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One night when an
artist failed to show for his regularly scheduled broadcast, station manager, At the end of several years of that program I graduated from Bible College, and left Los Angeles for a ministry assignment in Portland. That was the beginning of a decade of ministering in a number of churches. From time to time Phil Kerr and I would join for services and crusades all over the United States. For several war time years, under the auspices of the Army Chief of Chaplains we added Army (and navy) bases for concerts of gospel music. I finally settled in Northern California and met and married. My wife was a gifted pianist and singer so we continued our musical ministry together. It was along about that time that Youth For Christ was flourishing and I founded San Jose Youth for Christ and ministered there for seven years. We began with sixty young people attending our Saturday night rallies, and by the time I left San Jose we had an empty theatre building filled with over a thousand young people.
We were happy with this assignment but a call came to assume the directorship of the largest Youth for Christ ministry in the nation, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They had over 3,000 in attendance every other Saturday night. After a season, however, I answered the call of the late great Kathryn Khulman to serve as her promotions manager there in Pittsburgh where she had her headquarters. This was not a particularly happy situation so after a short while we resigned and headed back to San Jose to resume life in the place we had grown to love. My story here takes on some sad overtones, for I left the ministry, started a printing business, and seemed to forget the calling that I had pursued for so many years. The years that followed were very unprofitable years and culminated in my wife and I getting a divorce and me falling into deep despair. This period lasted for about five years, and is one for which I still feel great sorrow and regret but have also consigned them to the sea of God's forgetfulness.
All this time I was writing gospel lyrics and I found an outstanding musician who was travelling all over the world with her own family group, The Olive Branch. She was musical director of the Jerusalem Christian Feast of Tabernacles for five years. She and I began writing songs together in 1982. But nothing was done with them until ... About ten years ago I penned an autobiography (displayed here) called Unsung Songs. I wrote it in my frustration over all those songs with no performances. Almost three years ago I woke one night and as clearly as if He had spoken audibly, I heard, "Those are unsung because I gave them for you to sing." "Who me! Why I haven't sung for thirty years--I doubt if I even can." But in His plan, I'm sure, a pastor friend along about that time invited me to come to his church and sing. "What, me sing, why I haven't sung for thirty years. But I believe that the Lord wants me to try, so I will." I was telling a friend who is a keyboardist and owns a recording studio about this strange call and he said, "I believe that the Lord wants me to give you some tools to work with." Thus was born the triumvirate of Gospel song, Ramona Dicks, Tommy Tomasello, and me. To date we have produced three CDs and cassettes. These songs are showcased here. I am hoping that you will acquire them for your own collection, and that they will bless you as they have the countless congregations where I have performed them these last couple of years. The Early Years of my Ministry |
I was born on a Saturday afternoon, April 2,
1921. My proud parents were Nancy E. and Alva L. St.Clair. They married late in life and
at 39 they became parents of their only child, Alva Wendell St.Clair. The city was Los
Angeles, and the place of my birth was White Memorial Hospital. I was an adult before I
realized that I was born and raised in a ghetto. 
My early childhood was quite normal for poor folks that we were.
We lived frugally, and I went to elementary and Jr. High without much ado. However, by the
High School years things began to happen that changed my life. Our youth directors in
church were Charles and Audrey Mieir. Audrey was an excellent pianist, and dabbled in
writing melodies. She discovered that I had a penchant for writing lyrics so she suggested
that we collaborate on some gospel songs. I was just fifteen and she was just twenty. At a
rally we sang one of our compositions. The master of ceremonies was a man named Phil Kerr.
He was the manager of a Christian radio station. After our performance he asked us to
appear on a regular broadcast of our own. He called us THE SONGMAKERS. Every week day I'd
scurry home from school and over to Audrey & Charles little honeymoon bungalow. We'd
spend our afternoons writing songs, and then on Saturday nights we'd perform five brand
new gospel songs each week. This went on for several years. Until Audrey and Charles left
California for a ministry assignment in Ohio. Needless to say, I was devastated and though
life was almost over for me. 
Phil Kerr, conscripted me to fill the spot. Just eighteen, and never having sung except
with Audrey I was frightened to death. Surprisingly enough the radio audience response was
phenomenal. The switchboard was deluged with calls requesting that we do this weekly. So
we began and continued this program on Sunday Nights from 10:30 p.m.until 12 midnight Phil
and I sang requests that were phoned in. We had an unheard of routine, for we had a phone
by the piano, I took the calls and either or both of us performed the requests, something
which at that time was unheard of. 
By then our family had grown, for Michael and
Suzanne St.Clair joined us during that time. Us four and no more! After serving San Jose
Youth for Christ for those years I came to the attention of Oral Roberts who invited me to
Tulsa to serve as promotions manager for the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. I
served there for over three years. I wrote every piece of promotional literature that
involved the radio, TV and crusade activities of Oral, with great success. Spending my
weekends in church and rally ministries. 
The Holy Spirit was speaking to me
(He had never forsaken me) and I was restored in the faith. However, I also felt unworthy
to resume my public ministry and contented myself with working behind the scenes in
churches, missionary organizations, and ghost writing books and articles for ministers who
felt the need for my writing abilities. This continued for many years. In fact I never
stood behind a pulpit or lifted my song publicly for almost thirty years!!! 