WHO IS LARRY W. ROBINSON, AND WHY SHOULD YOU CONNECT WITH HIM?
During Stellar Awards Weekend in Charlotte, I walked around wearing a shirt that simply said, “CONNECT WITH LARRY,” along with a QR code and my website.
It was a conversation starter, and several people asked me a very fair question:
“Who are you, and why should I connect with you?”
I wasn't offended at all. In fact, I appreciated the question.
It made me realize that while there are people who have known my voice, followed my work, attended my events, read my publications, or crossed paths with me over the years, there is an entirely new generation of artists, creatives, broadcasters, entrepreneurs, and gospel music lovers who may have absolutely no idea who Larry W. Robinson is.
So, allow me to introduce myself.
Before there were awards, magazines, syndicated radio broadcasts, podcasts, interviews, websites, books, events, or honors, I was simply a young man who loved gospel music.
I sang in the church choir, the male chorus, and school choirs. Gospel music wasn't an “industry” to me then. It was part of my life. It was church. It was community. It was ministry. It was the soundtrack playing around me.
Then, while in high school, I was introduced to radio and television through Ms. Linda Leonard's inaugural Radio and Television class, and something awakened in me.
I can still remember the radio that sat in my grandmother's kitchen. I called it the little black box, and I would say that one day I was going to be on the other side of that box.
I didn't know exactly how it would happen.
But it happened.
I received an opportunity to work at an AM radio station in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and became a morning announcer playing gospel music.
And from that day until this one, I've been on somebody's radio station.
What started with a young man behind a microphone in Lake Charles eventually grew into more than three decades in broadcasting and what is now the internationally syndicated The Larry W. Robinson Show.
But somewhere along this journey, I discovered that I didn't want to simply play gospel music.
I wanted to help preserve it.
I wanted to tell its stories.
I wanted to honor the people who made it.
I wanted to create opportunities for voices that might otherwise never receive a platform.
And I wanted the people laboring faithfully in local communities to know that their contributions mattered too.
Around 1995, I began what was originally called the Gospel Heritage Showcase, an effort that eventually evolved into The Gospel Music Honors.
For approximately three decades, I have used that platform to recognize people for their contributions to the preservation and advancement of gospel music.
Some of those people may never receive a nationally televised award.
Their names may never trend.
They may never walk a red carpet.
But they taught somebody to sing. They played the organ. They directed the choir. They hosted the radio program. They promoted the concert. They supported the artists. They preserved the traditions. They opened church doors. They mentored young musicians. They served their communities.
I have always believed that people shouldn't have to become famous before somebody tells them their contribution mattered.
That passion for preservation also became part of what I called the Gospel History Moment.
Long before short-form educational content became commonplace on social media, I was using radio and gospel events to take brief moments to talk about gospel music history, its pioneers, its songs, its movements, and the people whose work helped create the music we enjoy today.
Because I believe we cannot properly celebrate gospel music without remembering the people who helped build it.
Then another idea was born that became one of my signature contributions:
Gospel Singing on the Spot.
The concept was beautifully simple.
Put singers on the spot and let them sing!
No elaborate production necessary. No massive stage required. Sometimes all we needed was a microphone, a voice, a song, and an opportunity.
Through Gospel Singing on the Spot, I have been privileged to platform singers and artists from around the country and even around the world, from emerging independent voices to people audiences already knew.
Those moments became part of my radio broadcasts and eventually expanded into the digital world, allowing these voices and performances to reach audiences far beyond wherever we happened to be standing when somebody was put “on the spot.”
Then came Gospel Updates.
Through Gospel Updates, interviews, radio, podcasting, digital media, social media, and eventually Gospel Updates Magazine, I continued doing what I had already been doing for years: documenting, promoting, celebrating, interviewing, informing, and creating platforms for people connected to gospel music.
Over the years, I've interviewed artists, shared industry news, introduced independent talent, celebrated established voices, preserved historical information, and tried to use whatever microphone or platform I had available to help somebody else be heard.
And somewhere along the way, while I was busy celebrating everybody else, people began celebrating me.
I've been humbled to receive numerous awards and recognitions over the years for broadcasting, media, promotion, publishing, and service, including industry awards, civic recognition, recognition connected to my hometown of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and ultimately the President's Lifetime Achievement Award.
I've also been blessed to receive recognition such as Promoter of the Year, Magazine of the Year, a Spin Award, Best Digital Magazine recognition, a President's Award, and a Special Proclamation from the Office of the Mayor of Lake Charles, among other honors and acknowledgments received throughout this journey.
I'm grateful for every plaque, certificate, trophy, proclamation, resolution, letter, and person who thought enough of my work to say, “We see you.”
But none of those things is really my answer to the question:
“Why should I connect with Larry?”
My answer is much simpler.
Connect with me if you love gospel music.
Connect with me if you believe its history deserves to be preserved.
Connect with me if you're an independent artist looking for people who understand that today's emerging voice could become tomorrow's legend.
Connect with me if you're a broadcaster, singer, musician, songwriter, producer, pastor, author, publisher, entrepreneur, creative, promoter, media professional, or visionary who understands that relationships still matter.
Connect with me if you believe collaboration can accomplish things competition never will.
Connect with me if you believe we should document our history while the people who made the history are still here to tell us what happened.
Connect with me if you're building something meaningful and looking for other people who are building too.
And connect with me if you simply believe that sometimes one relationship, one introduction, one conversation, one opportunity, or one divine connection can change the trajectory of somebody's life.
When I walked around Stellar Awards Weekend wearing that CONNECT WITH LARRY shirt, I wasn't suggesting that I was the most important person in the room.
Far from it.
I was simply inviting people into a relationship.
But I realize now that behind that QR code was a story.
Behind that QR code was a little boy who loved gospel music.
Behind it was my grandmother's little black radio.
Behind it was a young man saying, “One day I'm going to be on the other side of that box.”
Behind it were church choirs, male choruses and school choirs.
Behind it was my first radio opportunity in Lake Charles.
Behind it were early mornings behind microphones.
Behind it were thousands of songs played.
Behind it were interviews and conversations.
Behind it was the Gospel Heritage Showcase.
Behind it were decades of Gospel Music Honors.
Behind it were Gospel History Moments.
Behind it were countless singers being put on the spot.
Behind it was Gospel Singing on the Spot.
Behind it was Gospel Updates.
Behind it was Gospel Updates Magazine.
Behind it were independent artists who simply needed somebody to give them a chance.
Behind it were nationally known artists who graciously shared their stories with me.
Behind it were radio stations that trusted me with their airwaves.
Behind it were people who heard my voice long before they ever saw my face.
Behind it were awards, honors, proclamations, recognitions, disappointments, closed doors, unexpected opportunities, lessons learned, relationships built, and more than three decades of staying connected to an industry and a music that I genuinely love.
So, for everybody who met me during Stellar Awards Weekend and asked:
“Who are you?”
I'm Larry W. Robinson.
I'm a broadcaster.
I'm a syndicated media personality.
I'm an author and publisher.
I'm a platform builder.
I'm a Gospel music historian and preservationist.
I'm a creator of opportunities.
I'm the founder of The Gospel Music Honors and Gospel Singing on the Spot.
I'm the publisher of Gospel Updates Magazine.
I'm the host of The Larry W. Robinson Show.
But perhaps most importantly, I'm still that guy who loves gospel music and believes that if God gives me a microphone, a platform, a publication, a camera, a stage, or a relationship, I ought to use some of it to open a door for somebody else.
That's who Larry is.
And after more than 30 years, I'm grateful for what I've been able to contribute, but I don't believe my greatest contribution is behind me.
There's still history to preserve.
There are still voices to platform.
There are still people to honor.
There are still stories to tell.
There are still connections to make.
And there is still work to do.
So whether you've known me for 30 years or discovered me 30 seconds ago:
Hello. I'm Larry W. Robinson.
Now you know a little more about who I am, what I do, where I've been, and why that shirt said:
CONNECT WITH LARRY.
And if something in my journey, work, platforms, or purpose connects with something in yours...
Let's connect.
#LarryWRobinson #ConnectWithLarry #GospelMusic #GospelMusicHistory






