Biography
She has known the heights of success in the New York recording community. She's sung on commercial jingles for some of the world's biggest advertisers, including Coca Cola, Pepsi, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Minute Maid and Wrigley's Double Mint Gum. Yet the desire of Damaris Carbaugh's heart is to be a servant of Christ. "I don't want a 'career,'" she says, "I want to be faithful."
Damaris's many recordings, on the Discovery House Music label, reflect her broad musical experience and her personal spiritual journey.
She was born November 4, 1955, in New York City, and was named for a woman who was one of Paul's few converts on his visit to Athens (Acts 17:34). Her mother was an evangelist and her father a singer, and when they weren't on the road or out of the country, they attended the Thessalonica Church in the South Bronx, which Damaris's grandfather pastored.
When she was just three months old, her parents moved to Cuba to serve as missionaries in the days before Castro. A year later they moved to Puerto Rico and Damaris's childhood years were spent between there and New York. At the age of eight, while living in Puerto Rico, Damaris gave her life to Christ. By the age of eleven she knew that all she ever wanted to do was sing.
As a teen, Damaris and her two sisters sang as a trio and traveled with their mother. At 15, she was asked to sing at a recording studio, and soon she was in demand by producers and advertising agencies in New York. In the years since, Damaris has sung with many well-known artists in recording sessions. She has performed vocals on countless advertising jingles and commercials, often in Spanish, which she speaks fluently.
In the early '80s, Damaris was seeking a career as a secular performer, feeling that this was the way God would give her a platform and would use her talents. In 1982 she won the American Song Festival Talent Search and received a recording contract with CBS Records. The album was released in January 1984 but, in Damaris's own words, "It went nowhere."
A turning point came in Damaris life in 1988, when she visited a group of believers in Argentina who live in abject poverty. She was struck by their devotion to the Lord in spite of their circumstances, serving Him not for His blessings, but for the pure joy of loving Him. Damaris felt a need to give herself totally to the Lord, and began praying for ways to use her talents more fully for him.
Eventually, she was asked to sing on the "Day of Discovery"
television program, produced by Radio Bible Class of Grand Rapids,
Michigan. She serves as both a soloist and a member of the Discovery
Singers on the Bible teaching program which airs weekly on network
affiliates across the country. When viewer response convinced
Radio Bible Class to form Discovery House Music to meet requests
for recordings of the music featured on the program, Damaris was
asked to be the label's first solo artist.
Never Alone is the resulting first recording. Produced
by Discovery House executive Brian Felten and a gifted arranger,
the collection not only exhibits Damaris's incredible vocal gifts,
but her exuberant personality and her intense devotion to Christ.
Several more albums have been released since then. "We Have A Mission" is Damaris's second solo album. Also produced by Discovery House Music, this collection of songs was arranged by J. Daniel Smith using all live instrumentation. It was released in the fall of '92. Spring of 1994 brought the release of "All Embracing Love" and her first Spanish recording, "Yo Cantaré." In March of 1996, "Giving My Life Away" was released, featuring a duet with Calvin Hunt from the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. "Joy To The World" is a Christmas album released in October of 1996 featuring many traditional classics, and some more recent favorites of Damaris's. "Heart, Mind and Soul" was released in February of 1998. The ninth recording, "No Apology", was released in March, 2001.
In June of 1999, a dream of the singer came true. A video was released of a live performance with a forty piece orchestra, a 125 voice choir, and background singers. Videotaped in Kentwood Community Church of Grand Rapids, MI, this seventy minute DVD captures her beautiful music set against a dynamic backdrop of superb musicians and scenery. Most importantly, however, Damaris gives her testimony and presents the gospel between the songs. The soundtrack, including her testimony, is also available on CD. The project is titled: "Damaris, Live. Not Ashamed."
Her tenth recording, "Just Hymns," was released in September, 2002. Arranged by master pianist David Huntsinger along with J. Daniel Smith, this collection of hymns has a wide variety of musical styles, always maintaining the integrity of the rich doctrine of Christ communicated in Damaris's own way. Since the hymns are already translated into Spanish, "Alabanzas: Tus Himnos Favoritos," was released in May, 2003 as her eleventh recording, and second CD in Spanish.
The twelfth CD, "The Call" was released in March 2004. Different from all of her other releases, the ten songs were commissioned and written specifically for the theme of the CD, which is the call to discipleship. The theme is taken from the discipleship course called MasterLife written by Avery Willis from Lifeway Publishing, an eight month course Damaris went through with her church in 2003.
"The Heart of God" was released in March of 2006, her thirteenth CD. It is unique in that all ten songs are reflective and contemplative, encouraging the listener to draw close to the Lord. With strings recorded in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, the arrangements are lush and stirring. Included are some John W. Peterson favorites, as well as new songs from contemporary writers. One very special song, "Be Aware," written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, captured Damaris's heart when she sat in on their live recording of it as a teenager.
Damaris has also sung with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and Singers as a soloist since the early eighties and has appeared on many of their albums.
"It's easy to say, 'I just want to be a servant,'" Damaris admits, "but that's what I'm striving to be. God has been so merciful to me. I want to share His love and His mercy with others and encourage them to draw closer to the Lord."
Damaris lives in Mt. Vernon, New York with her husband of over twenty-five years, Rod, and their grown daughter, Ashley Rose (Wheaton College 2005). Their son, James Christian (US Naval Academy, class of 2007) is currently in Navy flight school.
One writer condensed the biographical information this way:
"Damaris Carbaugh's depth of love and devotion for her Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, is so evident through her special gift
of song. You will be moved and inspired as Damaris reveals a true
servant's heart through her beautiful voice and personality which
reflects her personal spiritual journey. This talented musician
has been a featured soloist with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
and can often be seen on the "Day of Discovery" television
program. "The Heart of God" is the latest of
her thirteen albums. She lives in Mt. Vernon, New York with her
husband Rod."