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Enoch learned to play
from watching his father, Pastor Enoch Elijah Ross, Sr. as he played
for church services. As a small child, Enoch started playing for the
services to relieve his father.
Enoch prayed, asking God
for a method to teach church people how to play for services without
having to play by notes. At age 19, Enoch Elijah Ross, Jr.
originated his own method of playing gospel piano. We are still
teaching that method today.
Enoch served as state
organist for Texas. He taught gospel piano lessons in Texas until he
moved to California in 1964. For many years, Enoch was the only
gospel music teacher in Los Angeles with a unique method of
teaching. After marrying Nora in 1966, they began teaching Enoch's
method through mail.
 Enoch was known as the man that could make the
organ "talk". He got a kick out of playing piano and organ at the
same time during concerts. The
left hand played chords on the piano while the right hand played
melody and chords on the organ.
Enoch was an excellent
classical musician and composer. His true love was jazz, although he
refused to teach students to play jazz. During that time, the
churches did not play jazz. They played real gospel music, so Enoch
had everybody shouting and dancing on holy, anointed Gospel Music!
In 1966, Enoch debuted
"God Is" the stage play that he had written. Among the music that
Enoch composed for the play was "God Is" - classical version, "God
Is" - Gospel version, and "In the Beginning". He also named his
first church "God Is. A few years later, a couple of songs came out
using this title, then a church popped up two blocks down the street
called "God Is....next thing I knew, people all over the city had
our material teaching from it (still in my handwriting).
Enoch Elijah Ross passed
away in 1992, leaving behind a legacy of music for God's people.
If his method was good
enough to steal, you know it must be good!
There is an interesting
story to our daughter, Diana. At 5 months old, Diana was sitting on
Enoch's lap trying to play piano duets with him. At 18 months,
during a devotional service, Diana crawled off the pew beside me,
went to the piano, climbed onto the bench, and started whipping
those keys! The notes were ringing out in perfect timing as people
stood on their feet in shock and utter disbelief! When the song was
over, Diana came back and climbed on the pew beside me. A few weeks
later, she did the same thing at a different church!
At age 3, Diana was
composing her own songs, singing and playing them. She joined her
father's piano class at age 6. She was hired to play for a church in
Los Angeles at age 12. Diana is the third generation of Ross
musicians.
 And
yes.... Diana was teased a lot in school for having the name, "Diana
Ross". I suppose she was glad when marriage changed her last name.
She is now Diana Rideout.
Diana is doing an
excellent job teaching the mail order studies on contemporary gospel
music.
She is also the
instructor for our contemporary classes in Los Angeles.
Call to
enroll in one of our classes, or order from our Gospel Piano Book
List.
909-746-1700
Gospel
Music Book List
Please note: Because of the recorded nature of our
programs we cannot accept refunds of merchandise.
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