JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Legendary gospel singer, songwriter and pastor, John P. Kee, is going to be in Jacksonville for a concert.
News4JAX spoke with him about coming back to the River City and why he considers himself a “walking miracle.”
You may hear his songs on the radio, or maybe even sing his songs in church.
Pastor John P. Kee is an icon.
He will be a featured guest at a concert in Jacksonville on March 21 at 7 p.m.
The event is called a March Madness Concert at Legacy Ministries Worship Center on University Boulevard.
Kee says he is returning to a city that has a special place in his heart.
“One of the great things is Jacksonville is like home to me,” he said. “My career started there. Bishop McLaughlin is a really good friend of mine. I was constantly in Jacksonville. It is like coming home to be a blessing to God’s people. I am super excited.”
Kee reminisced about experiences he has had singing and preaching all around Jacksonville over the years.
“Jacksonville has always received us,” Kee said. “When we were younger and we were the wild bunch jumping off the stages and off the speakers, Jacksonville embraced us. I just finished a 30-song throwback 2025 project. So coming to Jacksonville to see how it works, I am going to do all of the old hits. People are going to have a great time. I cannot wait to get there.”
During a 20-minute conversation, he shared that there was a point in early 2024 when he thought his life could have been over.
Kee considers himself a “walking and living testimony” because he contracted a disease called necrotizing fasciitis attacked his immune system, shortly after dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
The disease is a rare but life-threatening bacterial infection that quickly destroys the soft tissues beneath the skin.
“I was in the hospital for approximately three months,” Kee said. “I had to learn how to do it all over again. Walk, talk, speak, play, sing. For five days I was unresponsive, and my manager said, I know how to get him to wake up. Put his music on because John P. Kee hates to listen to his own music. So they put that music on and after about seven or eight songs, a song came on called ”Standing In The Need” [released in 1991]. That is going to be my hit when I get to Jacksonville. I thank God for not only the music, but how it has been a blessing to my life. I am doing super. It is a challenge, but God is just good. Instead of complaining, I have learned how to smile and just give Him glory for today. It is a day-to-day process and finishing that project, working on about 10 more."
Kee said he realized something was wrong shortly after his mother’s death.
“My mother passed and I was in Durham, North Carolina taking care of her last minute arrangements and I felt sick,” Kee said. “We, men, we diagnose ourselves. I thought it was just the flu. I thought it was food poisoning. I did not make a real issue. It was not until that Sunday and I fell in my office and I could not get up. I still did not make it an issue. But my manager for 40 years said we are going to the hospital. When I got there, they immediately transported me to the main hospital, which I did not want to go to. After five surgeries, the surgeon said ‘if he is to come back, it is going to be your God who does it.’ Here I am, a living, walking, testimony.”
Kee thanked everyone around the world who prayed for him and now he is back doing what he loves: preaching and making music that transcends generations.
“God has brought me back,” he said. “I am strong. I am wise. It is still the process, but we are doing it in big numbers.”
It has been more than 40 years in the industry for Kee. His music still remains impactful. So much so, he has been given the name “The Prince of Gospel Music.”
“I realized that I could have died with over 3,400 unreleased songs,” Kee said. “Back in the day when the record company required 10 [songs to be held in archives], I would do 25. I have a huge catalog that is unreleased. I am super excited about where we are going and what is next.”
People continue to give Kee his flowers as he has racked up scores of awards throughout his career, including the BMI Trailblazer Award at the 2025 Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards that will be held on April 3 in Atlanta.
He also has eight Grammy nominations, 37 Gospel Music Worship of America Excellence awards, 27 Stellar Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, a Soul Train Music Award.
Kee joked that it took him a while to comprehend what people have said he means to gospel music.
“It took me a while to get there because I am still writing and I’m still producing,” he said. “I have new stuff. I would get angry because I would be singing my new stuff and [people] would be in the audience screaming [sing] “Jesus is Real,” We Walk by Faith,” “Mansion,” “Lily in the Valley.” It took me a minute. I am there now to embrace the fact that these songs are a part of people’s fabric, their history. It is a part of who they are. You cannot escape that. I am grateful to know that I am able without any issue in this stage of my life to bring that music back to people and put a smile on their face.“
Kee says he wants the concert in Jacksonville to be unifying.
“I want us to have a worship experience” Kee said. “I don’t want just them to just enjoy it. I want to enjoy it. I want them to walk away saying, ‘I hung out with my uncle John and I had a ball tonight.’ That’s what we look for.
He also had one special shoutout to a particular person in the River City.
“To everybody in Jacksonville, I want you to know that I never forgot there was a young man who inspired me when I first started out,” Kee said. “I love him. I never forgot him. I wish I had access to some of his old music. I would release it right now. His name was Willie Ross. Willie Ross was one of the coldest writers, musicians, one of the most humble men and friends I would ever meet. He attended all of the VIP conferences. I want you to know uncle John still thinks about Willie Ross, and I love him with all of my heart.”
Click here for all the information you need to know if you are interested in attending the concert on March 21.