Youth in Southern Gospel: Meet Bo Chesser of the Williamsons

Youth in Southern Gospel: Bo Chesser

By Lindsey Chandler

Meet SGNScoops’ newest writer!  My name is Lyndsey Chandler. I sing with my family, the Chandlers. I have wanted to get something started to promote the youth in Southern gospel for a long time. I want to say a huge thank you to SGNScoops magazine for allowing me the opportunity to do this. I will be sharing exclusive interviews in an effort to showcase the abilities, talents and dedication of young artists in Southern gospel music. I will be offering these monthly interviews to better acquaint you with young voices that are growing louder in our industry. So sit back, relax and enjoy our very first interview! 

Youth in Southern Gospel: Meet Bo Chesser of the Williamsons

I am pleased to introduce to you our first featured artist who comes to us from Konawa, Oklahoma. Bo Chesser is 23 years old and is a singer and musician for the Williamsons. 

The Willamsons originated in 1969 and were revived in 1998. They perform approximately 200 dates a year, passionately spreading the gospel of Christ.

Chesser has been singing since he was six years old, traveling off and on with the Williamsons since he was nine. This young man is not just another member of the group, he is also Lisa Willamson’s younger brother. 

In May of 2018, a position came open with the group, and Bo Chesser has been there ever since. He graduated in 2018 from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, receiving a music degree in trumpet performance while minoring in business. 

Chesser enjoys many hobbies which include running several 5Ks and marathons throughout the year. Not only is he talented in singing, but he also plays quite a few instruments including the trumpet, mandolin, guitar and piano. When it’s time to eat, Chesser’s favorite fast food restaurant is Chick-Fil-A.

The young musician shares, “Other than voice cracks and accidentally playing an entire verse and chorus of a song in the wrong key, (a funny thing) happened this past May. In a small church in Tennessee, a woman in the front row had a bad sounding cough and my sister Lisa and I found it funny for some reason. We held it together until the fifth song, which was a serious song about loved ones going to heaven, of course! The woman coughed again during the second verse, I lost it, and couldn’t sing the entire rest of the song. Even better is, they were Facebook live the whole time.”

When asked what a day off looks like for him, Chesser says, “A productive day off for me consists of working out, running, practicing the trumpet, mandolin, singing and doing general housework. A more realistic day looks like getting at least one of those things done, going out to eat, getting coffee with friends, and watching either YouTube videos or a movie.” 

If he was not singing, he says he would probably be a band director or music teacher of some sort. For musical inspiration, Chesser enjoys the Isaacs and the Talleys as his biggest inspirations in Southern gospel. 

Chesser shares his incredible testimony… 

“The department of human services placed me in a foster home six days after I was born. This was because my biological mother had done drugs and alcohol throughout the entire pregnancy. Over the next few months, I experienced withdrawals from the drugs, such as crying and uncontrollable tremors. By situations that God ordered, a foster family adopted me about two years later, and I’ve been theirs ever since.

“From an early age, they taught me about Jesus and showed me how to live, so at eight years old, I accepted Christ as my savior,” Chesser continues. “I was not living the way I should have for most of my school years in the way I talked, thought, and acted. God, however, got my attention during my senior year of high school, and I truly dedicated myself to him.

“My family is full of musicians, so I was always around singing and instruments. I took an interest at an early age, and my family encouraged me in my efforts. When I was eight years old, Lisa showed me my first three chords on the mandolin; at 10 years old, my dad taught me the basics of guitar; and later that year, I joined the fifth grade band and started playing the trumpet. I truly never would have imagined that I would still be using all of those abilities, especially in this capacity where I get to minister and glorify God,” Chesser concludes.

I trust you have enjoyed reading this interview. Go HERE to hear more about them, making sure you like, comment and share. Or HERE on Facebook.

By Lindsey Chandler

For more information on Lindsay Chandler and her singing family, the Chandlers click HERE.

For more Gospel music features read the latest SGNScoops Magazine HERE.