Power of Love

Background:

American pianist and composer of new age and contemporary Christian music, recording artist, television host and syndicated radio show host John Tesh was a sportscaster, news anchor and reporter before reaching fame as the co-host of the nightly showbiz news magazine “Entertainment Tonight,” a coveted gig he held from 1986 to 1996. As a sportscaster, he netted a couple of Emmy Awards for his Pan American Games theme and the theme to the Tour de France. Known worldwide as a leading and reputable figure in the entertainment and broadcasting industries, Tesh gained even more recognition for his work in music thanks to a series of phenomenon albums like “Garden City” (1989), “A Romantic Christmas” (1992), his largest hit up to now, “Monterey Nights” (1993), “Sax by the Fire” (1994), “Live at Red Rocks” (1995), “Sax on the Beach” (1996) and “Sax All Night” (1997). Three of Tesh's albums in 2002, “A Deeper Faith,” “Christmas Worship” and “Power of Love,” all dotted the Billboard Pop and Christian Music charts and he earned a 2003 Grammy nomination for his work in the latter. Also in 2003, Tesh started building a solid reputation in the world of radio with a nationally-syndicated radio called “John Tesh Radio Show,” from which he has been named Radio Ink magazine's Reader’s Poll Favorite Syndicated Radio personality.

Outside the spotlight, Tesh is known as an avid lover of Star Trek. Once in an interview he said that “Star Trek” (1966) was the only show he was permitted to watch as a kid. Later, he appeared as a Klingon warrior in a 1989 episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” called “The Icarus Factor.” In addition, a character in a “Deep Space Nine” comic was derived to resemble Tesh. Tesh also has been a lifelong advocate for the power and commendation found in worship music. He is regular music director at his Sherman Oaks, California church.

As for his marriage life, Tesh has been divorced from Julie Wright (together from 1982 to 1991) and is now the husband of actress Connie Sellecca. They now reside in Los Angeles.

Lambda Chi Alpha

Childhood and Family:

John Frank Tesh was born on July 9, 1952, in Garden City, Long Island, New York. He was educated at Garden City High School and after graduating in 1970, attended North Carolina State University, where he studied communications and music. In college, he also became a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He also studied with teachers from the prestigious Juilliard School as a youth.

John has been married twice. He tied the knot with first wife Julie Wright in 1982, but divorced eight years later in 1991. He married his current spouse, actress Connie Sellecca, on April 4, 1992. The couple have one child together, Prima. John also has a son named Gib.

A Romantic Christmas

Career:

New York native John Tesh developed a love for music since childhood He began playing piano and trumpet at age 6, and as a teenager joined the New York State Symphonic Orchestra. In the meantime, he also played organ and trombone in local rock bands. He worked as a news anchor at WTVD in Durham, North Carolina, while still in college, and upon earning his degree in music and communications, moved to Orlando, Florida where he accepted a television position at WFTV. Tesh went on to move throughout the southeastern U.S., working in a series of TV stations, including WSM-TV in Nashville, Tennessee where he served as a news anchor and reporter and frequently covered the same issues as Oprah Winfrey who then worked at a rival Nashville station, until he joined the CBS network's New York City affiliate, WCBS. There, at age 23, he became the station's youngest reporter.

Six years later, in 1981, Tesh took the position as a commentator on “The CBS Sports Spectacular” and later won Emmys for his Pan American Games topic and the theme to the Tour de France. He served as a sportscaster for the latter event for three years from 1983 to1986 and made the difference of becoming the anchor for the first American broadcast of this bicycle race event. Later, he covered gymnastics at the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.

In 1986, Tesh departed CBS in favor of a hosting gig in the syndicated “Entertainment Tonight” with co-anchor Mary Hart, from which he would enjoy major prominent for the next ten years until he decided to quit to focus more on his music. While TV maintained his mainly emphasis, Tesh never damped his dreams of launching a career in music, and then in 1988, with the release of a debut album called “Tour de France,” his dreams came true. Initially panned by critics for his brand of melodramatic, orchestral new age music, Tesh acquired more following with his subsequent album, “Garden City” (1989), and confirmed his growing status as a musician in 1991 by taking home another pair of Emmys for his music for NBC Sport's coverage of the World Track and Field Championships. After establishing his own label, GTS, he released “A Romantic Christmas” (1992), which went on to become his biggest hit to date, and smashes like “Monterey Nights” and “Sax by the Fire” followed in 1993 and 1994, respectively. “Live at Red Rocks,”a PBS special and album, became something of a phenomenon in 1995.

The following year saw Tesh leave “Entertainment Tonight” in order to solely concentrate on music. His work paid off and he continued to receive notice with a string of hits like “Sax on the Beach” (1996) and its follow-up “Sax All Night” (1997). Next works included “John Tesh & Friends” and “One World” (both 1999), “Pure Hymns” (2000), “Classical Music for an Intimate Mood,” “Pure Orchestra,” “Pure Gospel” as well as “Classical Music for Babies” (And Their Moms) (all 2001), “The Power of Love,” “Christmas Worship” and “A Deeper Faith” (all 2002) and “Worship Collection: Awesome God” (2003). “The Power of Love” received a 2003 Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album. “Worship at Red Rocks” (2004), the family-friendly CD and DVD and also a national television special, was certified gold by the RIAA.

In May 2007, Tesh released “A Passionate Life,” a CD featuring the most passionate songs written over the past 20 years. His “Piano Gospel Dance” DVD is slated for 2008 release. It features combination of Tesh's music, big gospel choirs and hip-hop dance. Tesh is also scheduled to launch his next book, “A Passionate Life,” on March 11, 2008. Revealing his own personal story of how he “has applied certain principles to live a complete and passionate life,” the book is published by Thomas Nelson. Matt Baugher, Thomas Nelson vice president and publisher, said, “We are very excited to publish this book with John and to work with him and his team to relay this important and encouraging message.” He added, “This will be a major release for Thomas Nelson in the first quarter of the new year.”

Already a figure in TV and music industry, Tesh branched out to another medium, radio. He started “The John Tesh Radio Show” in 2003 and has since become one of the most listened-to voices on the air. The show, which plays “1980s, 1990s, and today's soft rock” music, has recently won Tesh Radio Ink magazine’s Reader’s Poll for “Favorite Syndicated Radio personality” and according to Tesh, now airs on about 250 stations nationwide.

“This show was created for my wife, (actress Connie Sellecca). She's one of those people where, you look at her side of the bed (and see) six issues of Prevention magazine and five months of Oprah magazine . . . (she) never has time to read any of that stuff . . . I feel there's enough entertainment there - nobody needs to know the latest in the trial of Anna Nicole Smith from us, or who the celebrity birthdays are. So I said, ‘Let's just do something that moves people forward in their life, and we'll do the work for them.'” John Tesh

Awards:
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