Jonathan Wilburn doesn’t remember a time when music wasn’t a central part of his life.
His parents met in high school thanks to a mutual love of singing and began performing together in church as a duo. He recalls his mother playing the piano every night after supper for him and his two brothers, and the boys and their father made up a quartet.
The family liked singing together so much, in fact, that they began to tour — first as a quartet and then later a trio made up of Jonathan Wilburn and his parents. Eventually he left his Tennessee home to move to Alabama to be the lead singer of the Gold City Quartet.
It’s no surprise, then, that Jonathan Wilburn infused his own home with music as well, and his son, Jordan, has been singing since he could talk. Jordan Wilburn sang with his dad and grandparents when he was a toddler and later, in high school, sang in church regularly.
But after touring with Gold City for 12 years, Jonathan Wilburn got burned out and grew tired of the constant touring. He came home and accepted a job as a car salesman, where he worked until he felt God leading him to return to singing.
“I remember the day I went in to work and God laid it on my heart to begin singing again,” he said. “I wanted to start a quartet, and I prayed and couldn’t get a peace about it. The words God put on my heart were, ‘All I need is a willing father and son to tell others about the Father and Son.’”
Jonathan Wilburn quit his job at the dealership that very day and formed a gospel duo with his son called, appropriately, Wilburn and Wilburn.
The two started small, performing locally a couple of times a month. Quickly, though, their ministry began to grow, and the bookings started really coming in.
“Our biggest source of activity is in the church, but we’ve also performed at fairs, small theaters and as a part of some crossover contemporary stuff,” Jordan Wilburn said. “I’d love to work more in the conference venues as well. We’ve done some of that.”
For Jonathan Wilburn, being able to sing with his son by his side is an incredibly special opportunity — one he’s consistently grateful for.
“I’m thankful to be working with my son, and our constant goal is to follow God and His will,” he said. “It’s hard to let go of our will and hang on to His, but the older I get the more I realize how important it is to submit to the will of God. There’s such peace in it.”
Bruce Freeman, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, LaGrange, Ga., has known Jonathan Wilburn for several years and describes him as being someone “who’s definitely on solid ground.” The Wilburns have performed at Freeman’s church several times, and they’re booked again for a performance in October.
“There’s nothing else out there in the southern gospel world that’s a father/son combination like this,” Freeman said. “I think it speaks volumes when they just walk out on the stage, just to see a father/son combination working so well.”
Plus the duo is able to connect with a broad audience because Jordan Wilburn resonates with the younger crowd while the older folks relate to Jonathan Wilburn, Freeman said.
Truly ministering to audiences through song is something Jordan Wilburn feels called to do.
“I’m starting to learn more that whomever God puts in front of us each night is who is supposed to be there,” Jordan Wilburn said. “If that night we communicate the message of the songs we sing, then we’ve reached our goal for the night. We take it one day at a time.”
And it’s certainly proven to be effective. In addition to connecting with audiences, Wilburn and Wilburn’s first record was nominated for a Dove Award, the group won the 2012 Singing News Horizon Group of the Year Award and Jordan Wilburn was awarded the 2012 Horizon Individual Award. The father/son team is now working on their sophomore album.
For more information about Wilburn and Wilburn, visit www.wilburn2.com.
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