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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June 20, 2005

Palmetto State Quartet Biography

Palmetto State Quartet
(late 1940s-present)

Early members of the Palmetto State Quartet in the late 1940s included Greenville, SC residents Jamie Dill (pianist), Clarence Owens (tenor), Woodrow Pittman (lead), Malone Thomason (baritone), and Paul Burroughs (bass). The group had a 30-minute program on Greenville radio station WFBC on Sundays at 8:00 AM. Jack Earl Pittman replaced his first cousin Woodrow in 1954. Jack Bagwell replaced Thomason around the same time. The two Jacks would sing together in the group for more than 40 years.

For many years, the group operated as a part-time regional group. Ken Turner sang bass for the group in the 1960s after Burroughs left. Laverne Tripp also filled in for Jack Pittman for a while when Pittman was having health problems. The group actually stopped singing for a while in the late 1960s, but formed again in 1971 with Dill, Bagwell, Pittman, Claude Hunter, and Cliff King. The next change came in 1981 when Joel Duncan replaced King at the bass position. Eddie Broom joined as the group’s guitar player in 1984 and became their tenor singer when Hunter left in 1986.

The Palmetto State Quartet began to expand their horizons in 1989. Dill had passed away in 1987 and was replaced by David McCabe at the keys. Jack Pittman took over as the group manager. In 1989, the legendary Hovie Lister replaced McCabe following his stint with the Masters V. The presence and personality of Lister opened up new doors for the group to travel more. Woody Beatty joined them a few months later to augment Lister’s keyboard with his synthesizer work. Beatty became the full time pianist when Lister left in 1992 to re-organize the Statesmen.

By 1987, the Palmetto State Quartet was working a full time schedule. Bagwell and Pittman decided to retire in 1997. Bass singer Harold Gilley made his exit from the group at the same time. The restructuring that followed brought in Kerry Beatty to sing lead, Tony Peace at baritone, and Jeff Pearles on bass. The group has had a series of changes in recent years. Former Kingsmen pianist Andrew Ishee succeeded Woody Beatty at piano. John Rulapaugh joined the group to sing tenor in 2002. Aaron McCune became the group’s bass singer in 2003, and Rick Fair replaced Tony Peace in 2004. Despite the changes, the group’s song “Knock, Knock, Knock” reach the number one position on the Singing News Top 80 radio airplay chart in 2004.

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posted by David Bruce Murray @ 11:51:00 AM


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