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Dave's Top Eight
1. Jerry Reed...Revisited by Darrell Toney (reviewed 6/07) (5 Stars) 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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Why blog? (Three years and counting)
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-----------April 24, 2005Kingsmen 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 Labels: biography April 16, 2005Shape Note Method
Shape Note Method
A brief history  Jesse Aiken’s seven-shape scale, as used in The Christian Minstrel Musical notation with shape notes has been an integral element of Southern Gospel. With specific shapes defining the scale, singers with little formal music training could quickly learn to sing the four quartet parts. Beginning in 1846 with his publication of a songbook called The Christian Minstrel, Jesse Aiken popularized the seven-shape notation system. Employing seven unique shapes to correspond with the musical scale, Aiken’s notation system was based on a more primitive four-shape system originated by John Tufts in the early 18th century. Popular early American songbooks like the Sacred Harp and Southern Harmony employed Tufts’ system. In the years following the Civil War, Aldine Kieffer of the Ruebush-Kieffer Company promoted a competing seven-shape system devised by his grandfather Joseph Funk, a noted publisher in the mid-1800s. At least five other publishers also employed different shapes for the three notes in the scale that were modified from the Tufts four-shape system. By 1876, Kieffer switched to Aiken’s original system in the spirit of standardization. Since Ruebush-Kieffer was one of the largest publishers of shape note songbooks at the time, the Aiken system became the de facto standard in the 20th century. Singing schools became a popular social event in the following years. Groups were trained not only to sing using shape notes, but to teach as well. As a precursor to companies like Vaughan and Stamps-Baxter that employed quartets as traveling salesmen, Kieffer and other publishers in the late 1800s paid singing school instructors to peddle their songbooks. The syllables “do,” “re,” “mi,” “fa,” “so,” “la,” and “ti” are not limited to Gospel music. The practice of singing the syllables has been used for almost a full millennium, dating back to the Benedictine monk who also invented music staff notation, Guido of Arezzo (995-1050), also known as Guido Monaco. The proper term for this practice is “solfege.” A similar practice of assigning syllables to the scale was used in India prior to Guido, and is called “sargam.” The classic musical film The Sound Of Music (1965) directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews popularized the solfege syllables in song. Labels: History Homecoming Homecoming (Gaither Gospel Series)A brief history The Homecoming video series began on February 19, 1991 with a group of old friends gathering around the piano at the Masters Touch studio in Nashville, TN to sing after a video recording session. It ultimately became the best selling music video series ever. In 1991, despite the objections of their record label, Star Song, the Gaither Vocal Band recorded an audio project titled Homecoming. Previous Vocal Band projects on the Star Song label had been tailored to compete in the contemporary Christian market, but Homecoming was a return to pure Southern Gospel roots (with just a touch of soul from lead singer Michael English). The Vocal Band was joined on the recording by a number of heroes from days gone by. Vestal Goodman, James Blackwood, Hovie Lister, Jake Hess, the Gatlin Brothers, George Younce and others were featured singers on the song “Where Could I Go,” so they decided to record a concept video of the song with all the singers present. After the taping session was over, the singers gathered around a piano in the studio and began singing just for the fun of it. Gaither kept the cameras rolling, thinking the footage would be great to have for his personal collection. After viewing the footage, he realized it was special and thought it could have commercial value. He had it edited with some narration added. Star Song supported the project and packaged it to match the audio recording, including the polished concept footage of “Where Could I Go” as well. The project was a success, so Gaither decided to follow the original Homecoming video with another in 1992, this time with more advance planning. The resulting project was called Reunion. The demand was great again, so he tried putting out two titles at the same time. These were titled Turn Your Radio On and Old Friends. By now, the series was up and rolling at full steam. Every three to four months, another pair of videos was released. They weren’t exactly cheap at $30 each, but the fans didn’t seem to mind. Using an infomercial approach over cable TV channels like The Nashville Network, Gaither developed a lucrative direct mail business for his videos and associated products like songbooks. This approach annoyed shoppers at Christian retail outlets, because stores weren’t allowed to stock new titles until after the direct mail route was employed for several weeks. Artists who appeared on the series also had copies to sell at concerts well in advance of stores. Once products did release to retail, Gaither’s company typically failed to manufacture and send the distributor enough copies, even though stores placed pre-orders well in advance of the release date. The demand that fans placed for the series was simply wider than anticipated. The wrinkles of distribution were finally ironed out, though it took a few years. The delay between direct sales and retail availability was shortened significantly and a “street date” was displayed in print ads to inform fans of the exact date when new titles would be available in stores. Stores began receiving an ample supply of stock once Gaither’s company realized each title would probably sell as well as the previous title and manufactured enough units accordingly. Gaither has released several dozen Homecoming video titles since 1991. Most titles are ultimately certified Gold (50,000) and several have reached the Platinum sales mark (100,000). Old Friends, Turn Your Radio On, and Ryman Gospel Reunion are double Platinum (200,000). (RIAA certification figures reflect domestic sales only.) Most Homecoming projects are released a few months after the original taping, but others (Red Rocks Homecoming, Hymns, Church In The Wildwood) were released several years later. This delayed release schedule proved to be effective after several of the older generation of singers (Howard and Vestal Goodman, Jake Hess, James Blackwood, Hovie Lister, etc.) had passed away. Fans were eager to see the previously un-released footage of their heroes. Gaither already had a popular traveling tour established with various artists from different musical backgrounds before the Homecoming craze set in. It soon transformed into the Homecoming Tour to coincide with the video series. Appearing in 50-70 major cities each year, the tour now ranks as one of the top draws in all music, secular or gospel. In addition to Southern Gospel artists, the Homecoming Tour includes traditional black gospel artists and inspirational acts. This mix of styles has come to be reflected in the video series as well. In addition to bringing many of the older gospel artists back to the attention of fans, the Homecoming phenomenon helped launch the careers of several major artists. The Martins, Signature Sound Quartet, and the Talley Trio gained much of their initial publicity through Homecoming appearances and video tapings. Other artists like Lynda Randle, Stephen Hill, Mike Allen, and Reggie Smith became part of the recurring Homecoming cast, but didn’t venture heavily into careers outside of the Homecoming series. Labels: History April 11, 2005George Younce Biography George Wilson Younce(Feb. 22, 1930 – Apr. 11, 2005) George Younce was a native of Lenoir, North Carolina. He studied shape note singing and performed with the Spiritualaires when he was still a teenager. He sang with several groups over the next 20 years including the Watchmen, the Homeland Harmony Quartet, the Weatherfords, the Florida Boys, and the Blue Ridge Quartet. In 1964, he joined what was then called the Cathedral Trio, so named after Rex Humbard’s Cathedral Of Tomorrow in Akron, OH where the group was based. With the addition of Younce’s bass voice, they became the Cathedral Quartet. For the next 35 years, Younce and Glen Payne moved the Cathedrals to the top ranks of Southern Gospel. By the 1990s, the Cathedrals were universally acclaimed by fans and the Southern Gospel industry. A farewell tour prompted by Younce’s gradually declining health and the death of Glen Payne ended the Cathedrals’ run in 1999. In 2000, Younce formed the Old Friends Quartet with his son-in-law Ernie Haase, the legendary Jake Hess, and Wesley Pritchard. This group released two recordings and appeared on limited dates until Hess’ death in 2004. Younce and the Cathedrals are members of the GMA Hall Of Fame, and Younce was inducted into the SGMA Hall Of Fame in 1998. Most remembered for his singing and mastery as a concert emcee, Younce also wrote several gospel songs including “Yesterday.” See also: Cathedrals Biography, Cathedrals Discography, and Cathedrals Members Labels: biography April 10, 2005Wendy Bagwell Biography Wendell Lee “Wendy” Bagwell(1925 - 1996) After serving as a United States Marine, Wendy Bagwell formed the Sunliters in 1953. By 1961, the Sunliters consisted of Bagwell, Jan Buckner and Jerri Morrison, a line-up that would remain together for more than 30 years and release more than 40 recordings. Their first major hit was a sentimental song called “Pearl Buttons.” The group is best remembered for their 1970 release Here Come The Rattlesnakes. The title track featured Bagwell performing a comedy routine about the Sunliters singing a date for a church that handled snakes as part of their worship. It ultimately became the first Southern Gospel album to be certified as a million seller. Bagwell was hired to be a spokesman for Stanback brand headache powders in a television ad campaign. He soon became nationally known for his signature catch phrase “and that’s a fact with my hand up.” Some of his other comedy routines included “Ralph Bennett’s Volkswagen,” “Me, Old Ronnie, and the Monkey,” and “Pickin’ Up Paw Paws.” Bagwell passed away in 1996 and was posthumously inducted into the SGMA Hall Of Fame in 1997. Labels: biography April 1, 2005Cathedrals - Biography The Cathedrals(1963-1999) The Cathedral Trio was formed in 1963 as a ministry of Rex Humbard’s Cathedral Of Tomorrow in Akron, OH. Original members included Glen Payne, Danny Coker and Bobby Clark. Bass singer George Younce joined the group in 1964, transforming them into a quartet. Over the next 30 years under the leadership of Payne and Younce, the Cathedrals became a household name among Southern Gospel fans. Driven by Payne’s energetic lead vocals and Younce’s comedic appeal as the group emcee and bass singer, the group dominated the Singing News Fan Awards in the 1990s and appeared on the GMA sponsored Dove Awards broadcast. A farewell tour and the death of Glen Payne ended the Cathedrals’ run in 1999. Some of their most popular tunes include “I Can See The Hand,” “This Old House,” “Step Into The Water,” “Champion Of Love,” and “Oh, What A Savior.” More than 100 original and compilation recordings were released by the group in their 36 year history. Several former Cathedrals members went on to establish their own successful groups in Southern Gospel. These include Mark Trammell (Mark Trammell Trio), Gerald Wolfe (Greater Vision), Roger Bennett/Scott Fowler (Legacy V), and Ernie Haase (Signature Sound). They all credit the guidance of Payne and Younce as a key to their success. See also: Discography, Members, and George Younce Biography Labels: History 
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