Rev C The Gray

Musician

I was born at an early age (LOL) but music was alive in me.  I started writing music at age 6 on guitar and piano.  When I came to be in the 4th grade I chose to play the saxophone but I still was left for wanting.  In 8th grade, my friends and I decided to start a band.  We needed a bassist and so the role fell on me.  It was kismet for I was no longer wanting and the stars were in alignment. 

The bass was my foundation and so I set out writing music compositions and even incorporating lyrics to some of them.  In college put some of these talents to use in various bands.  As I progressed through college I was undertaking an English degree where I honed my lyric skills to bring them to a new level.  I took Music Theory classes which added dimension to my writing. I still use what I learned to invoke a deeper sense of meaning that brings the listener into a new realm of understanding in my music and writings.

A little over 20 years ago, I felt the itch to record some of the songs which were swimming around my head.  I built my first studio and started writing and recording.  Half a dozen albums later several years have passed and here we are today where I have rekindled my passion of writing and recording.  My wife encouraged me to setup a new studio so I did and called it Sound Ministry Studio.  From it I have produced some of my best work.  A new album a decade later is about to be unleashed on the world.  It includes a couple of college bandmates on several of the songs.  I can’t wait for you to hear it…but wait there’s more.  I have written several songs to follow up this album so keep coming back for updates!

In closing people have asked me why “Rev C The Gray” so here is a little context and history for you.  In the early 2000’s I was in a band called militantPoet.  One day before we got together to practice, I happened to become ordained online thus becoming a reverend with the Universal Life Church.  I had printed off my certificate and showed the guys at practice.  From that moment on I was called either “The Reverend” or “Rev C”.  Years later I created the handle “Rev C The Gray” for Xbox Live and figured I would use it for producing my music.  Since I am Rev C and gray it makes sense.  And there you have it…peace and love to you!

Colin Shellhorn

Author

Colin Shellhorn is a Senior DevOps Linux Engineer by day and a poet, storyteller, and musician by night. A graduate of Calvin College with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Colin has spent over two decades writing poetry, stories, and song lyrics, using the written word to explore the beauty, struggles, mysteries, and extraordinary moments woven into everyday life.

For more than 20 years, writing has been more than a creative outlet for Colin—it has been a lifelong passion, a means of self-expression, and a way of making sense of the world around him. Through fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and music, he has sought to capture the full spectrum of the human experience: love and loss, joy and sorrow, faith and doubt, heartbreak and healing. His words are often deeply personal, shaped by the people he has loved, the roads he has traveled, and the experiences that have challenged, strengthened, and transformed him along the way.

While his professional life revolves around technology, engineering, and solving complex problems, his creative spirit finds its home in the rhythm of language, the power of storytelling, and the emotion of music. To Colin, there is something profoundly meaningful about finding just the right words to express what the heart sometimes struggles to say.

At the center of his life are his beloved wife, Angie, and their daughter, Sienna, whose love, laughter, and presence continue to inspire him in countless ways. His Christian faith is equally foundational to who he is. Grounded in grace and blessed by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Colin approaches both life and writing with gratitude, humility, and an enduring sense of hope. His faith does not remove life’s struggles but gives him the strength to face them and the perspective to discover meaning even in the most difficult seasons.

Colin’s writing is not simply about crafting beautiful words; it is about sharing pieces of a life lived, lessons learned, prayers whispered, and emotions that deserve to be remembered. Some of his work is raw and unfiltered, some reflective and tender, and some filled with the quiet wonder of faith and the enduring power of love. Yet through it all runs a common thread: a desire to connect with others through honesty, vulnerability, and the shared experiences that make us human.

After more than two decades of putting pen to paper, Colin continues to believe that words have the power to encourage, challenge, comfort, and inspire. Whether through a poem, a story, or a song, his hope is that somewhere within the lines, readers will discover a reflection of their own journey—and perhaps a reminder that even along life’s most difficult roads, there is always room for grace, beauty, and hope.

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