Catching Up With ...Avalon
Janna Long reminisces over the group's 13-year history as new member Jeremi Richardson considers the shoes he's now filling.
by Andree Farias | posted 2/04/2008
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Greg Long (left), Janna Long, Jeremi Richardson, and Melissa Greene—moving Avalon forward by reflecting on past CCM hits.
Janna, it's been over a decade since Avalon got started in Christian music. What's your most treasured memory from the group to this point?
Janna Long I have so many wonderful memories from this journey, but one of my favorites was winning the American Music Award [for Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist in 2003]. It is a fan-based award and we received it at a time when we were least expecting it. It was truly a dream come true.
A heart condition and recent vocal ailment sidelined your friend Jody McBrayer from the group—this is his last album. As a fellow founding member, was it difficult to see him go?
Long To say it was hard to see Jody go is such an understatement.I miss him terribly, and yet I know it was the right decision.I love him dearly and miss singing with him all the time.
You're the only original member remaining in the group. Do you see Avalon becoming a launching pad for other singers' ministries, similar to Truth?
Long I am grateful for my time with Truth and other ministries I was involved with before Avalon.However, as Jody's position has been the only change in the last five years [Melissa Greene replaced Cherie Adams in 2003], I think I can safely say that this group is here to stay—at least until God shows us otherwise.We are so grateful to have Jeremi Richardson as our newest member, and we will continue to move forward in our ministry as long as God opens doors for us to do so.
Jeremi, as the newcomer to the group, I'm sure in the beginning you felt like you had some big shoes to fill. Was it initially hard to adjust?
Jeremi Richardson A huge adjustment. For the last several years, I have worked at Walt Disney World, so transferring from a theme park environment to a traveling group like Avalon is about as night and day as possible. The rest of the group made the transition very smooth, and within a few weeks I felt at ease. I have been a fan of Avalon since they started, and I'm a major fan of Jody's work—with Truth, with Avalon, and as a solo artist. It is an honor to continue the work that he was doing and to make a place for myself at the same time.
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