David Spencer – Trumpet

Pastor David Spencer is a professional trumpet player with over 45 years of experience in the field of music. A former student of the Chicago Public School system, he attended Chicago State University (Music Education, BA), Roosevelt University (Music Education, MMEd), and Dallas Theological Seminary (Theology, ThM). As a musician, he has performed countless concerts, commercials, music recordings, and motion pictures. Mr. Spencer has also traveled extensively to various countries as a musician, such as Japan, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Mexico, South Korea, and others. He has performed and toured with the famed Carnegie Hall Jazz Band out of New York with Jon Faddis, the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic with Orbert Davis, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Bill Russo, and other well-known organizations, including the Dizzy Gillespie Reunion Band. In addition, he toured with the Count Basie Orchestra. The list of artists he has been in concert with include Lauryn Hill, Ray Charles, Slide Hampton, Jim Nabors, James Moody, Aretha Franklin, Steve Turre, Lew Soloff, the O’Jays, the Temptations, Barry Manilow, Donnie McClurkin, the Winans, Bonnie Raitt, Cab Calloway, B.B. King, the New World Symphony Orchestra (Michael Morgan, conductor), the Four Tops, Natalie Cole, Mary Mary, the Funk Brothers, Lou Rawls, Kirk Franklin, Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows, the Chicago Opera Brass, Steve Allen (first host of the “Tonight Show”) and Bobby Vinton to name a few. David Spencer has also performed with Salsa and Cumbia bands with various Puerto Rican and Mexican artists. Currently, Mr. Spencer is the professor of trumpet at Chicago State University and the founding and senior pastor of The Church of Chicago. In addition, he performed in the Broadway in Chicago shows “Hairspray,” “Wicked,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” and “Tina.” David Spencer has been married to Dolores for over 40 years and has three children and four grandchildren.