Spirit & Truth - The Group
ARE YOU READY TO PRAISE?!? New to the Urban Gospel scene is the exciting and dynamic group Spirit & Truth. Founded in 1999 by Jared B. Elston, Spirit & Truth has truly broken the barriers and stereotypes of what "praise and worship" is by demonstrating that it is all about the message not the style. This is apparent by their usage of several different genres of music including Rap, Hip-Hop, contemporary R&B and Latin styles in their music.
The main goal of Spirit & Truth is to minister God's Word in such a way as to enable people to have a real and genuine life-changing encounter with the Spirit of God.
Spirit & Truth released their debut on compact disc: Spirit & Truth: D.L.O.W. Different Level Of Worship in 2002. True to their form, the C.D. was an eclectic blend of different styles of music all united to praise and worship God! It included the crowd favorite "Give God the Praise", old time favorite with a latin twist, "You Are Awesome", the contemplative and moving ballad, "Stand In Awe", as well as the explosive Hip-Hop remix to Give God the Praise, "GGTP!"
Since that release Spirit & Truth has continued to minister at various venues throughout the community. In 2005, Spirit and Truth had the privilege of opening for the legendary Andrae Crouch and the incomparable Howard Hewitt over a two day period, and added to their list of accomplishments by opening for the Christian group Out of Eden at the popular UrbanFest in Oakland California! In 2007, Spirit & Truth were honored to perform at the Annual Drum Major for Justice celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr where renowned actor/orator Louis Gossett, Jr was the keynote speaker. They also shared the stage with gospel singing sensation Kelly Price at the ACOP youth extravaganza.
PRAISEOLOGY, their much anticipated sophomore release, has hit the scene hard with their dynamic harmonies and eclectic styles and is sure to whet their listeners’ appetite for more!
Jared B. Elston - Leader/Founder & CEO
Jared B. Elston is a proud husband and father of three. He was born and raised in Fresno, California and has been singing since age 2. He began playing the drums at age 4 and started playing the piano by ear at age 9. He has been writing songs and arranging vocals since he was 10 years old and was the musician for his High School gospel choir at 16. He became a member of Born Again and Delivered (BAAD), a local community choir, at age 17 and also became a member of a male quartet called Musicians With Voices (MWV) that same year. He has been a Praise and Worship Leader since age 19. He is the leader and founder of Spirit and Truth, which was formed in 1999 and began ministering in 2000. He co-founded S.O.G. Productions in 2000 which produced Spirit & Truth’s debut CD D.L.O.W. in 2003. He, along with his production company S.O.G., also produced S & T’s sophomore project Praiseology. He is also the President/CEO of Spirit & Truth’s parent company, Spirit and Truth Music, Inc. Some of his musical influences are Commissioned, Fred Hammond, Take 6, Daryl Coley, Kirk Franklin, Boyz II Men, Art Tatum, Thelonius Monk and Tonex. In his free time Jared enjoys playing basketball, reading, watching movies, video games and playing pool.
Brittney Elston - Soprano/Booking & Networking
Brittney N. Elston was born and raised in Fresno, California. She has been singing since the age of 4. She became a member of Born Again and Delivered (BAAD), a local community choir at age 19. She has performed with various church choirs, musical groups and Praise Teams since age 16. She became a member of Spirit & Truth in 1999 as an original member. She has been serving as a business team member since 2002 and currently serves as Chief Networking Officer in the parent company Spirit & Truth Music, Inc. In her leisure time she enjoys writing, reading and spending time with family. Some of her musical influences are CeCe Winans, Whitney Houston, Fred Hammond and Yolanda Adams.
Lisa Elston - Alto/Marketing
Lisa Elston is a proud wife and mother of three. She was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts but was raised in Fresno, California. She performed with Born Again and Delivered (BAAD), a local community choir, for three years. She’s been a member of Spirit & Truth since its conception in 1999. She currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the group’s parent company, Spirit & Truth Music, Inc. Her favorite Gospel Artist is Fred Hammond and RFC. Her parents have been two of her greatest spiritual influences. When Lisa has any spare time she enjoys reading and doing jigsaw puzzles.
Bianca D. Levine - Alto/Dance Committee Coordinator
Bianca D. Levine is the youngest of three children. She was born and raised in Oakland, California. She grew up at Beth Eden Baptist Church where she began singing at age five. She performed with the Oakland Interfaith Youth Gospel Choir for two years and Joyful Sound for four years. She moved to Fresno, California to pursue music in 2002. She is currently writing for some up and coming urban artists in Oakland. She is also an aspiring recording engineer. She became a member of Spirit & Truth in 2004. Her biggest musical influence is Daryl Coley.