Daddy!  (Originally posted 11/02/04)

There is no sound or word as sweet as when I walk through the door after a long day at work and here my little girl running down the hallway with arms wide open, screaming “Daaaaadddyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” Those of you who are parents can probably relate, I’m sure. Emma is a daddy’s girl. There is no one on this earth like her daddy! And I like it that way! (Sorry dear!)

I am so proud of my little girl and the person that I see her becoming. Even at 3 years old (she’ll actually be 4 in a few days), she knows about Jesus and will frequently ask for prayer. It is wonderful that through the example of her mother and I, she knows she can pray to Jesus, and everything will be ok. There have been times Emma has even prayed for me. One time I was sick lying on the couch and she asked if I was sick. I told her I was and that she needed to pray for daddy. She then proceeded to put her hands on me and mumbled a few words and then she said, “I did daddy.” My heart was overwhelmed be her tender act of faith.

Ever since she was a baby, I always sang a little medley of songs to put her to sleep. Even still today those songs, “Jesus Loves Me”, “Jesus Loves the Little Children”, “Oh How I Love Jesus” and “There’s Just Something About that Name”, sung respectively, will soothe her when she’s tired, scared or hurt. She’ll tell me, “Sing to me daddy” and no matter what is going on, I’ll sing those songs for her and she’s fine. I have vowed that one day I will record those songs, even if just for her, and call it “Emma’s Medley.”

She has really started getting into “Daddy’s Music”. (Interpretation: Southern Gospel Music). Her favorite CD’s are the Greenes “Hold On” and the Isaacs “Heroes.” One day after listening to the Isaacs song, “Heroes”, she declared that her mommy and daddy were her heroes. That made us feel good inside. I hope that in 5, 10 or 20 years from how, her mom and I will still be her heroes.

I am a proud daddy. I love my little girl more than she will probably ever know. Even as a father, I still cannot fathom the love my Heavenly Father has for me. And I can’t help but think sometimes about the day that I walk through the door of Heaven, and see Jesus. I can see me running to Jesus like a child with my arms open wide and probably shouting to the top of lungs, “Daddy!”

What Are You Looking At?  (Originally posted 10/06/04)

I love looking at people. I’ve always been that way. I love going to the mall, going to concerts, etc. and looking at people and just wondering about their lives. I’ll be the first to admit that I am about as nosy as they come! But I do wonder…what do they do? What is their life like? What kind of person are they? Why do they look so sad? What are they smiling or laughing at? What are they talking about with their companion? Do their kids act like that all the time? Do they know Jesus? Do they know who Vestal Goodman was? (Just kidding with the last one…LOL!)

I really do wonder though, about these people. Even driving down the road or at a stoplight, I will turn and look at whoever is in the car next to me. Sometimes I notice they seem sad. Sometimes I breathe a prayer for them, for whatever they may be going through. Sometimes they seem happy, and I ultimate find, that I end up smiling myself!
One time I was sitting at a stoplight. I turned and looked at the car next to me and in the passenger’s seat was the most beautiful head of thick, long red hair I had ever seen. I thought, “She must be a beautiful person”. I kept staring hoping she would turn around so I could see her face. Just before the light changed, her head started to turn. I could feel the excitement boiling within me as I anticipated what she would look like. Just as the light changed, she turned and looked at me and she was the most beautiful red longhaired, Labrador retriever I had ever seen! With my mouth wide open with surprise, the car drove off and left me sitting at the light, laughing my head off!

As George Younce would say, “That didn’t happen, I just made that up!” But, it made you laugh!

I have seen some interesting sights in my life though, watching folks and looking at them and observing them. Sometimes I wonder, “God…what were you thinking?” God has such a sense of humor! I look at the mirror everyday and wonder what He was thinking when he made me! LOL! But I know God is sovereign, and He knew exactly what he was doing when He made us. I am thankful that no matter what we look like, how we dress, or what we’ve done with our lives, He loves us, and desires to have an intimate relationship with us.

Maybe I’m Just Out of Touch (Originally posted 10/28/04)

Yesterday my wife and I went to vote in the election at a local high school here in town, figuring we’d beat the rush come Election Day next week. (Side Note: GO VOTE!) We waited in line in the hallway of that school for over half an hour. The wait wasn’t too bad, as the line was moving pretty good. But it gave me a chance to glance around at our current public high school situation. There were signs around telling students that if they did certain things, disciplinary action would be taken. The regular ones like gum chewing, eating or drinking in class and such were naturally listed. They’ve been on the list of no-no’s in school for hundreds of years it seems. But the last one caught me off guard. The last item listed said you were not allowed to bring a book bag to class. Maybe I am just out of touch because I don’t have any children in public school…YET! I do have a 3 year old, who will be 4 years old next month. But I have only been out of high school for 14 years. Have schools changed that drastically that bringing a book bag is a security risk? I realize that the school shootings changed a lot of things, but I didn’t realize bringing a book bag could get you in so much trouble.

I live in an area where race is always an issue. But, when I was in school I never saw race riots between students like it is today, never had an instance where kids brought guns to school and never even thought about school shootings. I never felt threatened in high school and never feared for my life. Where has society today taken us? Where have we gone wrong as parents?

In the hallway there were even big posters showing kids how to dress. Dress was never a huge issue when I was in school. Are our children really that ignorant? Surely as parents we know how to send out kids to school dressed properly? Or are our kids ruling us instead of us ruling our kids? Or do we allow the fashion industry to rule what we are supposed to where? Shouldn’t the parents be the parents, or have we failed miserably somewhere? Like I said, maybe I am just out of touch. I am sure the reality of things will set in when my little girl becomes of age and I am sure it will hit me like a ton of bricks too! Lord I pray for wisdom!

Things have changed so much since I was in school. (Gosh that makes me sound old!) I fear for my child and the world she will face when she grows up. But I also remember the words to a song that says we can face all those uncertain days because Christ lives.

Remembering: Dale Shelnut (originally posted 04/07/05)

Dale Shelnut was quite a colorful individual. I never had a chance to meet Dale Shelnut or see him sing in person, but as I was growing up the mid to late 1970’s, a television show called The Gospel Singing Jubilee introduced me to him and to the music of the Dixie Echoes. I can still remember that giddy feeling I would get inside every time they’d sing “Heaven’s Echoes.” Man, I loved that song, and still do! I also loved to see them sing, “I’ll Take Jesus” as well. Both are great songs and are forever etched in my memory. I grew up really appreciating the great voice Dale possessed and for me, watching him sing was a royal treat.

As I started working in radio back in the late 1980’s, one record that I loved to pull from once in awhile and play songs from was their Today album from 1975. Today, that record still remains one of my favorites. As I grew older and started collecting records, the Dixie Echoes were one of the groups I intensely sought after. I only had 7 of their records in my collection at that time, and I desperately wanted more. A couple of records that I eventually came across and consider to be real gems in my collection are “Live” and “My Real Home” from 1973 and 1974 respectively. That live album was so much fun to listen to. I loved the song “I Want to See Jesus”, but the highlight for me was hearing Dale Shelnut rip into “Come into the Prayer Room” and “Trouble in my Way.” Those two songs, done back to back, were and are a real delight to listen to.

Dale was such a comedian, and had such a great rapport with the audience. I have an old video of the Dixie Echoes in a live concert from around 1970, and the Dixie Echoes stole the show. This was due not only because of the Dixie Echoes superb singing, but also in large part because Dale was a master showman. They did “Trouble in my Way” and they tore the place up. With Dale’s quick wit and Joe Whitfield playing the straight man, it just made it all the more funnier as they set the song up and Dale gets into his role as the “swingin’ lead singer”. It’s hilarious and totally priceless. And Sue Whitfield, who always seemed to have her faculties fully intact, was literally in stitches before Dale was finished. A friend of mine recently shared with me a story about Dale Shelnut. There is a part in the song where Dale sings several different lines over and over and over again, much like a black group would do. One night the group was singing in Winston Salem, North Carolina and the group closed their part of the program with “Trouble in my Way”. He must have sung, "hey father" and “call Him Jesus” a thousand times over and the crowd was all over it. Earl Carney, the concert promoter, had the microphone to introduce the next group, and Dale busted back on stage shouting, “Get out of de way, Earl…I gotta sang it agin!” They were on stage for another ten minutes. The Dixie Echoes were a group that other groups hated to follow on stage, because they’d leave a crowd completely wore out!

Now, Dale wasn’t using his great sense of humor to cover up any bad singing on his part, as Dale is one of the greatest lead singers to ever grace a concert stage. Not only could Dale sing those old spirituals almost like their original counterparts, but on songs like “My Real Home” and “Hallelujah Square”, Dale exemplified his stellar singing abilities better than anything. He could do something as serious as “My Real Home” or “The Runt” and then turn right around and sing something as fun as “It’ll Be Joy” or “Get on Board” or as comical as “The Singing News Blues.” (Those who’ve never heard this little song really need to find it and listen to it!) Either way, he could move you to tears…either with an emotional song, or with something comical!

One of my favorite versions of “The Lighthouse” is by the Dixie Echoes. Whereas in most quartet versions, the tenor would usually take the chorus of the song, Dale Shelnut and the group’s tenor at that time, Bobby Clark, would swap the lead part back forth during the chorus and it really showed off the great range Dale possessed. I think it’s one of the greatest performances on record. Another one of my favorite Dixie Echoes songs featuring Dale is the song, “I’ll Praise the Name of God” from back in the mid 1960s. You can really hear the power in the voice on this song.

Dale passed away suddenly in 1983, which was far too soon, as I believe there was still a lot of music left in him. But he lives on through the music he made. His love for music and his zeal for life are shown through each and every song he sang. How appropriate that one of the last songs he ever recorded was a great song of promise, “I’ll Meet You on the Other Side of Jordan.”

I Believe You!  (originally posted 12/09/04)

“Yes…I believe you!” I think that is the greatest compliment you can give a singer or performer. It’s great to win awards and receive standing ovations night after night, and maybe even have them running up and down the aisles, but to have someone come up to you and tell you that they believe what you are singing about is, in my opinion, the greatest compliment one can receive. For someone to sing with such conviction and emotion, that they MAKE you believe what they are singing about is an art and in some cases, simply a God given talent. You can sing like the angels, have the best-trained voice in the world and do everything “just right”, but if you don’t have that final “believability” element, it’s the opinion of this writer, that you have failed as a communicator. That may be a strong statement for me to make, but I believe it with everything that is within me.

Now I am not talking about dramatic theatrics or taking your audience on an emotional roller coaster by crying and screaming and jumping up and down, but there is a certain dynamic or believability that separates certain singers. This element shines through loud and clear in their voice and delivery. Unless you can sing with passion and believability, you’re just singing a song, instead of living the song.

Dottie Rambo once wrote a song that said, “You will have to live the song before you know.” How can someone sing and successfully communicate the message unless you’ve lived the song? How can you effectively sing about heartaches, when you’ve never really experienced it? How can you sing about the love and passion of Christ, when you have no personal knowledge of that relationship? You have to live it before you can sing about it. You can’t sing about having joy unspeakable and full of glory, unless you have it yourself.

You’ve heard the expression, “Sing it like you mean it” or “Sing it from your heart.” I believe that is what sets apart someone who just sings a song from someone who is a singer. Anyone can sing a song, but it takes that something special to be a singer, a communicator. I’d pay big money to hear a singer, but I wouldn’t go across the street just hear someone sing a song. When I leave a concert, I go back in my mind over the concert and think, “Did they convince me with their music? Do I believe them?” Sometimes, the answer is yes, and sometimes the answer is a resounding no!

Before I close, let me make one thing very clear. I am not calling into question anyone’s spirituality or their salvation, just their ability to communicate their message effectively. This is the gospel…we have something exciting and real to say. We need to sing it like we mean it, and convey that message as effectively and yes…as passionately as we possibly can. So when people leave our concerts, they too can say, “YES…I believe you!”

Remembering: The Orrells (originally posted 06/21/05)

I grew up listening and loving Southern Gospel Music, and the first records I remember ever listening to were those by the Happy Goodman Family, Inspirations, Hemphills, Sego Brothers & Naomi, Oak Ridge Boys, Dixie Echoes, Wendy Bagwell & The Sunliters, Thrasher Brothers, Florida Boys, Speers, Rambos and Kingsmen. It wasn’t until a bit later in my growing up years that I came to love the music of the Statesmen, Blackwood Brothers, Hinsons, Greenes, Cathedrals, JD Sumner & The Stamps, Imperials, Weatherfords, Gold City Quartet, McKameys and others. When I was 19 years old, I went to my very first Grand Ole Gospel Reunion in 1991, and it was there that I discovered the wonderful world of record collecting, and thus I embarked upon this fantastic and sometimes expensive journey of collecting records; and through this love I came to appreciate and become a fan of such groups as the Downings, Lanny Wolfe Trio, Couriers Quartet, Goss Brothers, Bill Gaither Trio, LeFevres, Dallas Holm and Prophets Quartet. One group in particular that I came across and fell in love with was a group called the Orrells from Detroit, Michigan, and from the very first time I heard their music I was hooked!

Back in the early 1970s, the Orrells were an immensely popular male trio consisting of Larry Orrell (son of famed concert promoter Lloyd Orrell), Gordon Jenson (a wonderful young songwriter) and Wayne Hilton. The group became known for introducing some of Southern Gospel Music’s most celebrated songs such as, “Redemption Draweth Nigh”, “Tears are a Language (God Understands)”, “I Should Have Been Crucified”, “Jesus Will Outshine them All” and a host of others. Boasting a unique and identifiable sound, which at times fused Southern Gospel with the popular sounds stemming from the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the group had a short but lasting impact on Southern Gospel Music. They had a smooth sound with Larry and Gordon switching out the lead and baritone parts and Wayne, a wonderful lyric tenor, taking the high part. With Jensen on piano, Wayne on Rhythm Guitar and a bass player named Mark Chadwell, the group made great music together.

The Orrells were born out of a popular male quartet from the 1960s aptly called (are you ready for this?) the Orrell Quartet. Several well-known singers came from that group including Buddy Liles, who sang bass with the Florida Boys for over 25 years. The Orrell Quartet reformed with Orrell, Jensen and Hilton around 1969 as a male trio and recorded about 4 albums before hooking up with Heartwarming Records in 1971. Their debut album on Heartwarming entitled, “Enough of God’s Love”, brought much success with the inclusion of such memorable songs as “Redemption Draweth Nigh”, “Sunrise”, “There’s Enough of God’s Love” and “Tears are a Language”, which were all written by the young Gordon Jensen.

To my knowledge, the Orrells only did 4 albums for Heartwarming. The first 3 albums “Enough of God’s Love”, “Live!” and “Forever is a Long, Long Time” (A really, really great record, by the way) were released before the group “unofficially” retired in the early part of 1973. During their brief hiatus, Wayne and Larry both recorded solo albums, but the group eventually came back together in 1975 and recorded their fourth album for Heartwarming entitled, “Together Again”. In 1976, though the singing personnel in the group remained the same, the Orrells went through a name change and became Gordon Jensen & Sunrise and recorded on their own independent label. They continued singing and recording under that name for 2 or 3 years and to my knowledge, only recorded 3 albums during that time.

Eventually the group disbanded around 1978 or so and each member basically went in their own direction. Gordon Jensen carried on as a soloist, recording several solo albums throughout the 1980s and into 1990s and he continued writing great songs as well. Larry Orrell also recorded a few solo projects and eventually joined ranks in the 1990’s with the short-lived group called Friends 4. (Which was an awesome and extremely underrated group.) Wayne Hilton became an executive for Heartwarming Records, producing some great music back in the 1980s with HeavenBound, Hemphills, Kingsmen and other groups associated with Heartwarming Records. In fact, Hilton produced the Hemphills 1986 Dove Award winning album, “Excited”. The Orrells did come back together, albeit very briefly, back in the mid 1980s. I don’t recall them ever doing any sort of touring at all, but I do believe they did end up recording one album.

As mentioned earlier, the man behind most of the Orrells great songs was Gordon Jensen, who was a songwriting machine back in the 1970s and early 1980s. Jensen wrote many songs that the top artists of the day ended up recording including the Downings, Inspirations, JD Sumner & The Stamps, The Galileans, Couriers, Jimmy Swaggart, Kingsmen, Oak Ridge Boys, Rusty Goodman, Nelons, Speers and Cathedrals. Even in recent years, his songs have found a home on recordings by Janet Paschal with “Written in Red”, Greater Vision with their rendition of “Redemption Draweth Nigh”, HisSong and Promise with “It’s Still Real Today” and just this year, he had a chart song with the Hayes Family’s version of his song “I’d Never Miss Heaven for the World” that he wrote back in the mid 1970s. Other artists in recent years who have recording Jensen’s songs include Amy Lambert, Greenes, Down East Boys, Richard Simmons, Imperials, etc. Some of Jensen’s other well known compositions include “Bigger than Any Mountain”, “It Made News in Heaven”, “A Song Holy Angels Cannot Sing”, “Before He Calls Again”, “Precious Old Story of Love”, “God Has not Changed”, “The Coming of the Lord”, “I’ve Got My Heart Set on Heaven”, “A Song to Sing at Midnight”, “He’s as Close as the Mention of His Name” and a poignant song about abortion that was written in the late 1980s called, “Sometimes they Cry.” One of his more obscure songs from the mid 1980s entitled, “Joy in the Journey” still remains one of my all time favorite Jensen songs as are “Jesus will Outshine them All” and “Redemption Draweth Nigh.” As a side note, “Redemption Draweth Nigh” (which is arguably Jensen’s most well known song) has gone beyond the confines of Southern Gospel and has crept over into the Black Gospel market with the late Ronald Winans (of Winans Brothers fame) recording the song on his final recording, “Family and Friends: A Celebration”.

The Orrells had an enormous and electrifying but yet very delicate sound. Their studio recordings had some pretty elaborate arrangements, complete with strings and brass, but their concerts were a bit more subdued musically, with just piano, bass and rhythm guitar for accompaniment. Vocally they were a powerhouse and could sing anyone off the platform with their powerful renditions of “How Great Thou Art”, “Jesus Will Outshine them All”, “Revival is Here” or their signature song, “Redemption Draweth Nigh”. They could create exciting moments with their upbeat numbers like “Let the River Flow”, “The Christian Way”, “Will You be Among the Missing” or “We’re Together Again” and on their more soothing numbers like “Sunrise”, “He’s Changing Me”, “Forever is a Long, Long Time” and “I’m So Unworthy” they really showed how they could capture a song and its quiet emotion and hold an audience right in the palm of their hand.

It’s a shame that the Orrells’ career as a group was an on again, off again affair, because I really feel that if they had kept things going, their name would have been breathed in the same breath as the Kingsmen, Happy Goodman Family, Rambos, Inspirations and other groups who were trailblazers during the 1970s. But because of their extremely segmented musical career as a group, a lot of people really missed out on a great thing and many people have either forgotten who the Orrells were, or don’t even remember them. I’ve always said that I was born during the wrong time period because since I was born in 1972, I feel I missed out on some great stuff during the 1960s and 1970s. I missed seeing some wonderful groups, the Orrells being one of them. History has already proven the excellent contributions they made to Southern Gospel Music, and I am glad I have this forum to remember them, the magic they created and the great music that they made.

Remembering: Rusty Goodman (originally posted 03/18/05)

Being the nostalgic person that I am, and being one who loves the history and respect the people who paved the way in Southern Gospel Music, I enjoy doing articles remembering certain people, places and aspects of this music I love so much. Daryl Williams kind of started my thought process on this with his article this month in “The Songwriter”, with which I had left my own comments concerning the late Rusty Goodman.

Rusty Goodman is probably my all time favorite songwriter, with Dottie Rambo following closely behind him. Rusty wasn't a quantity songwriter, but he was a quality songwriter. As far as I am concerned, He didn't write a bad song. He could write a song as simple as "I Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now" or “I’m Gonna Go Higher” and then turn right around and write something as complex and different as "The Mystery of it All" or "The Woodsman". He could write a lighthearted, novelty tune like “Handshakes and Smiles”, “Family Band” or “Let Your Finers Do the Walking” and then write a song as powerful and profound as “Had it not Been”, “Who am I”, “Until You’ve Known the Love of God”, “Don’t Let me See” or “Leavin’ on my Mind”. His song, "How Much More" is probably one of the most poignant songs ever written portraying the love of Christ.

I was visiting a church one time and a trio in the church broke out and sang "I'll Be Alright as soon as I touch Calvary" and they sung that song for over 15-20 minutes. The power of God was so strong in that place that the church just exploded with praise. Who would have thought that a simple song Rusty wrote about 30 years ago would still be used and sung with such conviction and power today?

Not only was Rusty the consumate songwriter, but he was the perfect singer. Rusty exuded class. I don’t hide the fact that I am a huge Vestal fan, but there was a certain quality to Rusty’s voice the drew me in as well. He had a certain warmth and a charisma in his performance that just made me watch and listen. It wasn’t just in action, but his charisma came out in his voice as well. Some of the best songs that portrayed his charisma were songs like “Jesus Knows All About it”, “This Man”, “I’m Taking Back What the Devil Stole”, “I Wasn’t There” and “Poor, Rich Man”.

Rusty also had a wonderful range. An exellent example of his range is found in a song he recorded on his first solo album, “The Singer” called “Let Your Fingers Do the Walking”. On this song, he sings all 4 parts and performs them flawlessly. Also, to hear him do all the vocal flip flops he use to do when the family would sing “The Eastern Gate” is something to behold as well. Rusty could sing the high notes with ease and tackle the low notes with such beauty and grace.

Rusty could also interpret a song like no other. He sang with such great feeling and emotion. It was never overdone and but done with great finesse and class. He was an artist laureate who could paint beautiful masterpieces with his singing. Some of Rusty’s finest performaces include, but not limited to…“It Must Have Rained in Heaven on Crucifixion Day”, “Leavin’ on my Mind”, “Heartbeat”, “Small, Lonely Hill”, “Had it not Been”, “The Lighthouse” and “Life Evermore.” You can take any one of those songs and study them and learn the art of being an artist through your music. Even before Rusty hit his prime, he could evermore croon a tune with the Plainsmen back in the late 1950’s on the song, “Someone’s Watching Over You.” Now THAT was pure singing. It’s like a good piece of carmel, melting in your mouth. Mmm…mmm…good!

Rusty Goodman was a rare jewel. I believe he left this world way too soon. He was everything I ever wanted to be as a gospel singer. I don’t think I have a single drop of his talent, but I sure wish I did. But I love to just sit and admire the great man he was and study his music and learn how it should be done!

What Can Southern Gospel Music Learn from Contemporary Christian Music?  (originally posted 05/04/05

My wife and I attended a CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) concert this past Saturday (April 30). We saw the final night of Steven Curtis Chapman’s “All Things New” Tour featuring SCC along with Chris Tomlin and Casting Crowns. This was the first CCM concert I have attended since around 1989 when I saw Petra on their “On Fire” Tour and Carmen on his “Radically Saved” Tour. My how things have changed! LOL!

I have always liked some CCM music. I have long been a Steven Curtis Chapman fan, and have recently come to love the music by Casting Crowns. I went into this concert somewhat unfamiliar with Chris Tomlin, though come to find out I did know a couple of his songs.

The concert was held at a large amphitheater in Raleigh, North Carolina. I am not a good gauge on how many people were there, but this is a large concert facility and I will attest to the fact there the number of people were in the thousands and the crowd loved every minute of it.

Steven Curtis Chapman started things off by welcoming everybody and with just him and his guitar, sang a few choruses of his hit song, “Much of You” before bringing on Casting Crowns. I have been very impressed with this group from Atlanta, Georgia. Their songs are very deep, and yet are simple enough for young people to enjoy. Even though Steven Curtis was the main attraction, so to speak, I left there remembering more about Casting Crowns than anything else there. They were very ministry minded and seemed very down to earth. They sang several songs including, “If We Are the Body”, “Who am I”, “American Dream”, “Praise You With the Dance” and before singing “Voice of Truth”, lead singer Mark Hall shared his testimony of being dyslexic and having ADD. (He and Mark Lowry should get together!)

After Casting Crowns, Chapman returned to the stage and did a 5-minute acoustical medley of some of his older songs with his band before bringing on Chris Tomlin. As I said earlier, I was somewhat unfamiliar with Tomlin, but enjoyed his music. Though it mostly falls into the Praise and Worship style (not a favorite of mine), I did enjoy his music as he led the crowd in some great moments of praise.

After a 20-minute intermission, the headliner, Steven Curtis Chapman hits the stage in all his glory. Complete with a massive light show and kickin’ band, Chapman sang several songs from his new CD, “All Things New” as well a few older ones like “The Great Adventure”, “Live Out Loud”, “When Love Takes You In”, “Dive”, “Speechless” and others. Excellent stage show all the way around, totaling about an hour and half before Chapman closed the evening with all the 50-some crew members and artists on the tour coming to the stage for a final bow.

It was a great night. I knew I would enjoy it. I am a little more open minded than some people in the Southern Gospel circles, though I can be somewhat of a stubborn, conservative traditionalist as well; it depends on the situation and my mood for that day. LOL! The jeans on stage at the concert didn’t bother me, and to be honest, The Crabb Family would have fit right in. I would love to see CCM artists use SG from time to time, though it would be somewhat hard-pressed to find the right mix because you wouldn’t exactly put the McKameys on the same bill with say, Avalon or Mercy Me. Some people won’t like this comment, but CCM doesn’t really need us, we in fact, could use them. Even though I don’t advocate wearing worn out jeans and wild haircuts all the time, I think SG could learn quite a bit from CCM. Every CCM concert I have ever been to (which now totals a whopping 3) was put together with the utmost professionalism and I found them to be extremely exciting. Am I saying we should completely over-haul SGM? NO! All I am saying is that I think we could really learn a few things from them. Now, I realize that CCM concerts rely heavily on big theatrics in their shows. I am not saying SGM needs to go to those extremes, because it’s just not really conducive to the style we sing, for the most part. But, we could really learn a lot by using lighting, multi-media, etc. to enhance who we are and what our music is all about. Some artists are doing this, and some desperately could use it.

It’s a new age, and there are a lot of things vying for people’s attention. We need to get a strong hold on people’s attention, or this music that we love so dearly could go on a steady decline and no, I am not a doomsday theorist! I just want to see our music become a more accepted form. I won’t accept the notion that we can’t be. Not an option, in my book.

I will admit, I am one who doesn’t enjoy change. Inside, I wish we could go back to the 1960s and 1970s and I know there are some who want to go back to the 1950s, but it just can’t be, though we can enjoy and appreciate that era (which I do immensely). There will be some artists who need to stay the way they are. They are what they are, and it’s because of that, they have the fan base that they currently enjoy. It’s not always a matter of not wanting to grow; it’s okay to be happy with the way you do things. If it works for you and your fans, wonderful! Some groups are purely traditional and their fans enjoy that. If that’s you, don’t change. We need to keep the traditional ways alive, but at the same time, we need to welcome fresh new individuals with innovative ideas and unique styles. We need people who will look ahead and find ways to enhance and push our music to the masses. It’s the day that we live in; some people need more than just good singing and good music to enjoy it. They need something more to keep their attention, and if we work at it, we can provide that. I don’t claim to have the answers; this is just me thinking out loud (as JD would say). I honestly don’t think it’s the style of music that has made CCM such a hot commodity, it’s that they have used all the available outlets to get their music and their message out. Are we doing the same?

The Kingsmen Quartet-A Concert Review (Originally posted 05/11/05)

On Saturday, May 7, my wife and I were afforded the opportunity to go see and hear one of the great icons of Southern Gospel Music…The Kingsmen Quartet. It was a last minute date and with only a week to advertise and prepare for the event, South Henderson Pentecostal-Holiness Church in Henderson, North Carolina was ready for a great evening of Southern Gospel Quartet Music.

I thought there was a good crowd there considering only a weeks worth of advertising had been done and the crowd seemed to respond pretty well to the group. The Kingsmen bounded on stage with “Meet me at the Table” and before the night was over, they sang several other Kingsmen “Klassics” and favorites such as “Saints will Rise”, “Beautiful Home”, “When I Wake Up to Sleep No More”, “Wish You Were Here”, “Beulah Land” and “What a Day That Will Be.” The group even did “Glory Road”, which featured Jeremy Peace going for one of those insane high notes that most women only dream of hitting and it made all the dogs in the area bark and howl and all the cows went to mooing. By the time they got to the encore of the song, the cows were making buttermilk. It reminded me of something Jim Hamill once said years ago, “It wouldn’t be the Kingsmen without somebody busting your eardrums every night!” So true to form, the Kingsmen kept their part of the bargain! LOL!

The Kingsmen also sang some of their newer songs like “You Keep Praying”, “Getcha to the Other Side”, “He Gave Me the Well” and “Justified”. The Kingsmen band even provided a couple of excellent instrumentals. That is one of the great things I love about the Kingsmen…THE BAND! Groups traveling with a full band are a lost art that I wish more groups would bring back. I applaud the Kingsmen for always providing their fans with a top-notch band.

The great rapport between the group members was very evident and you can tell everyone within the group just seemed to “fit” and really seemed to have a great chemistry. Some of the jokes from Tim Surrett concerning the “old man” of the group (Ray Reece) were great and Tim is actually a very good emcee, especially when things need to turn to a more serious vein. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day he answers the call to preach. When it came near the end of the evening, Tim shared his heart about the loss of someone dear to him the week before and as he sang “Wish You Were Here” and “Beulah Land” (done with just him playing the guitar), you could see his heart and you could have heard a pin drop when he was done. The audience didn’t know whether to clap or whisper a quiet “Amen”.

It really was a great night. I grew up on the Kingsmen’s records and they have always been and still remain to this day, one of my all time favorite groups. I remember one of the first records I ever remember hearing of theirs was “Chattanooga Live.” What a great record that was. The Kingsmen were the kings of making exciting live records and they put on a great live concert in Henderson, North Carolina. The sound was okay…after the first couple of songs it seemed to improve. The volume was great, but the vocals could have been a tad louder, especially Tim Surrett’s. It’s not that the band was too loud, it’s just that the vocals overall could have been a little more out front.

The Kingsmen don’t make it to my neck of the woods too often, so it was wonderful being able to see them again, as I haven’t seen them in concert (NQC doesn’t really count) since probably 1999 and I hope it won’t be that long before I get to enjoy them again! I am extremely excited about the future of this group and hope that there are no personnel changes for a good while, as this group has a strong sound and a strong presence and they have tons of potential for continuing that great Kingsmen sound.

I Had a Dream!  (originally posted 10/14/04)

In thinking about what to write about, I was a complete blank. Then, it came to me in a dream! The other night I had a dream about the Speer sisters, Rosa Nell and Mary Tom. (Yes, even my dreams are Southern Gospel related! LOL!)

I re-lived, in this dream, a situation that happened to me over 22 years ago. I saw the Speer Family during the summer of 1982. I was almost 10 years old at the time and the Speers were one of the groups I idolized. (Still do by the way!) I saw them at a church here in Durham, NC and we arrived almost at concert time. I was a kid all into Southern Gospel Music and when we arrived I ran to sit up front, only to be discouraged because there were no seats available. Mary Tom and Rosa Nell saw my dismay and offered me the opportunity to sit with them. You’d have thought that God Himself had come down and spoke to me. I was ecstatic with the opportunity of sitting with two legends like the Speer sisters. I ended up sitting beside Mary Tom, and as a VERY talkative 10 year old, I yakked the whole night. She was so gracious and kind and she answered every one of my questions. She talked TO me and WITH me and listened to everything I had to say. I will never forget that as long as I live. I don’t remember a thing the Speers sang that night, but I do remember how a sweet lady gave me the time of day and took time with someone that probably got on her nerves. I am sure when Brock introduced the Speer sisters to sing on the second half, she was probably thanking God for getting her away from me! But if I did get on her nerves, she never showed it.

Of all my memories of Southern Gospel singers, that is one that has always stuck with me. I hope someday I get to tell her face to face what an impact she had on me. And if she ever reads this, let me say “Thank you Mary Tom! You were an inspiration to a 10 year old boy with a burning passion for Southern Gospel Music, and I will never forget you for that!”