Singer and Songwriter Terry Steele | Photo © Heidi Chang

Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Terry Steele and keyboardist Kimo Cornwell perform their own rendition of God Bless America with a lot of heart and soul. They were inspired by the version Marvin Gaye sang at the 1983 NBA All Star Game.

Listen to Terry Steele and Kimo Cornwell perform God Bless America:

[audio:https://heidichang.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/01-God-Bless-America.mp3|titles=Terry Steele and Kimo Cornwell perform God Bless America.]

(Time: 2 min 30 secs)

Along the way, Terry Steele has written for or collaborated with artists such as Whitney Houston, Patti Labelle and Stevie Wonder. He was the principal writer of the Grammy award-winning hit “Here and Now,” sung by Luther Vandross. From 2007 to 2011, Terry starred in the off-Broadway production, “Here and Now” – The Legacy of Luther Vandross. The show garnered rave reviews across the country, with Kimo Cornwell as its musical director.

Earlier, I caught up with Terry when he was performing in Hawaii with the jazz-fusion band Hiroshima. He’s recorded five albums with the group as its lead singer.

For the past twenty years, Kimo Cornwell has played a key role as the keyboardist, composer, arranger and co-producer for Hiroshima. The band has been nominated twice for a Grammy.

Kimo Cornwell with members of the band, Hiroshima | Photo courtesy Kimo Cornwell

Kimo has performed with many diverse artists, ranging from Cheryl Lynn and Al Jarreau, to Rick Springfield, and also many of Hawaii’s top artists, including Don Ho, IZ and Michael Paulo .

Thanks, Kimo and Terry, for sharing your music to celebrate the 4th of July!