About The Artist

Rev. Roger Anthony Yolanda Mapes is a singer/songwriter/drag performer and Interfaith Minister who's work as an Artist and Sacred Activist has earned him a place in The GLBT Hall Of Fame. He has been called: " The Alien Love Child of Louise Hay and John Waters, with a splash of........Dolly Parton ! " Rev. RoYo is an eccentric, and ecstatic artist and performer. He brings his message of Non Duality into every event by merging GLBT and Mainstream Popular Culture with Integrated Spirituality. With a soulful voice, a message of oneness, great costumes, and a wicked sense of humor,emphasizing love, beautiful melodies, interesting stories, and a bit of inspiration. Rev. Roger Anthony Yolanda Mapes was born and raised in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, The Hit Recording Capital of the World and the birthplaces of Helen Keller and W.C. Handy. The Muscle Shoals area is populated by an abundance of musicians and visual artists/painters. RoYo began studying music, painting and drawing at a young age with local artists and was encouraged to develop his own unique vision, which combines GLBT culture, drag performance, personal spirituality, and a love for Old Time Gospel Music. RoYo is influenced by pop, rock, blues,gospel, country, and folk, but doesn’t self-consciously follow any one tradition…combining them all into some hybrid of his own.