AMY TURNER
Jonathan Wilburn has worked with producer Ben Isaacs for a long time. The two have a strong working relationship. Ben produced Wilburn’s latest project, Jesus Can. But their friendship goes beyond the studio. And one night, Ben proved just how well he knows his friend.
It started with a late-night FaceTime call. Wilburn wasn’t sure what to expect.
“I’m sitting at home one night, and this joker FaceTimes me, and it’s like a weird hour,” Wilburn recalled. “And Ben’s FaceTimed me. Oh, no, I hope he’s not in trouble. I’m going to get him out of jail or something. Again.”
When Wilburn answered, Ben wasn’t in trouble at all. He was somewhere far better.
“So he FaceTimes me. He goes, hey, man, guess where I’m at?” Wilburn said. “And I went, where? He went to Hawaii. And I went, you dog, you’re in Hawaii. And he went, yeah. I’m at Terry Bradshaw’s house.”
Wilburn wasn’t sure he’d heard right. Terry Bradshaw? The Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl championships was on the other end of that call?
“And I went, Terry Bradshaw’s house? I was like, yeah right,” Wilburn said. “And he just goes, yeah. Here’s Terry Bradshaw. Boom.”
For most people, a surprise celebrity appearance on a phone call might be a fun story to tell later. For Wilburn, it was something more. He’s a lifelong Steelers fan, and Bradshaw is one of only two people who have ever left him truly starstruck.
“Well, he knew growing up and still I’m a huge Steelers fan,” Wilburn said. “I’m not one of these starstruck people, but there’s two people I’m starstruck over, and that would be Elvis and Terry Bradshaw.”
When Bradshaw appeared on screen, Wilburn was immediately moved, but so was Bradshaw, it turned out.
“So he puts Terry Bradshaw on there, and I’m looking, and Terry goes, hey, man, I love your singing. When you sang with Gold City, man, I just. And so he said, man, I love it.”
Then, in true fan fashion, Wilburn couldn’t help himself. He had to bring up the moments that had meant so much to him growing up.
“And I went, hey, Terry, you remember that time you threw that past the Lynn Swan in the Super Bowl, and you scored a touchdown? You remember that? Do you remember Jack Lambert? You remember him?”
Bradshaw, gracious and good-humoured, took it all in stride.
“And so Terry just kind of goes, yeah, man, it’s good to see you. Here’s Ben.”
It was a brief moment, but one that clearly left a lasting impression, a reminder that the bond between Wilburn and Isaacs runs deeper than music.
Texas Gospel Canada Southern Gospel Radio 