It’s a dream come true……and a special privilege to present these songs in this unique way!   The lyrics will be heard as you’ve never heard them before-----with your heart in an awesome melodious sound of the saxophone.  As you listen to the music and imagine the words in your heart, you will hear a profound spiritual expression, with words such as “nothing compares to the promise I have in you,” and “If it wasn’t for the Lighthouse, where would this ship be,” or “where eagles can’t soar, I can see heavens door.”  

It’s been a long journey and as you read these pages, and listen to this music, you will hear and know why these songs have a magnificent and glorious meaning to the heart of Les Blalock.  

As a teen, if you had told Les he would someday be playing gospel music on his tenor saxophone, he would have probably thought it quite humorous.  By the age of 16 he was playing with some of the top jazz bands, and in some of the top clubs in New Orleans and South Louisiana.  He could take his pick of any gig he wanted.  But after a season of riding the waves of secular music success, God led him down a different path of great difficulty to perfect what he had created in the soul of Les Blalock.

Les was born Leslie Oliver Blalock in Jones County, Mississippi.  When he was 3 years old his family moved to Houston, TX. His Father was an oilfield worker and by the time Les was ready to start school, the family migrated to South Louisiana.  Les attended High School in the small town of Bourg.

The oil business in Louisiana was booming during the late fifties and early sixties.  People lived a simple, yet enjoyable life.  At the end of the day, you could see the lights from the shrimp boats up and down the bayou and hear the traditional Cajun tunes as they drifted through the cool swamp breeze.  Les enjoyed these times and soon realized his own musical potential.

He started playing guitar at the age of fourteen.  Even though he was quite good on guitar, he soon realized this was not the instrument for him.  He played the flute in the High School band and eventually taught himself how to play the saxophone.  He was very good and it wasn’t long until he landed his first gig playing with the Arcades.  Les plays several horns including tenor, alto and soprano saxophone and flute.

In 1972, Les graduated from college in Lafayette, LA and taught music in a local Middle School.  After a year, he decided that this was not the career he wanted.  So he packed up his horn and went on the road and did quite well in his musical career for a number of years.  Les was married during his college years and has a son, Ethan, who lives in Louisiana.  The marriage ended a few years after the birth of his son.

He played in clubs and concerts in Florida and all along the East Coast with the Jon Michaels Quintet, which eventually emerged into the Jamie Morad Review.  The band became a ten piece show band and was managed by an agency in Scarsdale, NY.  They served as opening act for some top name groups including the Ace Trucking Company with Martin Mull.  They also played in some of the top clubs in New York such as the Blue Note and The Piedmont.  By this time, Les was enjoying a prosperous musical career. But his life was about to make a drastic and devastating change.

In 1989 his band, was playing a gig in Austin, TX.  After the gig, the band was on their way back to the place where they were staying when the driver of the van apparently fell asleep and ran off   the road throwing Les through the windshield and into a tree.  He had severe head injuries, a punctured diaphragm, and broken limbs.  He stayed in the hospital for months.  He was in great pain and had not fully recovered when they discharged him when he could not pay for his medical treatment.  But, the worst was yet to come.

His horns were destroyed, and his injuries were such that he could not play and was told he would never play the horns again.   He had no where to go, he stayed with friends for awhile, but realized very early he was addicted to the pain medication they had given him in the hospital.  He turned to alcohol because he could not buy drugs to ease his pain.  As time went by, he was literally living on the streets sleeping where he could, wandering aimlessly.  His physique was scantily reduced and he accepted drink over food.  But to quote a line of one of the songs on his album, “As low as life gets, God was not finished yet.”    

“There were times when I wanted to die and it is a miracle that I didn’t.”

He was finally able to reach out to his family for help.   With their help, he returned to Jones County, Mississippi where his Mother lived.  He applied for and received a grant to enroll at the local junior college and pursued a career in Business Computer Programming.  It was at the college that he finally started to play the horn again.  The band director realized his talent and loaned him horns to practice and play.   He played with the Jones County Jazz Ensemble.   It was during this time that God began to change his life.

He started attending a neighborhood Assembly of God Church with another musician friend.  On occasion, he played with the church band.  This was also his first introduction to Southern Gospel music. The songs he learned and played there were a great influence on him giving his life to Christ, but there were still some tough times to work through.   Les had always played secular music and old habits were hard to break.   Recovery was not easy.  But with God’s help and the support of his family and friends, Les has been able to overcome the addictive powers that engulfed his life. 

In 1994 after finishing his computer programming studies, Les started to work for a large appliance company in the small Mississippi town where he lived.  It was there that he met and married a Christian lady who was instrumental in leading him to fully accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.  In 1997, due to a re-location of the company they worked for, Les and his wife moved to Ft. Worth, TX to continue their career where they are employed by an established outsourcing company.

Today, Les plays in his church band at Family Restoration Church in Benbrook, TX.  He also plays small concerts and for special occasions around the Ft. Worth, TX area.  In May of 2001, Les realized a dream of putting ten heartfelt songs on an album.  The album is entitled “Higher Than I’ve Ever Been.”  This title song has been an inspiration to Les because it tells a story of how low a person can get, and how God can change a person’s life and heart. 

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Blalock Musical Ministries
6521 Stockton Drive
Ft. Worth, TX 76132

Phone: 817-263-0345

Email: idap@aol.com