Rooted in faith and blessed with an undeniable gift, Pastor Jason Nelson’s journey from a Baltimore church pew to stages before thousands is a story of calling, mentorship and the enduring power of gospel music.
Nelson traces his start to “a small church in Baltimore” where, as a child, he watched his brother sing while he stayed in the background playing bass. Quiet by nature — “most people can’t tell… but I’m an introvert” — he didn’t at first see his voice as anything extraordinary. That changed after a conversation with gospel heavyweight Donald Lawrence.
“[He] started talking to me about the value of my voice and how what I had was very special,” Nelson recalls. Lawrence’s encouragement opened Nelson to live performance and interpretation, unlocking a spiritual and artistic confidence that he says still gives him chills: “You could feel something big just happen…and that feeling is what I get every time God inspires me.”
For Nelson, music is both inspiration and responsibility. “There is nothing greater that God can say to a creative than I want you to not only create this song, but I want you to sing it too,” he says. That conviction has driven nearly two decades of recording, touring and preaching — and a reminder he repeats to himself and others: a gift isn’t a gift if you keep it to yourself.
Nelson also emphasizes gospel’s foundational role across American music: “If you take gospel out of the foundation of music, almost every other genre crumbles.” He points to gospel’s influence on country, bluegrass and countless major singers whose roots trace back to church choirs.
Proud of his Baltimore roots, Nelson believes the city’s distinctive East Coast sound deserves recognition: “There’s this uniqueness attached to the Baltimore East Coast sound…we have this ability to really take music and make it kind of come alive.”
You can hear Pastor Jason Nelson each Sunday when he preaches and sings at The Tab Church. His music is available on all major streaming platforms.
WMAR‑2’s Black Music Month series continues celebrating artists whose work shapes culture and community.
