The spiritual message of Bill Drake's music reflects his own personal growth. Abandoned by his father at the age of two, he was raised in an abusive home where his stepfather regularly beat him and his mother. When he went to live with his biological father following the death of his mother, he was told that he was not wanted. Music provided a rare outlet for him. Teaching himself to play piano, Drake spent as much time as he could playing in dark barrooms. Although he briefly attended the University of Iowa in 1978, he flunked out and returned to the bars, where he sought solace through alcohol. Although he spent hours discussing religion with Christian College students who frequented the bar, Drake continued his abusive behavior. The turning point in his life came when he agreed to speak with a college pastor. During their discussion, the pastor convinced Drake to pursue Christianity. Launching Makaira Ministries in 1983, a non-profit organization to facilitate his music ministry, Drake enrolled at Biola University in La Mirada, CA the following year. He received a degree in Christian Education in 1988. A second turning point in Drake's life came in 1988 when he led a service at a Missions Conference, attended by George Verwer, founder and international coordinator of Operation Mobilization. Invited to join Verwer in his ministry in England, Drake agreed three years later. Moving to London with his wife, Teri, one of the Christian College students he had met in the bar, years before in 1991, he spent a decade spreading his musical message throughout the United Kingdom. Drake and his family returned to the United States in 2001, becoming involved with Operation Mobilization's office in Atlanta. An album, Every Nation, Tribe & Tongue and accompanying CD-R featured 14 songs recorded at Operation Mobilization conferences and released later that year. ~ Craig Harris