sapps’ 2008 Grammy Nominated platinum-certified “Thirsty”, Lakewood Church’s ‘You Are Good, Rodney Bryant and CCMC’s Angels, which he wrote and sang, and Doug Miller’s classic Lord I Want to be Holy, also from DH’s pen. You’ll find him on releases from artists such as Tamela Mann, Ashmont Hill, Testify, Freda Battle & the Temple Worshippers, The Texas Boyz, Doug Williams, the Drifters, Christian Jazz artist Harold Rayford, Mississippi Mass Choir, Alisa Cameron and others. He also handled composition/production duties on Donna Richardson-Joyner’s DVD Sweating In the Spirit 2. Grandad Turner’s My Friends My Fam, showcasing his jazz guitar and piano skills, spent time at #1 on the iTunes jazz charts in 2011 as well as rising to #4 on the Billboard charts. Additionally, he is featured vocally on Alisa Cameron’s radio single Rainbow After the Storm, which he also produced and co-wrote. He also co-wrote and handled sideman duties for Fred Hammond’s God Love And Romance reached # 8 on Billboard’s Top 200 and # 1 on Christian music charts. (see discography)
Horne’s TV appearances include CBS This Morning, TBN’s Praise The Lord, and The Daystar Network. Horne was seen and his arrangements heard weekly in millions of households worldwide on the Lakewood Church/Joel Osteen TV program, Discover The Champion in You. He served as Band Director/Worship Leader for the 40,000 member Houston based church. Derrick was also Worship & Arts Pastor/Worship Leader for of Jesse Duplantis Ministries the music director at Chase Oaks Church in Plano,Texas.
His worship songs have become standards worldwide, and are heard on many popular telecasts including Celebration, which airs on the Daystar Network. His I Give You My Heart has been one of the most heard worship songs on Christian television. He also continues to host and be featured on his own television music specials.
Many of his compositions have been solicited for film and TV by BET, the Chicago Housing Authority and others. This is due to his uncanny ability to craft custom jingles and theme music for commercial and industrial use. Horne currently has several compositions/productions running on national media, including openings for Deeper Life Ministries, Church of Champions, Woodlands Christian Center and others. He also produced music with the legendary George Clinton for the 2004 Olympics. A gifted classical music composer, his pieces garner acclaim due to his ability to combine modern music idioms with art music. This is evident in his Fanfare in D Major for Brass Quintet and Minuet and Trio for Wind Quintet. To kick off 2015, he won the Austin Guitar Society’s composition contest with his guitar quartet Quintango. Horne also has several innovative big band charts being performed including the funky Got The Hot Sauce?, his 5/4 remembrance of Dave Brubeck I Remember Dave, and the samba Umbigada. His seminal work for electric guitar and wind ensemble Color Fusion premiered in May of 2017 to great acclaim, and has been slated for more performances nationwide. Recently Color Fusion was honored by being considered for a Pulitzer prize.
His reaches far beyond the boundaries of any one music genre, having toured and recorded with top Alternative/Adult Contemporary artists such as Judy Jacobs, Martha Munnizzi, Marvin Sapp, Shane & Shane, Israel Houghton, Chris Tomlin, Caleb Carruth, Ross King, Jamie Smith, and Joel Engle. A longtime champion of independent music, he established Yokebreaker Productions, which houses record label & production operations, pro A/V consulting, duplication, educational and media services. He is currently endorsed by Pavel Musical Instruments, Orange Amps, Ernie Ball Strings, Boulder Creek Guitars, Robin Guitars, and EJ LYNCH GUITARS among others. His bass guitar instructional DVD Rudimental Bass is scheduled for release with guitar and keyboard volumes to follow. His newest project, Derrick Horne’s Nous Révons released in June of 2017, featuring features a host of first call session guitarists and percussionists including Mark Lettieri, Phil Aelony, Todd Parsnow, Allen Cato, and Craig Weaver.
Horne completed his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Composition at the prestigious Southern Methodist University in Dallas before completing Master of Music degrees in composition and theory pedagogy. He is a member of several honor societies and graduated summa cum laude from Meadows School of the Arts, which is currently ranked as the top music school in America by USA Today. In 2015 his guitar orchestra piece Quintango won the Austin Guitar Society composition contest. In early 2017 Fanfare in D Major for brass quintet was featured at The Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2023 he was featured alongside the Dallas Symphony Orchestra singing and playing guitar on Together, a piece commissioned by Project Unity. His commission Modal Fusion was premiered in June 2023 by the Met Winds and gained its second performance in November 2023. He studied composition with Drs. Robert Frank, Lane Harder, and Kevin Hanlon.
His book, How to Take Your Home Studio Worldwide released in January 2014. This was followed in 2016 by String Fingers Accompaniment Tracks, a resource for string teachers that has been adopted in many school districts. In he has presented at the Texas Orchestra Directors Association (TODA), Texas Music Educator’s Association (TMEA), and ATO annual conferences on the use of his string section accompaniment tracks. He also uses his experiences as a musician and non-traditional college student to inspire college students as a motivational speaker. He presented at Careers in Music for the Texas Music Teachers Association. He currently serves as Professor-in-Practice of music theory and music industry studies at Southern Methodist University, and conducts the Meadows Jazz Orchestra.
Horne consistently proves to be one of the few musicians with the ability to cross multiple music genres and generations while retaining startling authenticity at each one. The massive number (over 600) and variety of recordings he has contributed to is evidence of this fact. Of all this, Horne says, ‘‘I am all about educating, impacting and encouraging people. My mission is to bring hope and a positive message in a way that’s current, relevant, and yet convicting.”
Experience the Phenomenon.
For information
voice: (832)368-5734
office: (214)768-1646
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email: yokebreaker@mac.com
