Tim Darnell, founder of HATZ, started his first band at 15 years old in Fayetteville, NC. “We practiced in the educational building of First Christian Church where my Dad was the Pastor and my Mom was the church pianist and organist. We weren’t very good and didn’t stand out amidst the hundreds of other bands in the south for years, but I kept at until my band, “Subway” started attracting local and regional attention throughout the Southeast.”
While I was traveling, I never missed a chance to sing in the choir when I was back in town, and that’s been true up until today. My biggest commercial success was a group we put together in Plano, Texas called, “Chisholm,” which toured for right under 30 years. We always had Gospel Music in our repertoire, and we had a positive influence, and in many cases, a life-changing influence on many thousands over the years.”
“Jesus Christ has always been the center of my life since accepting him in my early teen years. After being off the road for several years, I felt God’s call in 2015 to form another group with friends I had met at church in Allen, Texas. After a few rehearsals, I felt the name, HATZ, emerging, but frankly, I didn’t know why! In fact, I wouldn’t know why for several years, I just knew that was the name and the spelling that kept emerging in my brain. But God knew!”
“The gal who developed the HATZ logo let me see the word in a different light and it hit me like a ton of bricks. He is the A To Z based on Revelation 1:8. I knew there was a reason for this strange name, and now we know! I was, and still am, elated to discover the meaning of our group’s name!”
“Our first album is entitled, “Abide” from Jesus’ words in the book of John. The title cut is an original acapella tune that has gorgeous harmonies, and we love singing it. Other cuts include, “On a Better Road,” the song I wrote about getting my music (and me) out of bars in the early days, and into churches and Christian business conventions – a much better road.”
“Our newest album, “Gospel Music is Right for Me,” released on January 1, 2021, includes Southern Gospel standards, and features the talent of each of the HATZ members, Steve Triplett, Luis Rodriguez, and Kirk Taylor, as well as myself.”
Our goal is to sing for the purpose of ministry and sharing the beautiful Gospel message in song, testimonial, and words. We would love for you to grab our music, play it for yourself, and also give it away to others. It’s a great way to share the Word of God through the universal language of music.
Interesting note: I handed the Compact Disc to a friend from Thailand, who has yet to know Christ. I had no idea if he would even open it, but later found out to my surprise that he has played it in his car continuously wherever he goes. “I have it totally memorized,” he told me. He is primed to know our Savior!
If you would like to invite us to perform live at your event, we will diligently try to work it into our schedule, and will be honored to meet you and get to know your audience. We can’t wait for that time!
Thanks for reading and supporting HATZ!
Blessings,
Tim Darnell
HATZ