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.
Her gift to communicate and her zeal for the Word of God has expanded her ministry beyond singing. She has now become a much sought after bi-lingual conference speaker in the US as well as Latin America.
Some history:
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.
The music:
Eventually, she was asked to sing on the “Day of Discovery” television program, produced by Radio Bible Class of Grand Rapids, Michigan. For years, she served 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.
With the advance of time, some of her earliest CDs are now out of print. Because there are songs which Damaris still feels will stir people toward Jesus, “The Collection” was released in early 2011. It has 12 songs which Damaris “just can’t let go of” which are from CDs that are no longer available.
“Walk With Me” is Dámaris’s fifteenth CD, released in the fall of 2013. Underwritten entirely through the crowd-funding website kickstarter.com, this project has more rich arrangements featuring the Prague symphony. She calls this self-produced collection of songs her “grownup” CD, with songs like “Goodbye to Me” and “Blessings.”
Damaris has also sung with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and Singers as a soloist in the eighties and nineties, and appeared on many of their earlier albums.
The teaching ministry:
Dámaris's concerts have always been marked by her transparent and biblical speaking between the songs. People began to tell her that as much as they enjoyed her singing, her comments between the songs were even more of a blessing. Then, churches began to ask her to speak for their women's conferences and retreats. As those invitations became more frequent, Dámaris felt more and more of an urgency to be a woman of the Word. Her new jingle now is "Read Your Bible," and she proclaims it wherever she is asked to speak. Her speaking opportunities have vastly outpaced her singing invitations and we are no longer accepting invitations for concerts.
Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth invited Dámaris to sing at her Mujer Verdadera conference in the Dominican Republic in early 2015. Shortly before the conference, due to a cancellation, Nancy asked Dámaris if she would speak for two of the sessions for the conference. The videos of her teaching at that conference and others are on YouTube and have been viewed by thousands of people. The head of B&H Publishers Spanish division was at that conference and heard her speak, and immediately told her that her story and what she is teaching needed to be in a book in Spanish. They produced the book "Adios a mí" (Goodbye to Me) which came out a year later, and is now distributed throughout Latin America and the US. Between the book and the Mujer Verdadera conferences, Dámaris is now being invited to speak in Cuba, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Panama and other countries.
“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 43 years, Rod. Their grown daughter, Ashley Rose (Wheaton College 2005) lives in NYC. Ashley has been a teacher and an administrator in NYC and Long Island for over 17 years. Their son, James Christian (Harvard Business School 2020, Naval Postgraduate School 2015, US Naval Academy 2007), is married and living nearby after receiving his MBA at Harvard. He also has served as a Lieutenant Commander Navy Aviator with masters degrees in Operations Research and Applied Mathematics. Combined, they have given us six grandchildren.
In short:
Dámaris Carbaugh’s depth of love and devotion for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is so evident through her special gift of song and powerful speaking ministry. After years of being a gospel singer, her gift to communicate and her zeal for the Word of God expanded her ministry. You will be moved and inspired as Damaris reveals a true servant’s heart through her infectious love for teaching God’s Word which reflects her personal spiritual journey. She has now become a much sought after conference speaker in the US as well as Latin America, and has published a book in Spanish entitled, “Adios a mí."
Damaris’s many recordings, on the Discovery House Music label, reflect her broad musical experience and her personal spiritual journey.
Her gift to communicate and her zeal for the Word of God has expanded her ministry beyond singing. She has now become a much sought after bi-lingual conference speaker in the US as well as Latin America.
Some history:
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.
The music:
Eventually, she was asked to sing on the “Day of Discovery” television program, produced by Radio Bible Class of Grand Rapids, Michigan. For years, she served 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.
With the advance of time, some of her earliest CDs are now out of print. Because there are songs which Damaris still feels will stir people toward Jesus, “The Collection” was released in early 2011. It has 12 songs which Damaris “just can’t let go of” which are from CDs that are no longer available.
“Walk With Me” is Dámaris’s fifteenth CD, released in the fall of 2013. Underwritten entirely through the crowd-funding website kickstarter.com, this project has more rich arrangements featuring the Prague symphony. She calls this self-produced collection of songs her “grownup” CD, with songs like “Goodbye to Me” and “Blessings.”
Damaris has also sung with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and Singers as a soloist in the eighties and nineties, and appeared on many of their earlier albums.
The teaching ministry:
Dámaris's concerts have always been marked by her transparent and biblical speaking between the songs. People began to tell her that as much as they enjoyed her singing, her comments between the songs were even more of a blessing. Then, churches began to ask her to speak for their women's conferences and retreats. As those invitations became more frequent, Dámaris felt more and more of an urgency to be a woman of the Word. Her new jingle now is "Read Your Bible," and she proclaims it wherever she is asked to speak. Her speaking opportunities have vastly outpaced her singing invitations and we are no longer accepting invitations for concerts.
Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth invited Dámaris to sing at her Mujer Verdadera conference in the Dominican Republic in early 2015. Shortly before the conference, due to a cancellation, Nancy asked Dámaris if she would speak for two of the sessions for the conference. The videos of her teaching at that conference and others are on YouTube and have been viewed by thousands of people. The head of B&H Publishers Spanish division was at that conference and heard her speak, and immediately told her that her story and what she is teaching needed to be in a book in Spanish. They produced the book "Adios a mí" (Goodbye to Me) which came out a year later, and is now distributed throughout Latin America and the US. Between the book and the Mujer Verdadera conferences, Dámaris is now being invited to speak in Cuba, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Panama and other countries.
“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 43 years, Rod. Their grown daughter, Ashley Rose (Wheaton College 2005) lives in NYC. Ashley has been a teacher and an administrator in NYC and Long Island for over 17 years. Their son, James Christian (Harvard Business School 2020, Naval Postgraduate School 2015, US Naval Academy 2007), is married and living nearby after receiving his MBA at Harvard. He also has served as a Lieutenant Commander Navy Aviator with masters degrees in Operations Research and Applied Mathematics. Combined, they have given us six grandchildren.
In short:
Dámaris Carbaugh’s depth of love and devotion for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is so evident through her special gift of song and powerful speaking ministry. After years of being a gospel singer, her gift to communicate and her zeal for the Word of God expanded her ministry. You will be moved and inspired as Damaris reveals a true servant’s heart through her infectious love for teaching God’s Word which reflects her personal spiritual journey. She has now become a much sought after conference speaker in the US as well as Latin America, and has published a book in Spanish entitled, “Adios a mí."