Dave's Top Eight

1. Jerry Reed...Revisited by Darrell Toney (reviewed 6/07) (5 Stars)
2. Sounds Like Sunday by Janet Paschal (reviewed 5/07) (5 Stars)
3. True To The Call by Kingdom Heirs (reviewed 3/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
4. Revival by Gold City (reviewed 10/06) (4 1/2 Stars)
5. Get Away Jordan by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (reviewed 2/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
6. Breakin' Chains by Three Bridges (reviewed 5/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
7. Big Sky by The Isaacs (reviewed 4/07)
8. Skywriting by Mercy's Well (reviewed 7/07)

Click title to purchase at CBD.com...click artist name to read Dave's Review. A CD will automatically fall out of the Top Eight after twelve months if no CD surpasses it before then.

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April 24, 2005

Kingsmen Biography

The Kingsmen
(1950s-present)

Several groups have used the Kingsmen name over the years, both in sacred and secular music. The most popular secular artists to use the name were the pop group who had a hit with “Louie, Louie” and the Statler Brothers, who changed their name once “Louie, “Louie” became a hit. Other groups have used altered spellings of the name, such at the “King’s Men.”

In Southern Gospel circles, a male quartet based in Asheville, NC is the best-known group calling themselves the Kingsmen. Brothers Raymond, Reese, and Louis McKinney formed the group in the 1950s. David Young played for the McKinney brothers in 1957 and 1958 while he was a student at Mars Hill College. Young had his own group called the Kingsmen Quartet based in Lenior, TN from 1953 to 1956. Charles Collier and Harold Bailey were also members of the group around this time. Eldridge Fox joined in 1957 and began to manage the group by the early 1960s. Longtime bass singer Ray Dean Reese joined the Kingmen around 1963 or 1964. Reese sang bass for a couple of years. He then left the group for a couple of years to sing with various other groups and deliver JFG coffee on the side. He returned to the group in the late 1960s. A third individual whose name came to be synonymous with the group joined in 1971, lead singer Jim Hamill. Hamill was formerly a member of the Blue Ridge Quartet and Oak Ridge Boys.

In 1973, the group released a trend setting live recording called Big And Live. On this project they introduced fans to their exciting brand of singing. Unlike the more polished and choreographed Statesmen and Blackwood Brothers of the previous two decades, the Kingsmen emphasized an exuberant energy. Big And Live also showcased a number of songs that would go on to become classics. Their first version of "The Glory Road" is on the recording. The project also included their own arrangment of "Love Lifted Me" and "Love Will Roll The Clouds Away." With the success of Big And Live (which won a Dove Award in 1974), and never missing an opportunity for creative marketing, the group was billing themselves as the “Ton Of Fun” during the 1970s. Indeed, when the entire group of eight individuals including band members stood on a set of vehicle scales, they did surpass 2000 pounds.

The Kingsmen of the 1980s continued to combine high energy, up-tempo music with an exciting brand of showmanship. They recorded more live projects than the average Southern Gospel group because the concert setting was where they excelled. Popular songs for the group during this time included “Saints Will Rise,” "Child, Child," and the novelty song “Excuses.” Ernie Phillips, Ed Crawford, Wayne Maynard, Squire Parsons, Anthony Burger, Arthur Rice and other individuals passed through the group over the next few years. Burger was so popular during his extended stint with the group, he won the Singing News Fan Award for Best Musician ten years in a row. For several years after that, the award was named after him.

By the early 1990s, the Kingsmen had joined forces with Gold City to record a series of live recordings called KingsGold. Parker Jonathan was singing baritone for the group by this time. Tim Surrett took on a dual role singing lead at times in Hamill’s place, and playing with the band. Andrew Ishee became the group’s piano player in the late 1990s. The multi-talented Randy Miller played guitar, harmonica, and was featured on selected songs as a vocalist. A hit with the sentimental song “Wish You Were Here” featuring Surrett’s bluegrass tinged vocals marked a turning point for the group. The song proved the group could have success with a polished studio ballad in addition to their success in emotion driven concert settings.

In time, Fox and Hamill withdrew from traveling, though they did continue to appear at selected events. Greg Fox, son of Eldridge and longtime drummer for the group, assumed road manager duties for a few years. After the elder Fox’s death in 2002, the Kingsmen Quartet name was retired. The legal ownership of the name was turned over to Charles Burke, a businessman from Maiden, NC and owner of the Singing Americans.

The remaining Kingsmen members toured for two years billed as the Carolina Boys Quartet. During this time, they had a hit song ”God Sits On High,” featuring tenor singer Jerry Martin. Nick Succi had replaced the departing Andrew Ishee at piano when the name change occurred and Tim Surrett returned the following year.

In 2004, the Kingsmen Quartet name was transferred from Charles Burke back to the group, now managed by 40+ year bass singing veteran Ray Reese. The group subsequently released a project titled Born Again that included several previous Kingsmen hits like "Excuses," “Love Will Roll The Clouds Away” and “When I Wake Up To Sleep No More." Vocal problems plagued Surrett over the next year and he ultimately left the group. Former Wilburns and Palmetto State Quartet baritone Tony Peace joined the Kingsmen in 2005 replacing Surrett. The top vocal half of the group in 2005 included Jeremy Peace at tenor and Phillip Hughes at lead. Bass player Jason Selph was frequently featured as a vocalist as well. Nick Succi (piano) and Reese's son Brandon (drums) complete the Kingsmen band.

See also: Discography, Members

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posted by David Bruce Murray @ 3:44:00 PM


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