Jeff: I have a friend of mine, W. H. Yarbough, from Lake Charles, Louisianna. He grew up in Memphis, around Elvis and that whole scene, recording at the same time. We’ll let you hear what was going on there. He made some real strong decisions as a very young man, that have affected not only his life, but the lives of thousands and thousands of people. So, I praise God for people who make a decision to follow the Lord.

Praise God, praise the Lord God. Well, W. H., I appreciate you coming all the way from Louisianna here to be with us. You pastor a church down there, Lake Area Worship Center.

W. H.: Thank you, Jeff. Yes.

Jeff: I’m gonna lift this guitar.

W. H.: It’s a beauty.

Jeff: Isn’t it good? What Scripture have you got for us?

W. H.: Well, let me share that Scripture I was telling you about in my office the other day, Colossians 3:1. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And I think it is time for people to really realize what’s going on in this world and make good decisions for God. Many years ago I was challenged with that. And I had to make a decision. And I am thankful, for over these last forty odd years, now, God has been good to me.

Jeff: Now, were you raised up in a Christian home?

W. H.: Half and half. Mom was a Christian; Dad wasn’t.

Jeff: Were they musical?

W. H.: No, not really. Dad gave me guitar lessons, against my will.

Jeff: Really? And they stuck.

W. H.: He wanted me to do something worth while.

Jeff: That was another ‘train up a child in the way he should go’. So, he taught you guitar.

W. H.: Yeah, yeah. He forced me into it. It was real funny. I got to playing a lot of music in my high school days. We were playing six nights out of seven in clubs around Memphis.

Jeff: Where did you go to high school?

W. H.: Oh, Deenes High School in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jeff: Deenes High School? There was some musical talent in that school.

W. H.: Just a little bit. We had Elvis Presley, that came out of there. Of course, I knew Elvis, played on many a program with him back there. Then there was Red West, he went on to make movies. Red was in my class. I did the strangest thing. Red was known as a real tough guy.

Jeff: Really?

W. H.: And I remember one day, Red slapped me up the side of my head, just playing with me. And it made me mad. And I had temporary brain deadness. I said, ‘Red, you do that again and we’re going outside.' He would have killed me.

Jeff: Really? Well, it's a good thing you didn’t go outside. :)

W. H.: I’m glad I didn’t go outside. :) But, Red was a great guy.

Jeff: Then, I guess with the music you were doin’, it was pretty hot, I guess, to be in Memphis at that time in the music scene. I’m sure you had a lot of opportunities.

W. H.: Memphis was looking for a new sound at that time. Every recording studio at that time was looking for the 'Elvis' sound, like Elvis came out with a new sound. I sat in the back room trying to do a song. We were trying to get it together. And couldn't get it together. Then the Lord saved me. I tell people that He messed me up; but, He really fixed me up.

Jeff: Knocked you of your own course, right?

W. H.: Yes, because things were just getting ready to pop for me back there in 1953-4-5. The Lord came into my life just as contracts were offered.

Jeff: What kinda stuff were you doin'?

W. H.: We were doing the Elvis stuff, you know.

Jeff: It was just the sound of the area, right?

W. H.: This was very popular [guitar lick]. That was That's alright, my Momma.

Jeff: Well, let's do a little of it.

W. H.: It's been a long time, Jeff. I was told I had to drop it down to E. You gave me an A there.

Jeff: I did?

W. H.: That's alright. There was a lot of that other stuff [Blue Suede Shoes].

Jeff: That's our brother that just went to be with the Lord.

W. H.: Carl Perkins. He went on to be with the Lord. Elvis is died; Conway is died. I sang with Conway back just as God saved me. He wasn't Conway then. But I got in Bible college. I guess one of the reasons I was in Bible college...

Jeff: You kinda passed over that, W. H., but you were offered some contracts at that time that other people were acceptin' [with your career and the things that you were performin' in the rockabilly you were doin']. Guys like Conway went and signed, took off. Elvis went, signed, took off. Johnny Cash. You recorded, I understand,Let The Circle Be Unbroken before Johnny did, didn't you?

W. H.: Yeah, We did that.

Jeff: But you turned that down. Why did you?

W. H.: I had a ten year contract that was offered by one of the wealthest men in Memphis, a promoter. They had heard us. They were at a big tent that was placed up here where the Holiday Inn is now. But, they had a big tent up there. They brought in acts all over the country. We were there that night as one of the acts. They offered us a contract. I was eightteen at the time. I went to court and had my minorities removed so I could sign the contract, it would be legally binding.

Jeff: Really?

W. H.: 'Cause if I signed it, three years later they didn't want me jumping contract. So, I had my minorities removed at eightteen and I became legally twenty-one. And my dad had made me go to church. That made me mad, because he didn't go to church. But, he was afraid I was going to get too bad. And so, here comes these contracts. And dad was saying, 'This is just what we've been worked for. This is just what we've wanted you to do. So you won't have to work, like I've worked all my life.' And then, I was having to go to church. You know, you don't stay around the Gospel without it getting into your heart.

Jeff: Amen. The Word of God says, My Word will not return void.

W. H.: It will not return void. It is sharper than a two-edged sword. And going to church one Sunday night, seating there....Thing is it was the only night I didn't play.

Jeff: You were playing in the church?

W. H.: I was playing in the clubs. I was playing six nights in different clubs. And so, Sunday night was the only night that I didn't play the clubs. And I was at church that time. And the Holy Spirit got a hold of my heart. I went to the altar and gave my life to Jesus. And then made my dad real happy, I told him I was thinking about preaching.

Jeff: Hum, was he excited about this, although he wasn't really a church goer himself?

W. H.: He was ready to kill me. He was some what mad.

Jeff: Really? So, he thought you lost...

W. H.: He said, 'You're crazy.' And later on, dad got saved under my ministry. I was preaching one night and dad got saved. But, dad was not happy about me getting saved, at all. And so, I made a decision that I would serve the Lord. I found a Bible college in Memphis. And I said I would try, I will just go and try, see if it was going to work out. I was just a young man. I didn't know anything about this back then. I asked my pastor, 'I think I'm called to preach. What do I do?' He said, 'Let's pray about it.' Man, I didn't want to pray about it. I wanted to rest on it.

Jeff: You just wanted to go do it.

W. H.: I wanted for him to tell me what to do.

Jeff: There was at that time, I guess, or right before that. You said that Elvis was raised up in the church, Pentacostal church.

W. H.: Oh yeah. Elvis sang, he was singing in Assembly of God church back then in that day. His mother was a member of First Assembly.

Jeff: His pastor told him he didn't have a good enough voice to sing in church, something like that? :)

W. H.: Something like that. :)

Jeff: Didn't he get kicked out of the choir?

W. H.: Well, I won't comment on that. :)

Jeff: Yeah, You don't want to, because that Pastor's probably goin', ' Goodness sakes.' You know what? There's a lot of people, though, might not have understood what you were doin' with the music, back then in the church. Were you accepted when you were doin' that kinda rockabilly stuff when you got saved, in the church?

W. H.: You know, things have changed over the years. I remember churches we would go into, they would appoint people to watch us. They were afraid of us. Here I came in with a guitar, amplifier.

Jeff: What is this guitar, here? For the purest out there, they need to know.

W. H.: This is a Gibson Super 400. It's a 1954 model. There's a little story behind this. This guitar was ordered in. And Scotty Miller was going to buy it. Scotty Miller played, recorded and all that. That was just before Elvis hit big. He didn't know if Elvis was going to make it. He didn't buy it. I brought this guitar. And, I'm so happy I did.

Jeff: That is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.

W. H.: This guitar has graduated in price through the years. I had it appraised a few days back. It appraised for $12,500. That's the appraisal on it. Course to me it's worth much more than $12,500.

Jeff: I'm sure. Now, during the time you got saved in Memphis, were the churches receptive to the rockabilly style?

W. H.: Well, not really, they kind of watched you back then. I remember one time went home immediately after we were traveling. We advertised rock'n'roll coming. They had this big ex-Marine in that church. And they had him watching us. He said, 'He would take care of me if I got out of line.' You know, I didn't know what he meant. :)

Jeff: He thought you were gonna trash the place.

W. H.: It was an interesting era of time.

Jeff: Let's do somethin'.

W. H.: You want to do something? Take off and I'll come in. [Both jammed.]

Jeff: That was good. Now, have you had any regrets? You know, if you talk reality, here. You're pastorin' an extremely successful church, wonderful people who love you very much. You've got a group of people, a large group of people there, who are worshippin' God. You're successful, and servin' the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not the same kind, type of success you would had if you had gone off with the Conway Twitty-type contracts, Elvis-type contracts. You would have had a lot of money, a lot more money. I sure you're eatin' three square meals a day. But, what do you have to say to young people with the decision you've made? Have you got regrets, W. H.?

W. H.: No. I've had the devil get on my shoulder, Jeff, a few times. And say, 'What if?'

Jeff: What if what?

W. H.: 'If you had gone on with the contracts. Gotten famous. Then had served the Lord.' But, I think it's kind of like you put it in the office the other day. 'You'd be dead.'

Jeff: Well, yeah.

W. H.: I probably would have been dead. But, I've never regreted serving the Lord. There have been times I've thought about it. The devil would come along. Shared with you about watching the TV one night during the Country Music Awards. Conway was there getting an award. And they talked about Elvis and his twelve/fifteen Cadillacs. That bothered me. Then the Lord spoke to me.

Jeff: Just to hear about the wealth.

W. H.: Kind of like David, Why do the heathen prosper, Lord? I'm out here trying to serve you. I gave all this up. At the time I gave it up, it was a question mark in my mind. But the Scripture I had was, If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. And I did. And today, I think the Lord has given back to me a lot of the things that I gave up. But, He gave them back in a better way. He gave back to me the feeling that I am helping people with my church, with our television outreach, with what we're doing.

Jeff: You have a lovely wife, Carol. She's wonderful woman.

W. H.: Some of my proudest accomplishments....You know, you don't measure success in money, and things like that. But, I count my two sons, Dayrl and Hugh, that are pastors in churches today. They are pastors in California, La Palma and North Little Rock in a church that Carol and I started when they were just babies.

Jeff: I know Dayrl. La Palma, what's the name of that?

W. H.: La Palma Christian Center. He's been there about six or eight months. Hugh pastors Christian Assemby in North Little Rock. I'm proud because I can look back over my life and see the choice I made forty odd years ago was a good choice. God has been good to me.

Jeff: Did you ever get wiped out on drugs? Ever lost you mind from drinkin'? And all the crazy stuff that goes on?

W. H.: No, never. I was just prior to all of that coming in.

Jeff: But, I'm saying since you've been servin' the Lord too. You look at these people who went on to do these things. Elvis died of massive heart attack that many believe was drug induced. Conway died from stomach ulcers and problems. And it goes with the pressure and the road, and all those things. And of course, Johnny Cash, thank God he's servin' the Lord today. But, Johnny is the first one to say he's had a very tough time inspite of the grace of God. So, you've had made the right decision.

W. H.: Well, the decision I made, you know, was pretty hard to make back then, because Sun Records was calling. Jack Clement at that time, he may not remember me now, but Jack was a good friend back in that day. He had become chief engineer for Sun. Jack went on to Nashville to do some things. He wanted me to come in. I was doing a thing, since you did that awhile ago, I was doing a thing back then and he was trying to record it. And we set in the studio for hours. You mind if I show it to you? Ah, this is wild. If he heard that, he would remember. We were trying to do that. And all this came together. And I had just gotten saved. It was a hard decision for a young man to make.

Jeff: I'm sure, brother.

W. H.: You know, a lot of people said, 'Well, you couldn't have made it.' Well, I may not have been able to make it, but...

Jeff: I'm sure with that sound and you're looks and talent, that you've got and had then as a kid, I'm sure you would have gone on and done a lot of stuff in the world. But, you know what? We're down to a minute and I want you to go and do a couple of songs for us. I'd like you to pray with young people or anybody that wants. There are people makin' decisions in their lives. And I'd like to agree with you in prayer for people to make the right decision. Amen.

W. H.: And I want to pray for them. Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, I pray that you would take this telecast, the things that we've said.....Maybe there are people right now that are having to make decisions. Maybe they're faced with challenges. Maybe not the sign contracts; but, Lord they're faced with decisions. And I pray, Father, that you would help them, help them to make the right decision, to choose this day whom they would serve. God, that we would pray that You would just move on their heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. And influence them to serve Jesus Christ and make them Lord of their Life. I pray that today. Jeff and I agree that You're going to move and touch their lives as never before and give them a changing experience today. In Jesus' name, Amen. Hallelujah.

Jeff: Praise you, Lord Jesus. Praise you, Jesus.

W. H.: Thank You, Jeff.

Jeff: That was wonderful. I'm glad that you're not a statistic, overdose of drugs, live on the road of just sad times, then whatever. I'm glad that you chose to serve the Lord. God bless you, W. H., and God bless you.

My Deepest Love,
Jeff
Studio, California, March 1998