Minnesota gospel group The Steeles to play 40th, final Christmas concert

NINA MOINI: Well, this weekend will be your last chance to experience the long-standing and beloved holiday show, A Christmas Celebration with the Steeles. You heard that right. After 40 years, Minnesota gospel group The Steeles are wrapping up their run of Christmas concerts.

Siblings J.D, Fred, Jearlyn, Jevetta, and Billy Steele have brought their joyful holiday harmonies to Minnesota audiences since 1984, and they're planning to go out with a bang one last time at the Pantages Theatre this Saturday and Sunday.

Now, the Steeles are an integral part of the Minnesota sound. They've recorded and performed with Prince, Morgan Freeman, and others throughout their long and vibrant careers. And the family's traveled across the world. They've contributed to several soundtracks. Jevetta Steele has taken a break from all she's doing in her rehearsals to join us to talk about their final Christmas shows. And we're so honored to have you, Jevetta. Thank you.

JEVETTA STEELE: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.

NINA MOINI: How does it feel as I just was reading through everything you all have accomplished together? How does it feel to hear it?

JEVETTA STEELE: It just sounds like you're talking about somebody else. We see it as just part of the journey. It's been so incredible, and we've been so fortunate that we just kind of roll with it all and then look back. And so that's what will be happening this weekend as well. We're going to take a step back and remember where we started all this and why we started it and how wonderful it's been.

NINA MOINI: And tell me about that. It all started in Gary, Indiana, right?

JEVETTA STEELE: It did. My father was a singer and musician. His father was a singer and musician. His father's father was a singer and musician. And so they passed that on to us. And believe it or not, even our children are amazing talents as writers, producers, dancers, singers. It's quite amazing that this legacy still lives on.

NINA MOINI: I do believe you that your kids are amazing at music. Tell me about how you decided to form a group as siblings.

JEVETTA STEELE: I didn't. I wasn't involved in that decision. I was quite a bit younger than my other siblings, but I started singing it about 5 or 6 years old. My first television appearance was at 7. And it was my father. He just believed in us as children. And I remember my siblings opening for people like Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers on the gospel market and The Blind Boys.

And then 25, 30 years later, we ended up doing a play that landed on Broadway called The Gospel at Colonus, which was a 30-year journey for us with some of those very same groups, The Soul Stirrers, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Morgan Freeman, Carl Lumbly, all of these amazing actors and singers. So again, it just keeps coming full circle for our lives.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. You've been working hard for a long time in the business. I'm curious about the Christmas show, in particular. How much prep goes into this show, and what can folks expect for this last run?

JEVETTA STEELE: It's going to be the fab five. None of our children will be a part of it this year. They are now adults and all over the country. So it will be the five Steeles and our amazing band. We have Cori Wong who is a huge star right now, guitar player.

We have Kenni Holman on horns and he's from New Power Generation, The Hornheads with Prince. My son Kenyon Jackson is on drums and my cousin Chris Smith is on bass. And so between them and us, we're going to try and bring some music and holiday favorites and have a great time.

NINA MOINI: Yeah. And so I understand you do do a mix of originals and then some classic songs. You shared one of your original holiday tunes with us, so we're going to play a little bit of called This Must Be Christmas. Let's take a listen and then talk about it on the other side.

[THE STEELES, "THIS MUST BE CHRISTMAS"] There's much cheers this time of year. I know, I know, I know that this must be Christmas. That time of the year when family and friends come home sharing--

Beautiful. Jevetta, what inspires you all? How does your writing process work?

JEVETTA STEELE: I think those lyrics are the antithesis of what inspires us, friends and family. Every year for Christmas, there are about 72 people that used to gather at my home.

NINA MOINI: Wow.

JEVETTA STEELE: Yeah, we just sold our home. And so now we go to a party room in the apartment building. But it's this huge gathering of family and friends, and that's what inspires us. That constant love and support of what God has placed in us. And I think for me as a writer, I like to write about things that I know something about. And family and friends gathering and coming together, I know about that.

NINA MOINI: And you all also create new arrangements for traditional Christmas hits that are out there. We're going to listen to one of those. This is, of course, the classic I'll Be Home for Christmas from your 2017 performance that was here at MPR studios.

[THE STEELES, "I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS"] I'll be home for Christmas. You can count on me. Please have snow and mistletoe and presents on the tree. Tree.

Beautiful. Is it hard to come up with new arrangements for these classics? How is it similar or not to your overall writing process?

JEVETTA STEELE: My brother Fred is-- we call him Dark Gable. He is so handsome and so gifted, and he has these huge ears on the side of his head. And he has the ability to hear 5 and 6-part harmony like it's nothing. And between he and J.D. and Billy, they come up with arrangements. I don't know. It just falls out of the sky. And they'll show up at rehearsal and go, hey, you guys, I've got an idea.

And he'll say, Jevetta sing this. And he'll say, Jearlyn, I need to sing this part. Now try it. Hit it right now. And it's just amazing. Before you know it, he's got this song and its rendition, and we're trying to figure it out. Oh, OK, all right, so what's the tempo? It's like a tornado hitting the room. But it's a blast. We really, really love it. And the process is uniquely different to each one of them as writers, but just as energetic.

NINA MOINI: It's kind of like you're all pieces of a puzzle the way that you've listed the members of the band and, of course, your siblings, the five of you. What emotions are you feeling as this chapter comes to an end?

JEVETTA STEELE: I'm grateful. I don't have any worries about the future. I always figure when we open our hands and let go of something, that means your hands are open and empty and ready to be filled with something new. So I see it as an opportunity to bring something else to our audience, something new and fresh. And so I look forward to it. I'm excited about the weekend.

NINA MOINI: Absolutely. Have you thought beyond that on what might be next for you?

JEVETTA STEELE: Well, we have a show, a Gershwin show called The Colors of Gershwin. We premiered it in 2014, and we've moved it around ever since. And it's a classic show. It's Gershwin music reimagined, and so it's pretty soulful. It's got reggae in it.

I mean, we took Burt Bacharach's music and-- I mean, Burt Bacharach style and Gershwin style and The Steeles style and stirred it all up. And boy, it came out to be something really incredible. So I'm hoping we will take that to more festivals and do some other interesting projects like that.

NINA MOINI: So performing and singing is still going to be a big part of your time and your life.

JEVETTA STEELE: Absolutely. And directing. I love to direct shows. I have the pleasure of directing my family in this show. And so moving forward, I've got another show coming out called The Sounds of Gospel in February at the Fitzgerald. So I'm already preparing to do the next thing that I love to do.

NINA MOINI: Amazing. So happy for you. Thank you, Jevetta, for being here and sharing with us and all the best with your performances this weekend.

JEVETTA STEELE: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And come on out Twin Cities, we want to see you there.

NINA MOINI: All right. Take care, Jevetta. Bye-bye.

JEVETTA STEELE: You too. Bye-bye.

NINA MOINI: That was Jevetta Steele of the sibling group, The Steeles. You can catch their holiday show, A Christmas Celebration with the Steeles, this Saturday and Sunday at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis. For more information, head to our website mprnews.org.

(SINGING) May your days be Merry and bright. And may all your Christmases be white.