Dr. Gabe Crenshaw is a man of many talents. He’s a modern-day renaissance man who’s developed a name for himself as an on-air psychologist and a professor at USC. But he is a talented musician.
Crenshaw recently released a single called “Find My Father,” which reached the top 20 of the US independent charts. The single is a heartfelt song about how he reconciled with his father, who was in and out of his life. Crenshaw says the song’s message is for children who have wayward fathers. There is always time to reconcile with them, he said.
Crenshaw reconnected with his father when he went home to take care of his mom’s funeral. After a heated conversation, Crenshaw finally hugged his father and forgave him for not being the dad he expected. He said the song is about reconciliation and forgiveness. (His father is now deceased.)
“I want kids whose dads are still around to know, you can still turn it around,” he said.
Crenshaw said he was always a musician. He moved out to California to get into the gospel music business and paid his way through school as a musician. He first worked with Andre Crouch and then collaborated with Patrick Henderson.
Crenshaw established himself in the gospel music industry, but his mother always put an emphasis on education.
“I was embarrassed,” he said. “I wanted to be more than that.”
Eventually, Crenshaw turned away from the music industry because he didn’t want to conform to the stereotype of African Americans being minstrels. He turned his endeavors to education and psychology, eventually getting a Ph.D. in the field.
Crenshaw established a name as a TV psychologist and on-air personality on OWN and Extra. But he never totally lost his love for music. The turning point came when one of his mentors told him that he couldn’t run away from who he was. Music was always an important part of his life.
“It’s a gift from God, I embrace it,” he said.
Now Crenshaw is delving back into music and producing songs in the gospel/R&B genre.
He is also planning to combine both of his talents into a podcast called “Mental Minute.” The podcast will be hosted in a studio and “Dr. Gabe” will perform live music and also take questions about psychology.
Crenshaw is also on a quest to educate the African American community about the importance of mental health. As part of this effort, he’s establishing a mental health group for men and women at his Beverly Hills practice.
“Find My Father” is available on most online music platforms.
