William Johnson

William Johnson is a member of Overcoming Church Ministries
(Bishop Melvin Lambert), where he serves as a musician, and
minister. He  is the founder of  the multi-cultural percussion
worship event, "The Heartbeat For Worship Celebration".  
William was born in Waukegan, Illinois and raised in Southern
California.

Having spent eight years in the Air Force, he traveled extensively
across the globe and developed a love for diverse forms of
music. Drawing upon his Latin heritage, William took notice of the
calling on his life to study an array of cultural styles as it pertains
to the congas and bongos.

His passion for global cultures, people, and music led him to
study traditional and contemporary techniques of African, Middle
Eastern, Indian, and Irish music. This knowledge and talent
allows him to bridge the gap between God and mankind as it
pertains to evangelism. The combination of being originally self
taught and later classically trained, combined with the power of
the Holy Spirit and the anointing gives William the "tools"  needed
to translate Gods message to reach the nations.  

William has and continues to minister with a great number of
gifted musicians from around the globe. He has also been a part
of the "Christian Covenant of Fellowship Ministries" (CCFM)
which, under the leadership of Bishop Michael and Pastor
Melinda Blue along with the vice Bishops has grown to minister to
both a local an international audience. Pastors and musicians
that have been a part of the yearly conference include but are
not limited to, Bishop Noel Jones, Bishop Tudor Bismarck, Martha
Munizzi, Darlene Bishop, Minister Steven Ford and more.

Commitment to serving Jesus Christ, family, local church, and
community are the primary focuses in the life of William Johnson

Steven Williams

A veteran drummer of over twenty five years, Steven Williams
understands the importance of God's grace and the necessity of
remaining humble within his craft. Steven was born in Mobile
Alabama and served as a drummer, youth leader, and Bible
teacher in Overcoming Church for nearly two decades. Self
taught  originally Williams believes in the importance of versatility
in technique and style. He has performed in multiple
conferences, services, and concerts throughout the southeast.
He has played in various styles including rock, Latin, traditional
gospel, pop, jazz, and Irish to name a few.
Steven has performed in both the 2007/08 Heartbeat For
Worship.

Steven Williams is a husband, an ordained minister, a friend, and
a brother.   

Luis Conte

Luis Conte’s genius stems from his ability to integrate the
powerful rhythms of his native Cuba with the American
necessities of American pop music. His long and varied career
has included numerous Hollywood film scores and mega-
successful albums with Madonna, Ray Charles, Phil Collins,
Santana, Shakira, Jackson Browne, Sergio Mendes, Cachao,
and a multitude of other artists too numerous to mention.
Born in Santiago, Cuba, Luis spent the first 15 years of his life
soaking up the rich musical heritage of “El Son” and Carnival.
"Life in Cuba is all about enjoying life, and music is central to that
lifestyle," Luis says. "Music is almost like food to Cuban people.”
While immersed in the music of his native Cuba, Luis also
developed a passion for Rock & Roll, R&B soul music, jazz, and
the Beatles.

At 15, looking for freedom, Luis emigrated to Madrid, Spain. He
soon had another opportunity to travel, this time to Hollywood. In
California, Luis stayed with a cousin and attended Hollywood
High School, playing guitar in numerous rock bands throughout
his teens.

After high school, Luis met John Monteallegre, who reunited him
with Cuban drums at LA City College. By the time he was 18, Luis
was intensely interested in drumming and took every opportunity
to play and to learn, drawing his inspiration from a deep source
of rhythm absorbed during his youth in Cuba.

Since then, Luis has become one of the most respected and
recorded percussionists in the world.

More recently and importantly (as you can hear from the passion
in his voice) Luis Conte gave his life to Jesus Christ at the final
Billy Graham crusade. He went on from there in the following
years to tour with the crusade under Franklin Graham. Luis is a
humble natured, quick witted family man who speaks just as
passionate about family and life as the drum.

Endorsed by the Meinl and Zildjian instrument companies, Luis
has designed his own signature series of instruments and
drumsticks. His percussion clinic tours take him around the world
teaching musicians the essentials and history of Afro-Cuban
rhythm. Luis recently released his signature line of congas,
timbales and shakers by Meinl, which were unveiled at NAMM
2005.

Lou Santiago Jr.


Born in New York City in 1976, Lou did not purchase his first
drum set until he was eighteen. After two years of eight to twelve
hours of daily practice, he quit playing and joined the Navy -
intent on earning tuition money to attend the Drummer's
Collective in New York City. Five years later, during his last year
of enlistment, Lou finally picked up his sticks again and,
incredibly, after eight months of practicing, won the 2001 Guitar
Center South East Regional Drum-Off, placing him 7th in the
nation. Two years later, in 2003, he won the over 18 age division
of Modern Drummer's "Undiscovered Drummer" contest and then
toured with legendary trumpeter Maynard Ferguson and his Big
Bop Nouveau Band. "Louis is without a doubt one of the most
exciting new young drummers on the scene. He is dedicated to
his craft and I look forward to watching the progress of his
career!" - Maynard Ferguson.

Since then, Lou has gone on to work with some of the industry's
finest artists, such as afro-cuban/jazz bassist, John Benitez, top
German bassist, Martin Engelien, Worship Leader/Pastor Marco
Barrientos, Raul Sanchez, Lamar Boschman, Seventh Day
Slumber, Jeff Deyo, Natalie Grant, and this is just to name a few!
In addition to performance ministry, Lou has a passion for
teaching. He is  part of the faculty at the following worship/music
schools and conferences: IWI (International Worship Institute),
PWI (Pure Worship Institute), DFJ (Drummers for Jesus), and
Thunder School Nashville. Lou is also a successful secular
clinician, inspiring and influencing drummers of all ages both in
Europe and the United States.

Highlighted in Modern Drummer Magazine, Lou says his goal is,
"To become a better person and drummer than I was yesterday.  
I sincerely believe that music both inspires and speaks to people.
I pray that my drumming does the same. This isn't just a job or
hobby for me. I understand fully that it is a gifting given to me
from GOD to further his kingdom."

After playing for little more than 4 years, Lou's prodigious talents
have earned him endorsements from Spaun custom drums,
Sabian cymbals, Evans drumheads, Vic Firth drumsticks,
Gibraltar hardware, Toca Percussion, Shure Microphones, and
Souldog clothing.

Victor Villafania was born and raised in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.
He learned to play percussion on the bongos starting at the
age of five. Victor studied percussion further in highschool
and began to play with famous salseros such as Ishmael
Rivera at the distinguished La International Festival in Puerto
Rico. Victor has played with Tito Rojas, Grupo Caris, and
many other Latin bands. Victor also was a percussionist for
the Maurice Cardenas band out of North Carolina. Having fun
and enjoying the moment is a staple that Victor Villa Fania
lives by in his life and profession. He now can be found doing
many Christian events and has a passion for knowing Jesus
more. Victor will be having a series of percussion instruction
videos coming out this spring.

Kimberly Simpkins, a native of Fayetteville, NC, began her
studies on violin as a 5th grade student in the Cumberland
County School System, graduating from Westover High School.
As a student, she was a member of the Fayetteville Symphony,
Cumberland County Youth Orchestra, and All-State orchestras
where she received top honors. She earned her Bachelor of
Music in Violin Performance at the University of NC at
Greensboro, graduating cum laude. During her time at UNC-G,
Mrs. Simpkins participated in a study-tour of London, England
with her violin professor, Trevor Williams of the Royal Academy
of Music.  She also attended the prestigious Eastern Music
Festival in Greensboro, NC, where she participated in a Master
Class with renowned violin teacher Joseph Gingold. Upon
graduation, Mrs. Simpkins combined her faith and talent by
joining the Celebrant Singers, an interdenominational music and
missions organization based in California. During her
involvement with this organization, Mrs. Simpkins traveled to
nearly 30 countries as well as throughout the United States. Her
travels took her to places such as India, China, Lebanon, Egypt,
Vietnam, Iceland, Kenya and Rwanda.


Most recently, Kimberly has accepted the postition as North
Carolina Symphony Cumberland County Chapter Board Member.

To her credit, Kimberly has performed with the Knoxville
Symhony Orchestra, Greensboro Symphony, Salisbury
Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, and Tulare Symphony in
California. She has also performed with various groups for
churches and weddings and as a soloist for many functions. She
currently performs with the Fayetteville Symphony.