I guess you could call me the old man of this foursome, or as Jim Casey would say, "The Preacher" in "The Preacher and the Choir Boys." … What a ride the last ten years have been!! When we first got together, I was the only one married with a child and Jamey (my wife) hemmed our clothes, coached us, and was our biggest fan. Now Cheryl, JoAnn, and Tiffany have joined the family and all of us have children – eleven to be exact – WOW! Yes the 3 Men & A Melody family is growing, how AWESOME is that!!! As we have grown, we have had growing pains, but through it all our love of A Cappella music and this quartet’s family ties have remained firm.

Well, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I am a United Methodist pastor and I have been since 1994. Previous to 1994 I was an environmental chemist (gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer operator) and this experience along with our understanding of how the world works has helped greatly in my ministry. I too received my undergraduate degree from Northwest Missouri State University and received my Masters of Divinity Degree from St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, MO. Music has always been a huge part of my life and 3 Men & A Melody along with Jamey’s and my music ministry keep me healthy and happy. The Ambassadors of Harmony has become a huge part of my life as well, and what a wonderful experience that has been!

I always blame Jamey and my three awesome boys (Paul, David, and Stephen) for my hair loss, but if the truth were known, it’s really because I’ve been trying to keep these three "boys" in line for ten years now. It has been a blast guys, filled with triumphs and defeats, and the best times are yet to come. I want to take a moment to thank Brad, Brian, and Chris. When I graduated from college and left the auditioned vocal groups of which I had been a part, I thought the days of singing with that kind of quality had ended. But the three of you are absolutely phenomenal and I truly thank you for your friendship and the fact that you take an average voice like mine and make it sound good! Thanks guys.

For all of you that read this, I want to share something that is VERY important with you. No matter who you are, no matter where you’ve been, no matter what you’ve done --- God loves you. As a matter of fact, He loves you so much that He overcame death and sin so that you could have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:38-39)

Thanks and blessings,

Eric Derks

Psalm 100