Orlando 'Landlord' Francis - Photos by Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

His is a story of early poverty, family related hardships and criminality. Then one day Orlando Francis' life changed because he embraced the Christian faith. He is now a well-known gospel artiste in Nassau, quietly carving out a niche for himself as a reggae gospel artiste. He is also doing well financially, being the owner of three businessess in The Bahamas.

Most of his childhood was spent in The Bahamas with his Jamaican mother, who was married to a Haitian. When he reached 10 years old, his mother told him that her husband was not his father. His mother, while married, had an affair with a teenager while visiting her parents in Jamaica. In that affair, young Francis was conceived. She contemplated aborting him because she was a married woman at the time.

When Francis learnt that his mother's husband was not his real father. That sent him into psychological disillusionment that was to last for a long time until he met his real father during his early 20s.

His mother and stepfather were extremely poor. At one point, because they could not afford the $30 weekly rent, after a year of being delinquent on the weekly rental, the landlord evicted the family and they became exposed to ridicule and mockery from neighbours and passers-by in the village in Nassau where they lived.

Target of insults

Orlando 'Landlord' Francis during an interview with The Gleaner at its North Street offices in Kingston.

As a schoolboy, Francis often wore shabby or unclean clothes and worn-out shoes. His appearance and his poor circumstances often made him the target of insults and abuse from schoolmates.

There were many other deprivations he had to endure, such as not having enough food or proper shelter. At one point, he had only one piece of undergarment.

He felt cursed. Then, as a teen, he turned to the streets and joined a gang and engaged in robberies. He knows what it is to be stabbed and shot at. He still had no home and he began sleeping on crates in the open air in bushes. One day, a friend saw him sleeping on crates and smuggled him into his parents home. After two weeks, the friend's parents realised there was a stranger sleeping in the house. When the mother of the house learnt of his circumstances, she adopted him and treated him like a son.

In the midst of his criminality, Francis would often be seen at parties and he would sing there. One day in 1995, one of his friends who used to sing with him, invited him to accompany him for a kind of reunion with some former gang members, who, by that time, had become born-again Christians. They shared their new found faith, and Francis that day also became a born-again Christian.

He started attending The Diplomat Centre, the church at which internationally famed preacher Dr. Myles Munroe is the senior pastor. The Diplomat Centre continues to be Francis' home church to this day. Munroe has taken a particular interest in Francis' spiritual growth and general well-being. According to Francis, "I found favour with Dr Munroe".

Francis, 34, often travels with Munroe and often sings at gatherings which the famed preacher addresses. Francis has developed into a reggae gospel singer who goes by the name Landlord.

"Plenty times, he (Munroe) just call me and say, 'Landlord, what you doing today? Meet me at the airport.'. He has a private plane. 'Come to Jamaica with me.' I have to pay for nothing. He has exposed me to a lot. A lot of times he says, 'Landlord when are you coming with me again.' He would say, 'There is something special about you,'" Francis said.

Dr Myles Munroe

About seven years ago, while accompanying Dr Munroe to Jamaica for a speaking engagement, he shared his testimony with the congregation of Fellowship Tabernacle Church, then located on Half-Way Tree Road, St Andrew. He shared how when he was five years old, his mothersent him to spend a year living in Franklin Town and Barbican with a man, who he later learnt was his biological father. He spoke about longing to make contact again with his real father. Unknown to Francis, was that his father's sisters were sitting in the audience. When Francis returned to The Bahamas, he got a call from his father's sisters who quizzed him about his stay in Jamaica. It turned out that they were talking to their long lost nephew. In two weeks, Francis was back in Jamaica to meet his biological father. His father, he told The Gleaner, wanted to be in touch with him, but did not have any contact for his mother. Nor did his mother have any contact for his father.

Today, he prides himself with his close personal relationship with his father, Johnny Miller, who has since relocated to the United States. He even wrote a song on his album We Need Peace, to honour his father called, Daddy It's not your Fault.

His relationship with his biological dad is particularly precious as his mom and stepfather broke up about 12 years ago. Furthermore, his stepdad and himself did not get along well, and his mother has been plagued for many years with mental illness.

Francis was in Jamaica last month for talks with key figures in the local music industry when The Gleaner interviewed him. In particular, he met with players on the local gospel music scene to explore avenues of cooperation.

The youngster who grew up in poverty in Nassau, attributes his Christian faith and the mentorship of Dr Munroe and others to the turnaround in his life.

He is married to wife Larue and they have a two-month-old son, Shaddai.

He owns the apartment his family lives in.

But, his main focus these days is in the music business. He is third album, Landlord Close and Personal is set to be released sometime early in 2009. In The Bahamas, he often finds himself singing on secular shows. This alarms a number of the Christians there.

"Light must go where darkness is. And darkness cannot mix with the light. When light reach, darkness has to leave. I go to shows to deliver a message through my songs," said Francis.

He also gets a lot of flack from church folk in The Bahamas for his locks. He sported locks before he became born-again but shaved it off not long after that spiritual experience. This time, he said, he is growing locks, as a public sign of a personal covenant he has made with God.

Francis is keen to work with secular reggae artistes. He teamed up with Luciano in 2004 for the title track of his album We need Peace.

Top ten charts

Luciano

The single with Luciano landed in the top ten charts on the world renowned reggae music website www.musikmedia.com. Francis also became the first Bahamian artists ever to grace the German secular music charts, peaking at number 5. It was also number 5 on the BET gospel chart.

A lot of church folk in The Bahamas gave him some flack for teaming up with the Jamaican Rasta singer. He is however unrepentant. " I did it to send a message that he might be a Rasta, I might be a Kingdom citizen but, at the end of the day, we can still come together on a common ground and do something that is positive." Furthermore, he explained, that it was part of an evangelistic strategy. "I want their market. People who had never heard about me before I did the song with Luciano - now they start to buy my stuff. And, when they start to buy my stuff, something spiritual and Biblical will be deposited in their hearts."

Learn more about Orlando 'Landlord' Francis at www.myspace.com/landlordmusicbah.

Send feedback on Mind&Spirit to mark.dawes@gleanerjm.com