The Making of a Musician: One College Student’s Journey With Music and Faith

By Jordan Brehm

Carlton Kell, 21, is a musician from Marietta, Georgia. He is pictured playing his guitar while smiling for a picture outside of his home in Athens, Georgia. (Photo/Jordan Brehm)

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A middle school boy from Marietta, Georgia, walked into a music store years ago with his parents, a love for performing and the dream to play music anywhere. Carlton Kell had been taking piano lessons since he was five years old after his parents found him sitting on the piano bench trying to recreate songs he heard on the radio. He had been confined to places with a piano for years and longed for a keyboard he could play in front of crowds.

It was his birthday and his parents wanted to make it special, so they said the words he hoped to hear, “Don’t worry about what it is, just pick out the perfect keyboard for yourself.” The Casio that he picked out that day had black and white keys and made music like any other, but at the time it was everything he had ever wanted and more.

Kell, 21, is a student at the University of Georgia majoring in English and religion. His life has been marked by his love for music, but his greater love for Jesus Christ is what drives him. He is a lead singer of a band called Prodigal. Kell released his first solo single, “Whole Again,” on March 31.

“It identifies that pain that we all feel in the world, living in a sinful, fallen, broken world, and how a lot of the time we respond to it in the wrong way,” Kell said.

Kell has been a part of Prodigal since September 2022. He says that although the members of the band are Christian and that influences their songs, they never want to label themselves as just a Christian band. The band members believe their music is not just meant for Christians.

“If we write a Christian song then great, but like, I don’t want it to be a hindrance from the amount of people we could reach because of that,” said JH Leigh, a songwriter and the rhythm guitarist for Prodigal.

Kell has been involved with Cleveland Road Baptist Church since 2020. He sings and plays piano for the worship team regularly and met many people who were background singers on “Whole Again” at church.

Kell considers his pastor Parker Moore to be a big influence in his life as a Christian, alongside his parents, his biggest inspirations. Being a follower of Christ is the foundation on which Kell lives.

“Everything he does is completely centered on ‘How does this reflect Christ?” Leigh said, “Which is so insanely amazing and like, inspiring. It’s incredible.”

Luckily, the singer-songwriter has not experienced much backlash as a Christian in the predominantly secular music industry.

“I think sometimes I’m given opportunities to radically love people in a way that they don’t expect in the music industry,” Kell said.

Records signed with silver and gold Sharpie by everyone who has visited the house that Kell shares with friends from church line the wall above a brown, leather couch. Kell holds a C.F. Martin & Company guitar as he points out some of the signatures.

His long, blonde hair falls over his eyes as he strums the guitar strings. The artist has a style that emulates one of his musical heroes Bear Rinehart. He wore an off-white jacket, dark jeans, rings on his fingers, bracelets, and gray boots as he walked downstairs to play his keyboard.

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Carlton Kell is a student at the University of Georgia. He is photographed playing a keyboard at his college home. (Photo/Jordan Brehm)

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Kell has had many opportunities to showcase his talents. He sang in his high school’s chorus in Marietta and has played in bands, church and at venues around Athens. However, Kell says that one of his favorite memories was playing piano at the White House Christmas party in December 2020 after going through an application process. The COVID-19 virus was running rampant, and a mask covered his face as the Christmas music he was playing filled the room.

“They didn’t give me a microphone, but I sang nonetheless,” Kell said.

Carlton Kell is filmed playing his guitar and singing his song “Whole Again.” This is Kell’s first single. (Video/Jordan Brehm)

Carlton Kell plays multiple instruments. He is filmed playing a keyboard in his Athens, Georgia home. (Video/Jordan Brehm)

Carlton Kell is filmed playing his keyboard and singing. He can be seen performing a song that he has not yet done in public. (Video/Jordan Brehm)

Why I Wrote The Story:

I wrote this story to inform readers about a musician that just released his first single, is in a band, active in church and pursuing a double major all at once. This is a newsworthy story because it gives a glimpse into the life of someone who is new to the music industry and juggling a normal life too. Stories like this could inspire others to pursue their own dreams in the music world. Athens, Georgia is a place where many famous artists have performed and even come from. No one knows who the next breakout artist will be, so it is always worth it to hear someone's story. I learned a lot about the music industry while writing this story. It was interesting to hear about how Carlton Kell gained his interest in music and where it is taking him today.