Pastor Duane Player

Pastor Duane Player is a native of Talladega, Alabama, a 1990 graduate of Talladega High School, a 1997 Graduate of Alabama A&M University with a BS in Instrumental Education, and a 2004 graduate of Alabama State University with a Master’s in Instrumental Music Education. He accepted Christ and, as a result, was baptized at Mt. Canaan Missionary Baptist Church under his pastor,  Dr. Horace Patterson, Sr. Commissioned to preach the Word in 2009,  Pastor Player served on the praise team and as a minister at Vision Christian Center in Pell City, AL, under the leadership of Pastor Byron Gover. He returned to his home church at Mt. Canaan in 2010 and was licensed and later ordained by Dr. Patterson. 

Before retiring from public education in the Spring of 2023, Pastor Player served as Director of Bands for 25 years at various middle and high schools, being the first Black director at Tarrant High School and Talladega High School. In the Fall of 2023, the Most Entertaining Band Award was named in his honor at the Race City Marching Festival. He currently serves as a music education professor at Miles College and continues to judge various band competitions during marching season. 

Pastor Player is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Music Fraternity, and several professional organizations. He views his marriage to First Lady Arricka as a partnership of love, life, and ministry that will be a blessing to others. They currently live with their daughters Jordyn and Makyla in Talladega, AL.