I thank God for the great year I have had in 2009, so many blessings.  Just to share some of the highlights with you, in February 2009 I was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as Ambassador to California.  What a blessing to see the gospel blues genre recognized and honored in this way.  I have also been nominated by the San Francisco Blues Society as Harmonica Player of the Year.  The title will be awarded in the next couple of months, so that will be something to watch for.  In November I served as Grand Marshall of the NAMIWALKS (National Alliance on Mental Illness) fundraiser and awareness event in Hemet, CA.

This year I was also able to tour many states across the US (also Vancouver, B.C), and make some new connections in Southern California.   This gave me the chance to work with many churches, charities and missions projects and play some great blues festivals, community events and other music venues.  A highlight was playing a sold-out concert at the Orange County Pavilion where we recorded and filmed the live album “People Get Ready”.  This past year, with the help of my friends, Eric Turner, Ken Tamplin, Ken Riley, and Curtiss Matovich, I was able to release four albums, “Born to be Wild”, “Life’s Highway”, “The Best of Darrell Mansfield: Volume II” and “People Get Ready” (on CD and DVD).  

2010 is shaping up to be a great year too.  This coming spring I will be going to Russia on a missions trip and am also booking tours in Germany, Belgium, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Australia and possibly some other countries. 

Also to be released in 2010 is a new album I’ve written.  The working title is “New Revelation.”  It is a rock and blues album which is in the process of being recorded and produced. 

This has been a great year for me, mentally, spiritually, and physically.  God has really put me through a refining fire and has renewed and strengthened so many areas of my life through lots of prayer and support.  Thank you all—those who are with me, who have been with me and have helped me in this process. 

Looking forward I feel renewed strength and vision for the future and a true belief that God has significant purposes for me ahead.  Even though I’m so blessed by the ministry God has given me up to this point in my life, I have faith that the future is going to be greater than the past.

Psalm 150

Darrell Mansfield