Tony Melendez - Up Close and Personal

by Lynn Geyer, President of the Catholic Association of Music

Tony Melendez is one of the best loved Catholic musicians. Born without arms in Nicaragua, he learned to play the guitar with his toes! He and his manager/brother, Jose, have traveled throughout the U.S. and 40 countries; he has appeared on countless TV shows and received numerous commendations and awards. Tony was invited to perform 3 more times for Pope John Paul II in addition to the first time when he received the legendary kiss from the Pope and was told by him, “Tony, you are truly a courageous young man. You are giving hope to all of us. My wish to you is to continue giving this hope to all the people”. In that message from JPII, Tony realized the reason he was born without arms. It was without arms that he would embrace the world.

Nora Dieseldorff, from the band, Karysma, Miami, FL says, “Tony has no physical hands yet knows perfectly well how to embrace. One evening after a concert, we, in Karysma, were praying over our drummer, laying hands upon him. After a while of intense prayer, Tony quietly slipped his sandals off and humbly placed his feet atop those of our anguished drummer. The impact received through Tony's feet, for this man, was felt throughout the group. How awesome is the loving presence of the Spirit of God through Tony!”

I met Tony and Jose in 1998 while attending a Catholic Association of Music Conference. At one point Tony stood and spoke with gratitude about the way God works in his life. When trials would test his patience, his mother, Sara, always told him, “Trust God, Tony. He made you and He will take care of you.” Tears welled in his eyes. Amazingly, with his lips, he plucked a Kleenex from a tissue box, placed it on his shoulder and wiped his eye, moved it to the other shoulder and did the same. I was in tears watching this simple act. My admiration was boundless; I was humbled, thinking of all I took for granted. I’ll never forget this moment.

I had the profound pleasure of meeting the remarkable Sara and family in 2007 as we gathered at their parish, Lady of the Lake, in Branson, MO to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Tony’s legendary encounter with Pope John Paul II. I got to meet Tony’s wife, Lynn, and their two children, Marisa and Andres and Jose’s wife, Anna, and their four, Alex, Espi and baby twins, Sophie and Sebastian. We watched a retrospective video compilation and people spoke about Tony. But it was Jose who shared the most moving words, how proud he was of his brother, how proud he was of his role behind the scenes. There is no finer example of wind beneath wings than Jose Melendez.

John Michael Talbot appreciates the miracle of Tony Melendez. "Tony has had a big impact on me. First, one simply weeps when they see him play. None of our problems seem insurmountable after seeing Tony play without arms or hands. Personally, after the first ten minutes or so seeing Tony drive or eat he seems ordinary as anyone. Lastly, his humility is extraordinary compared to anyone, disabled or not. This is, perhaps what I most appreciate about Tony. He is always a joy to share concert tours with. Jose has been not only Tony's brother, but his manager/booking agent as well. His dedication to Tony, without overlooking all those he works with, is most admirable."

Susan Stein, President of Heartbeat Records has often worked with Tony and Jose. “It’s always a joy to work with Tony, Jose and the band. The love and respect that they have for each other is heartwarming and a true example of being brothers and sisters in Christ. Tony is an exceptional artist, never demanding any special attention. May God continue to bless him and Jose, who gives willingly of all his gifts in order to assist his brother on all levels..”

Tony was our first headliner in “Merry Christmas, New York City”, an annual concert I produce. At rehearsal, Jose efficiently took over stage management, gaining admiration from the hard nosed Local One Union tough guys. He saved them so much work and time that they gave me a credit for unused labor, quite rare on a NY stage. Many in the audience were unfamiliar with Tony but he won their hearts immediately. He got them waving their lit up cell phones while standing, singing God’s praises in Lincoln Center, of all places! One of our concert goers said she hadn’t felt this good about Christmas in fifteen years.

Canadian, Denis Grady, International Director of CAM and founder of Franciscan and Friends Music Mission offers these observations, “I’ve worked two Canadian tours with Tony & Jose. They’ve set the bar high for Catholic artists; production, sound and the band, all first class. People in Canada are still raving about the concerts. Jose is a delight to be around; he manages to keep his smile under the stress of being road manager, booking agent, publicity director, emcee, soundman, and personal assistant. The guy needs to write a book for rest of us!”
Tom Booth reflects, “I’ve had the pleasure to sing, work and travel with Tony and Jose. It's funny; you forget Tony doesn't have arms. He’s just normal, funny, happy and a great guy. However, he’s special because he’s constantly overcoming the physical challenges that come with his "disability". I am honored to be a friend and a brother on the journey. He, Renee Bondi and I are all in the same "graduating class". We started our ministries about the same time in the western United States. I feel a unique bond with them both. Jose Melendez is a character! And what a great brother he is to Tony. They’re a package. One inhales; the other exhales. What I’ve really grown to appreciate is Jose's deepened sense of ministry. He has always been a good manager, sound man, promoter etc., one of the best, for sure. But Jose has become a minister as well. He does what he does with a lot of love and care, and he does so with the gospel of Jesus Christ in the forefront. He’s a blessing to Tony and to the Church for what he has helped to accomplish: the vibrant and effective ministry of Tony Melendez, and the building up of a Contemporary Catholic music culture in the U.S and beyond.”

Another great thing about Tony and Jose is that they are generous. Jose came off tour for a few days and drove to Eureka Springs, AR with daughter, Espi, to speak at our CAM conference. He could easily have stayed home and rested for 3 days before heading immediately back on the road. Instead, he felt it important to share his ministry knowledge with artists hoping to learn and grow by coming to the CAM conference. When I contacted them about this article they were willing to talk with me on the weekend when they were at home between tours. Knowing how important family time is, it was decided a question/answer format would be less time consuming and would probably be as effective as a phone conversation. Here they share advice, current news and some personal thoughts.

GV: GrapeVine contributor Nick Alexander has admired Tony and Jose for many years, and wonders if there’s any chance of OCP publishing “The Lord’s Prayer” or “You Are My God” in the Spirit and Song resources.
T/J: We’re in conversation with OCP and are moving in that direction. Thanks!
GV: Congratulations on your first Spanish CD, Esperanza! Has your ministry changed with the additional travel to Latin America?
T/J: Our mission remains the same; we’ve taken the words of Pope John Paul II and his commission to heart and are trying to live that mission out in North & South America. We’re truly global at this point; we’ve been to 40 countries. We spend 50% of our ministry outside the USA. We try to stay grounded and our mission is to give hope. We haven’t changed the mission but it has grown over so many years. We celebrated 20 years in 2007.
GV: Have you always been devout Catholics? What influence has family had on your spiritual development?
T/J: We’re cradle Catholics but it was in high school that we truly experienced the real Love of the Lord. Family is the core of how we started and why we still do what we do!
GV: As you were growing up and developing your musical sense, who were your greatest influences?
T/J: John Denver, James Taylor and many others but our father was the greatest influence.
GV: What caused you to choose Takamine over any other guitar manufacturer?
T/J: The low cost and the quality of the Takamine guitar is appealing. It’s not a high end guitar but is road worthy and the internal pickup is one of the best.
GV: How has the internet impacted your ministry?
T/J: In three major ways; one is accessibility. It provides people fast and easy access to us. Two is the free promotion it provides; if you type Tony Melendez into Youtube there are over 300 pages!!! When the Holy Father died someone uploaded the clip with Pope John Paul II to and literally millions have reviewed it. We couldn’t pay for that kind of exposure! And finally it has provided a global and cheap way for us to provide our promotional material to those who want to book us. We’ve uploaded it to our website and with a username/passkey sponsors can download all of our promo material.
GV: How do you balance a touring ministry AND being family guys?
T/J: The key is being involved no matter where you are and more important living the words of Jesus. Being a servant and placing others before you! We try to balance it all by bringing the family as often as possible and try not to be on the road more than two weeks at any one time. The other most important thing is prayer! Both of us pray with our families whether we are home or not.
GV: How much time in a typical year are you on the road? What’s your favorite aspect of ministry work?
T/J: We average 150 gigs per year, always a mixture of both singing and speaking. Our favorite aspect is that we have the potential to change people’s attitudes and encourage them towards a relationship with Christ.
GV: Jose, you have been spotted many times in the director’s booth of venues outside your own ministry. What does it take to get you to direct a venue unrelated to your own family ministry?
T/J: Timing is really the issue, because I see that as my ministry. I love the production end of the entertainment and even wish we would use it as a means of enhancing liturgy.
GV: What advice would you offer to aspiring Catholic musicians?
T/J: Be honest to yourself and don’t be afraid of being the local guy or gal. Not everyone is meant to be an American idol or have a full time touring ministry. God is greater than all that and he has given all of us a vocation!
GV: How did you put the outstanding band together?
T/J: The Lord has provided these people and their respective gifts. We didn’t intend to be ethnically correct or plan on an ecumenical group but God made it clear by blessing us in such an abundant manner.
GV: Are new projects in the pipeline?
T/J: We hope to release Hope the English version of Esperanza and a more acoustic project. We have recently added Anthony Guerrero to develop a DVD series, an extension of our ministry.
GV: What’s the chance of the Melendez brothers slowing down?
T/J: As our mother put it at the 20 year celebration, it is our time and there will be time for resting later. For now we look for the balance and pray that God continues to use us.

Mama Sara was so right; now is their time and praise God, the balance seems to be nicely met. Please support their ministry by visiting www.TonyMelendez.com.

Listen to Episode #99 of the GrapeVine News Minute to hear clips from Tony's recent performance at the Proud2BCatholic Festival. Watch the video that goes along with this podcast and see Tony in action.

© Copyright 2008 GrapeVine. Permission to copy or reprint this story must be obtained by writing to susan@gvonline.net. Used by permission.