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 Music has always been part of Steve Arrington's life. Born in 1956, to Dan and Lillian Arrington, in Great Lakes, Illinois, the family soon returned to their hometown of Dayton, Ohio; where Steve grew up listening to the music his family played on the radio and record player. (Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye were in heavy rotation back in the day.) Before he could read, he could identify the requested record by the colors on the label and operate the record player. By age, five he was playing drums on pots and pans. When he was about seven years old, his grandparents bought him his first drum set, a blue sparkle set of Slingerlands.
By age, thirteen, Steve regularly played in the Dayton Battle of the Bands and various talent shows, very serious business in Dayton at that time. In addition, about this time, he began gigging regularly with various bands in the Dayton area. One band, the Soul Illusions and Eluders, opened for major acts such as, Spider Turner, The Five Stair Steps, Irma Franklin, Rufus Thomas, and Jerry Butler, at the Lakeview Palladium, once a great Dayton venue. By his senior year in high school, he played with a band called the Young Mystics, of whom several members became the original members of Slave.
In 1975, Steve and friend Victor Godsey, (later the keyboard player for Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame), began touring the states with a lounge band called The Murphy's. In 1977, Steve went to California studied Latin percussion and drumming with Coke Escovedo and played drums with Pete and Sheila Escovedo, (also known as Sheila E.) He did a tour with the Salsa West Coast Latin All Stars, led by the Escovedos, featuring Carlos Santana on guitar.
 He returned to Dayton in 1978, to join the gold record winning funk group Slave, as drummer and later as lead singer for five albums (The Concept, and Just A Touch Of Love, Stone Jam, and Showtime).
In 1982, he formed the innovative funk band, Steve Arrington's Hall of Fame for two albums, Hall Of Fame I and Positive Power. Band members included Charles (Cedell) Carter on saxes and keyboards, Arthur Rhaimes on guitar, Roger Parker (Dodge) on drums, Sam Carter on keyboards, Buddy Hankerson on bass guitar, Gary Jackson on percussion, and Victor Bruce Godsey on keyboards, flute.
After his conversion to Christ, Steve did three solo albums, Dancin In The Key Of Life, The Jammin National Anthem and Jam Packed.
1984, was the turning point of Steve's life. While recording in New York City, he took a break and went for a walk. Near Time Square, he saw a man carrying and wearing signs that said, "Jesus is coming." Then and there, Jesus became his Savior and Lord.
 Steve appeared on Pat Boone's Gospel Gold show on TBN. He was nominated for the 1986 NAACP Image Award for Male Artist of the Year. 1986, also included the very successful "Dancin in the Key of Life," European Tour. According to music editor, Scott Galloway, Steve's solo album, "Dancin in the Key of Life", paved the road for groups such as Sounds of Blackness and Be Be and Ce Ce Winans to walk the line between gospel and secular soul.
Steve returned to the states with growing questions within himself. The next few years those questions grew into a major struggle not just within himself, but also with the record labels and the people around him, including his family. Steve could no longer view contemporary music as he had his whole life. He had gone from seeing himself as an entertainer, to seeing himself as an entertainer who was a Christian, to seeing himself as a music minister of the Gospel. By 1991, this transition took Steve out of the recording industry altogether, to seek God and truly find God's will for his life.
During this period of studying and seeking the things of God, the Lord gave Steve revelation about the state of music and musicians in the church and in the world. The Lord also used this time for Steve to face and gain freedom from the damaging effects of his secular music career (sex, drugs, and rock and roll). God's grace has brought Steve an ongoing revelation and humble understanding, of the awesome power the Arts are to have in the Church. With this, there is a call to address the controversy that surrounds the arts and to shed light on the deception that Satan brought to the Church, that stifles our artistic creativity in this most profound area where the message of Christ can come forth with power and might. The Devil is a liar and the truth is not in him. Steve has enthusiastically served as an evangelist, a pastor, a music minister, and worship leader, grateful to be used by his wonderful Savior, wherever the Holy Spirit sends him.
Today, Steve ministers on the Joys of the Arts in the Church, throughout the body of Christ, through teaching seminars, from the pulpit, as well as, in music and song. The Lord has lead Steve, not to make a come back, but to resurface as a Church Musician. He is working on a book and will have a new CD out soon.
 Steve was keynote speaker at the People of His Presence International Praise and Worship Conference, with Rev. Derwin Ward, Martha Munizzi and Vicki Yohe. He was keynote speaker and taught at several Tri-State Praise and Worship Conferences in Cincinnati, Oh. He also played drums on "Let's Have Church" and "I Give You Jesus", from the Evangelist Network Video Series, with executive producer Don Gessner. In December 2005, Steve played drums for the Hope For The Nations Tour to Cardiff, Wales, London, England and Amsterdam, Holland.
Together, Steve and his wife, Leslie, travel wherever and however the Lord leads to spread an understanding of the Joys of the Arts in the Church and the Love of God to all.
More information:
Steve Arrington's Official site
Steve Arrington on MySpace
Buy "Pure Thang" on CDBaby.com
Buy "Pure Thang" on Digstation
Buy Steve Arrington's albums on Amazon.com
Buy Slave's albums on Amazon.com
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