Parrice Smith and Dr. Derry Glenn share details on the talk that Smith will be giving Oct. 7 at the Civic Center in Lima.
Jacob Espinosa
LIMA —A native son is back in town, hoping to inspire area children to reach for the same heights he has hit.
Emmy-winner Parrice Smith said that he is excited to be back to give a talk at 5 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center about what it took for him to get where he is today.
“I’m still dreaming myself,” the Elida graduate said. “This has been surreal to me to win an Emmy and all of that stuff, but growing up in the music industry has been a blessing and it’s kept me out of trouble. If I can use whatever light that’s been shined on me to show them the way and give them an outlet to go after their dreams I’m all for it.”
Smith, who arranged a remake of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” with Kool and the Gang veteran Skip Martin, said that the idea to record the song came from memories of performing the song in church as a kid in Lima and that it would not have been possible without encouragement from people like Stevie Wonder and Ray Parker Jr. collaborating.
He hopes to pass along his experiences from starting out at as a 15-year-old to being an award-winning producer.
“After getting my first record deal with Boyz II Men, I moved to Philadelphia and never looked back,” he said. “I started with them and met a lot of people who took me all over the world. There’s so much I could say, but for the most part, I wouldn’t trade anything for the world.”
Lima City Council member Dr. Derry Glenn, who organized the event, said it will be important for the community to both support Smith and show pride by learning how to emulate his success.
“That’s my main goal and I’m glad we can bring Parrice in as a role model in the community,” he said. “He is showing his leadership and brotherhood here in giving back to the kids and we need it really bad.”
Smith said that he hopes attendees take away a very important lesson from his talk.
“Anything that’s going to be worth something is a grind,” he said. “It’s not easy, no matter how good your talent is. It has to be worked on because it pays off in the end.”
To listen to the award-winning recording, find it on Youtube.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
