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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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On The Crabb Family
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-----------Saturday, September 24, 2005Denver Crumpler Biography Denver Dale Crumpler(1914 - 1957) Denver Crumpler was a native of Magnolia, Arkansas. He first sang with the Stamps Melody Boys in the 1930s. He joined the Rangers Quartet in 1938 just before they began a five-year stint at radio station WBT in Charlotte, NC, and stayed with them for more than 10 years. Crumpler subsequently joined Hovie Lister and the Statesmen in 1953. Noted for his Irish tenor style on tunes like “Climbing Higher and Higher,” Crumpler was only 43 when he passed away in 1957. 40 years later, Crumpler was inducted into the SGMA Hall Of Fame. Labels: biography Wednesday, September 21, 2005Dove Awards Dove Awards(1969-present) The Gospel Music Association (GMA) presents the Dove Awards annually. The awards were first presented in 1969, five years after the GMA was formed. The Dove Awards were established to recognize achievement in the gospel music industry and were patterned after the voting procedures used for the Grammys, which recognize all forms of music. For the first decade or so, Dove Award winners were typically traditional Southern Gospel artists. As Christian music styles began to broaden in the late 1970s and 1980s, the Dove Award categories also expanded to reflect the new musical trends. The album award was split into Southern Gospel, Inspirational, and Pop/Contemporary categories in 1976 and three more album categories for Black Gospel had been added by 1981.
Many Southern Gospel artists viewed the changes with growing resentment after 1980, often labeling the Dove Awards as “worldly.” However, the GMA has continued to include the Southern Gospel category. In 1988, a Country category was added to distinguish Country artists from Southern Gospel, and a Bluegrass category was established in 1998. Friday, September 16, 2005NQC By Internet, Friday, Hour 6Snapshots From Friday Evening 11:02 John Pfeifer pays tribute to the veterans of foreign wars with a special emphasis on the veterans of Vietnam. NQC typically has a major patriotic feature like this. As the voice of President Bush is heard over the intro to the next song, I'm sure the Pfeifers have prepared a video tribute to go along with it. The Pfeifers then sing "United Through It All." They sound like they're turning their vocal cords inside out...I wonder if that's physically possible. 11:11 DJ Greg Goodman is now reading the list of winners in the Diamond Awards. Those winners stand in sharp contrast to the winners of the Singing News Fan Awards...progressive vs. traditional in almost every category. 11:14 The Crabb Family opens their set with "Greater Is He." 11:19 They continue with "To Me, He Is So Wonderful." I'm not sure who the Crabb's piano player is now, but I like his jazzy playing style. 11:20 Jason pulls Mike Bowling (who protests because he isn't wearing his stage clothes) up on stage to sing "That I Can Still Go Free," an old Hinsons song. 11:27 Next up is "Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus," a black gospel standard that the Crabbs have adapted. Well, folks, that's going to do it for me. There's a couple more groups on tonight and of course, there's another full day of NQC 2005 tomorrow. I will be attending a local concert tomorrow night, so I won't be doing any more reporting. I hope readers who couldn't attend NQC or get the internet feed have enjoyed experiencing the event vicariously through my blog. It was my pleasure to bring it to you. If you haven't already done so, leave a comment and let me know you were here. Labels: Concert Review, NQC NQC By Internet, Friday, Hour 5
Snapshots From Friday Evening
10:01 Reggie Saddler Family performs "The Real Thing," as Reggie continues to pump up the crowd. 10:04 The group closes their set with "We've Got To Tell The Truth," featuring Reggie's daughter Ingra. She has a strong voice. 10:08 Reggie Saddler gives an enthusiastic introduction to Gold City. They open their set with "Heaven." 10:11 "When I Get Carried Away" 10:15 "Non Stop Flight To Gloryland"...Gold City is sounding good. 10:19 Tim is there tonight, and shares a few words of encouragement before singing "Under Control." What a great song. 10:24 Gold City wraps up an excellent and energetic set with "When He Calls Me." It sounds like Tim stayed on stage for their final song. 10:29 Daniel Riley introduces Karen Peck as "someone I've been listening to all my life, and I don't mean that as a slam." Peck opens with "Rejoice In The Lord Always." Whoever is playing bass needs to figure out the key. (They found it by the end of the first verse.) :o) 10:34 Promising to perform a set of some of their most requested songs, they launch into a medley that begins with "God Still Answers Prayers." It segues to a chorus of "Daddy's Home," then "God Likes To Work," and finally a full version of "Four Days Late." 10:45 Peck is wrapping up her set with "I'll Fly Away" after we return from a commercial break on Solid Gospel. 10:48 Karen Peck introduces the Pfeifers. They open their set with an instrumental version of "How Great Thou Art." This group always goes over well with the NQC crowd...big ripping trumpet solos sound great in a huge arena. 10:52 There's a vocal solo now called "More Than Just Religion." Who does John Pfeifer think he is? Louis Armstrong? Those are some scratchy sounding vocals. 10:55 Things settle down with "We're In Father's House," an easy going tune with less agression in the vocals. Labels: NQC NQC By Internet, Friday, Hour 4Snapshots From Friday Evening 9:01 The Talley Trio has the audience sing "The Old Rugged Cross," then Debra Talley introduces the Florida Boys. They open up their set with a 1970s sounding arrangement of "I Can't Even Walk." 9:08 The Florida Boys are singing "On Some Sweet Day" featuring tenor singer Harold Reed. They did this on Monday night, as well. 9:11 53-year veteran baritone Glen Allred is featured next on "More About Jesus." That's 53 years with the Florida Boys, not his age. Allred performed with the Oak Ridge Boys previously, when he was still a teenager. The Florida Boys were known by a different name when he joined them, incidentally. See my Florida Boys Biography for more information. 9:16 The Florida Boys are doing the same songs in the same order as Monday night. They were singing "Tell Me Why" when Solid Gospel's DJ broke in to interview Ronnie Page and Shaye Truax. 9:23 The Kingdom Heirs open up their set with "I'll Be A Friend To Jesus," a song they also performed earlier in the week at the Vintage Quartet Showcase. The internet mix has too much tenor, no baritone, and very little bass...sounds like the group is singing good, though. 9:26 Next up is "Sing, Shout, Dance," a song from their new CD. The mix is better now...still too much tenor, but it's OK on this tune since he has the melody most of the time. 9:28 "Good News From The Graveyard" is a cool bass feature song. 9:32 The band is featured on "Keep On The Firing Line" with a touch of the "Overture from William Tell" thrown in for good measure. They were awarded the Favorite Band Fan Award last night. After the song is finished, Adam Harman is prompted by Steve French to reprise his piano part with no help from the rest of the band. 9:36 Arthur Rice is featured next on the title cut from the group's last CD, "Forever Changed." What a voice. 9:46 After some commercials and DJ ramblings on Solid Gospel, the Reggie Saddler Family takes the stage and opens with an a cappella rendition of "The Lord's Prayer." 9:50 "I've Got Me A Home" features Reggie, with his family providing back up. He draws the audience in by throwing in lines like, "How am I doing?" and "You people in wheelchairs are gonna like this verse." 9:53 "Any Time, Any Place, Anywhere" features the ladies of the group. 9:57 Reggie lists his rules for the men his daughters are allowed to marry. His wife "Sugar Baby," then sings the classic "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." Labels: NQC NQC By Internet, Friday, Hour 3Snapshots From Friday Evening 8:02 Dean Hopper just mentioned that his mother was recognized as a Living Legend by the presenters of the Diamond Awards earlier today. He then plugs the Gaither videos and launches into the song "Jerusalem." 8:08 "Shoutin' Time"...they've worn that one out, but it goes well with "Jerusalem" musically. This should wrap up the Hoppers' set. 8:14 Kim Hopper works in a plug for the Fresno convention as she introduces Legacy Five. Roger Bennett calls Robbie Hiner to the stage, then tells some lady in the audience to meet Hiner in the lobby...strange. L5 starts with an a cappella hymn arrangement of "Praise Him, Praise Him" mixed with "I Will Sing Of My Redeemer." They sound fairly solid...Fowler bobbles a bit on the last note, but comes back with a strong swell at the end. 8:19 "When The Angels Rejoiced"...Fowler is continuing to have some vocal problems tonight. Otherwise, they're sounding great. 8:26 Glenn Dustin is featured on "Raised To Walk." L5 was as good as I'd ever heard them on Wednesday night. They're doing pretty good tonight, but not quite up to the level they were earlier in the week. 8:30 Roger Bennett sets up Scott Howard to sing a Randy Travis song called "Walk With Me." He throws in a little "Willie" at one point. 8:35 "Out Of My Darkness" is up next. When L5 performed this on Monday night, Roger joined the singers on stage and Stewart Varnado played piano. It sounds like Roger is still on the piano at the moment, though. I just heard a distinctively Bennett piano lick. 8:42 The Talley Trio comes out with "I'm Happy With You, Lord," featuring Roger Talley. On Wednesday, their set consisted mostly of praise and worship numbers. This could arguably be said to be P&W as well, but the music feels more traditional. 8:44 Next up is an a cappella version of "His Glorious Love." They're sounding fantastic. 8:48 Lauren is featured on "That Name," a cut from her latest CD. 8:52 The Talley Trio sings "The Healer" next. 8:56 "His Life For Mine" ends the Talley Trio set on a slow, but dramatic note. Labels: NQC NQC By Internet, Friday, Hour 2Snapshots From Friday Evening 7:00 The McKameys are singing "Right On Time" in their traditional style. 7:04 Peg is reporting on Ruben Bean's health condition. He couldn't join them for the concert tonight due to a flare-up of sciatica yesterday. Mark Trammell paused during his set last night to pray for Ruben, and Peg just thanked him for taking time to do that. She reported that Ruben is feeling much better today. 7:07 Connie Fortner is singing now. She has a nice voice that is often overlooked due to the group's collective onstage persona. It's good to hear them feature her. 7:10 Now they're onto "Under His Feet"...there's that collective persona I was talking about! My, my, my...God bless 'em! :o) 7:14 "I'm Home"...Peg is speaking the lines as an echo to Carol as she's singing her solo part...let her sing it, Peg! :o) 7:16 They just launched into "God On The Mountain," a great song. This is the type of song that is remembered because of the lyric, regardless of who sings it. As a classic, it's begging to be re-arranged and presented fresh by a modern artist...Mercy's Mark comes to mind. 7:22 Solid Gospel is interviewing Ed Crawford of the Mystery Men Quartet now. He's a great guy...wonderful personality. 7:27 Greater Vision opens their set with "'Til The Storm Passes By." The Greenes performed this song earlier in the week and gave it a personal context with regard to their family's health issues. 7:31 Greater Vision sings "My Name Is Lazarus" next. It was a huge hit in the late 1990s. 7:34 Next up is "So Much God." So far, Greater Vision is going down memory lane with this set. You'd think they'd be pushing songs from Faces right off the bat. It was received recognition as the Favorite Album in the Fan Awards last night. 7:45 Gerald Wolfe is having some fun at Rodney Griffin's expense when Solid Gospel breaks from commercials and extended DJ chit chat. Greater Vision ends their set with the song "Faces," which also won Favorite Song in the Fan Awards last night. 7:52 The Hoppers take the stage seven minutes later than scheduled. The McKameys started a minute before their scheduled start time...guess who ran over...yep, it was the Favorite Trio of 2005. :o) 7:54 Connie Hopper is featured on "I've Come Too Far To Look Back" to start the Hoppers' set. 7:58 It's "Look For Me Around The Throne" now. This group is so precise vocally. Labels: Concert Review, NQC NQC By Internet, Friday, Hour 1Snapshots From Friday Evening 6:10 Brenda Ruppe is doing what she does best...crying on pitch! :o) 6:15 Mercy's Mark is singing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and sounding just as good as they do on their recording. Turn on the bass singer's mic, for goodness sake! 6:19 The new song by Mercy's Mark sounds like a keeper..."I'm Gonna Be Moving"...hopefully that's going to be a new single. 6:23 I like the way Mercy's Mark takes an old song and gives it new life as they did with "I'm On The Battlefield" previously. They're performing "I'm Too Near Home" at the moment in an uptempo Country style. This is MUCH better than simply re-recording someone else's arrangement. 6:42 The Kingsmen are featuring Ray Reese on a song from their new project called "I'll Not Turn Back." 6:47 The Kingsmen's current version of "Saints Will Rise" lacks the magic of the older version. 6:49 They are now paying tribute to Buck Morton, who has been an emcee at NQC for the past thirty years. Clark Beasley is doing the honors. He just said Morton will be retiring this year, so that info is pertinent along with the recognition. Labels: NQC NQC By Internet, ThursdayWell, I made it back home to NC in time to catch most of the live internet feed of NQC last night. It's a totally different experience, of course, from being there. The internet feed has the vocals mixed dry...which is probably how they are being sent to the main speakers in the arena as well. That's fine for a big arena with lots of natural reverb, but it doesn't come across so great into a home setting. People who are off pitch sound REALLY off when it's dry. Anyway, I kept a running commentary on a couple of threads HERE and HERE, so you can check those out if you like. I'll summarize below. Fan Awards 1. Once again, everyone is in shock that the Inspirations won Traditional Male Quartet. It shouldn't be a shock by now. I don't care for their style of music at all, but many traditional fans do. This can be proved by their consistently larger audiences at concerts. They come to my town once a year on a series, and generally have crowds that exceed other top name groups. I don't get the appeal of Archie Watkins' vocals mixed with Martin Cook's choppy piano and his son's never in tune bass guitar, but there's no accounting for taste. People suggesting a conspiracy on the part of their record label Crossroads have too much time on their hands. I could tell you a story regarding that specific topic, but I'll stop short of there by saying these are record producers and market people. In other words, they of all people know good music when they hear it. Don't you think they'd push a better artist (Kingdom Heirs/Dove Brothers/Palmetto State/Kingsmen) if they truly held that much sway over who wins this award? 2. Interesting that the male quartet part awards all went to people from different groups. 3. I thought someone besides Kim Hopper, Roger Bennett and Rodney Griffin would have won this year, but they continue to win because they won the year before. 4. It's ironic, of course, that Frank Seamans won Horizon Individual. At least he's still with L5 for the moment, as was Josh Cobb several years ago. It would have been awkward if Gold City had won in the band category. 5. One of the guys I pushed randomly in the DJ categories won...Beecher Hyde...but the other two didn't. I was hoping all three would sweep, showing my deep influence on this industry. Oh well! :o) 6. I thought Mark Trammell's acceptance speech was the best of the evening...granted, I didn't hear them all because Solid Gospel had to air ads from time to time during the evening. Thursday Evening Concert I heard parts of the concert...from time to time, Solid Gospel would air a "flashback" from a previous NQC or have an interview. Combined with the ads, I probably heard half of the actual live events. Here's my thoughts... 1. Naomi And The Segos: She's a legend with severe intonation issues at this point in her career. Give her a spot to do two or three songs on an afternoon showcase next year. 2. Whisnants: Greg Goodman, the DJ for Solid Gospel, kept referring to this group as the "Whiz-nuts." After their set, he said there would be a test on how to spell their name later...then he said he wasn't sure how to spell it himself. No wonder he had no idea how to pronounce it. 3. Kingdom Heirs: Their sets I saw earlier in the week on Wednesday night and at the Vintage Quartet Showcase on Wednesday afternoon were great. It sounded like Hodges was too shrill over the internet feed Thursday night, but otherwise it was pretty good...just not quite up to their other performances of the week. 4. Specks: Bad pitch issues plagued them throughout their set. 5. Dove Brothers: The Doves seemed to be turning in one of their typical stellar performances. I'm probably the only one who noticed Eric singing about Jesus cleansing the "leopards" on their first song. That Bladenboro accent will get you every time! :o) I thought Hester was especially good on the song "One More Miracle." I would have picked a fast song to end on, though. "I'll Praise The Lamb" is good, but it followed Hester's slow solo. One thing I noted was how they sounded virtually as solid live as they do on a recording. That's pretty remarkable, considering how much they move around. 6. Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet: They sounded rough as a cob on "There's a Brighter Day." 7. Stamps Quartet: They sounded much more polished on Monday night. Their set was pretty rough as well on Thursday. 8. Chosen Few: I only heard part of one song. 9. Mark Trammell Trio: They sounded just like they do on their recordings...very polished...and now they have some material that is produced at a top notch level, so I think they are poised to become more popular as a result. I missed the last two groups. I watched part of the new Mark Lowry video instead. Regarding Solid Gospel in general, they did a fairly good job covering this event. My only gripe was with DJ Greg Goodman, who made a number of factually inaccurate statements due to ignorance about his topic. At one point, he said Les Beasley started the NQC, for example. The entire history of NQC is printed right there in the program book. All he had to do was read it. On the other hand, the way he described what was going on when there were pauses in the audio during the Fan Awards was very good. He also provided a run down of the Fan Award winners at two different points later in the broadcast. Labels: Concert Review, NQC Thursday, September 15, 2005Road Trip Final ThoughtsI thought I would wrap up my Road Trip with some final thoughts as I sit at home listening to the live feed of the Singing News Fan Awards here on Thursday night. Jonathan Wilburn just won Favorite Lead, but they cut into his acceptance speech to run a bunch of ads...a necessary evil in radio, unfortunately...sounds like the presenters are as corny as ever... Top 20 Male Quartets I've updated my list of Top 20 Male Quartets after seeing most of them perform over the past few days. These are my personal favorites, in the order that I would go see them if more than one was in town on the same night. If you are new to male quartet music, this list of artists would be a great place to start. "Wish I Had A Camera" Moments 1. I was walking past the booth for "Faith Magazine" on Monday evening and it was totally bare...I guess they didn't have enough faith! 2. On the way home, I got behind a tanker truck. It had a label on the back with the words "Non Edible" in three inch capital letters. Are they having trouble with folks trying to eat tanker trucks? Word Of Advice Don't stay at the Rodeway hotel on Phillips Lane unless you enjoy the sound of screaming jets 300 yards directly over your head at two o'clock in the morning. Thanks I enjoyed meeting several folks from the message boards at Sogospelnews and SG Nuts...several for the first time. DaJudge has posted some photos at the Nuts board if anyone is interested in seeing what some of us look like. We took photos every day of message board folks who were there. It was also enjoyable chatting with the artists and industry folks. I'll probably leave some out, but thanks to the following for taking a moment to chew the fat during my Road Trip: Mark Trammell, Eric Phillips, Joseph Smith, Jodi Hosterman, Jonathan Farley, Josh Spencer, Bryan Hutson, Nick Bruno, Scott Inman, Daniel Riley, Channing Eleton (thanks for the "shop talk" about music software), McCray Dove, David Hester, Charlie Waller, Donna Beauvais, Ron Epley, Masters Singers, Josh Franks, Steve French, Nick Succi, Tank Tackett, Rick Webb, RP Wendall, "Big Gene" (of Holy City), John Rulapaugh, and Andrew Ishee Also, thanks to all who let me know you read this blog during my trip. It was my pleasure to give you my view on the GVB/SSQ, MTT, and NQC events. Labels: NQC Road Trip Review, Day 5, Part AWednesday Afternoon Showcase, September 13, 2005 - NQC As usual...comments are in blue. Asterisks (*) are beside groups that impressed me with their performances. Apologies for incorrect titles. Hour 1 - Vintage Quartet Showcase (This event featured four top groups singing in the "old style" with just piano and two mics.) *Perrys - "God Walks The Dark Hills"/"When They Ring The Bells Of Heaven"/"When It All Starts Happening" *Palmetto State Quartet - "Roll On, Jordan"/"Unworthy"/"I Want To Go There" *Florida Boys - "Palms Of Victory"/"I Will Meet You In The Morning"/"Rainbow Of Love" *Kingdom Heirs - "I'll Be A Friend To Jesus"/"Pray For Me"/"I'm Saying So Long" *Gold City - "Way Down Deep In My Soul"/"I'm Saved" with "Amazing Grace"/"Angels From The Realms Of Glory" (a cappella) Hour 2 - Artist Spotlight Showcase *Gospel Enforcers - "Sign Me Up"/"There's Still Room In The Upper Room" Ricky Atkinson and Compassion - "Feasting At The Table Of The King"/"Not What I Am"/"There Must Be Something In The Water" *Torchmen - "He Took It Upon Himself"/"No Longer A Stranger To Me"/"Here, There, Or In The Air" Sons Family - "Waiting For My Ride"/"No One Can Wear My Robe But Me"/"I Never Shall Forget The Day" Duvalls - "Dying Like I'm Gonna Live"/"Hard Not To Cry"/"He's Alive" Hour 3 - Dennis Swanberg Showcase Swanberg is a very funny guy, but he had a surprising number of sexual innuendo jokes in his routine. He drew things to a close with some great applications, though. Labels: NQC Wednesday, September 14, 2005Road Trip Review, Day 5, Part BWednesday Evening, September 14, 2005 - NQC As usual...comments are in blue. Asterisks (*) are beside groups that impressed me with their performances. Apologies for incorrect titles. Sixteen groups performed on Wednesday evening at NQC. I have complete setlists for eight and a partial list for one other. I caught the tail end of the Pfeifers' set as well, but I was eating one of those butter pecan waffle cones and didn't get it written down. Can you believe I went three days to NQC and only had ONE waffle cone? I'm trying to take some weight off, and this proves my determination, I think. :o) I missed the Jody Brown Indian Family, the first group on the program. In retrospect I really wish I had made an effort to see them. It was their first main stage appearance at NQC, IIRC. They were followed by the Pfeifers. *Jeff And Sheri Easter (Sheri was GREAT with child...she has about five weeks left before her baby is due. She sounded terrific, and Jeff had several comedic moments about the situation..."I have three words...Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!") "Why Don't You Try Jesus"/"The Missing Peace"/"Praise His Name"/"You're My Best Friend"/"As Good As Goodbye Gets" (They featured Charlotte on a song. It's about time!)/"Boomerang" Paid In Full "Lovin' Out Loud"/"Jesus Did A Work Of Grace"/"When I'll Be In The Rapture" Greenes "Miracle In Me" (with an a cappella encore)/"There You Are"/"'Til The Storm Passes By"/"Hold On"/"He's All I Need" *Kingdom Heirs "I'll Be A Friend"/"Sing, Shout, Dance"/"Mighty Deep Well"/"Forever Changed"/"I Know I'm Going There" *Karen Peck And New River "I Wanna Know How It Feels"/"Just One Touch"/"I'm Gonna Get Up"/"My Lord And I"/"Amazing Grace" (a cappella)/"Four Days Late" Karen Peck/Charlie Waller/The Dove Brothers Waller and Peck did a commercial for the SGMA and their Vestal bears at this point in the program while the crew was setting up for Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. The Dove Brothers concluded the spot with an a cappella jingle. Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver "Lay Your Burdens At The Feet Of Jesus"/"As I Sit By The Side Of The Road"/"I Have Found The Way"/"Beyond The Sunset For Me"/"That's All He's Asking"/"Sweet Hour Of Prayer" with "At Calvary"/They concluded with an instrumental that had been popularized by Bill Monroe. They didn't say the title and I didn't recognize it. I missed seeing the Freemans, Mark Trammell Trio, and the Weatherfords. Ernie Haase And Signature Sound This set was already underway when I got back. Tim Lovelace and Tim Surrett were on stage doing something with Ernie's tie. They went into an encore of "Stand By Me" with Lovelace and Surrett joining them in their dance steps and getting them all wrong. After that, they did "This Is What God Says"/"Heaven Holds Much More"/"This Could Be The Dawning Of That Day" *Talley Trio "Shout To The Lord" with "How Great Thou Art"/"I Live" (Lauren Talley solo)/"No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus"/"He Is High And Lifted Up" with "Hallelujah Chorus"/"My Jesus I Love Thee" (Roger piano solo)/"Total Praise" *Legacy Five (This was the best set I've ever seen L5 do...good sound, and seemingly spontaneous humor throughout...though you realized after the fact that most of the jokes were probably planned. L5 was joined on drums by Michael Booth, which I don't think they expected, because Roger asked, "Who's playing drums?" They did the first three songs with no tracks.) "Shout All Over Heaven"/"Winging My Way Back Home" (The Scotts swapped places with Frank and Glenn on an encore of this. It was Fowler-tenor, Seamans-lead, Dustin-baritone, and Howard-bass. Howard mocked some of Dustin's gestures, and the crowd ate it up.)/"I Want To Be Just Like My Lord"/"Calvary Reminds Me"/"Meeting In The Air" I missed the last two artists, which were the Hoskins Family and the Booth Brothers. Labels: NQC Road Trip Review, Day 4, Part ATuesday Afternoon Showcase, September 13, 2005 - NQC As usual...comments are in blue. Asterisks (*) are beside groups that impressed me with their performances. Apologies for incorrect titles. Canada's Double Portion "Love Did"/"If That Don't Make You Wanna Go" Fourfold "He Left It All"/"I've Been Revived" Parker Trio "Tear Down The Walls"/"Thank God For Calvary" Hissong "Get On Home"/"It Can't Be Long" *Heather Noel (This new solo artist is 18 years old, and she has a huge voice...similar to Kim Hopper in tone, but very country with her diction.) "The Old Weapons Still Work"/"The Soldiers Are Through" *Hope's Call "You Are Loved"/"How Great Thou Art" (This was a cappella, and wow, what an arrangement.) Skyline Boys Quartet "Oh What A Savior" (There's always one second tier group who attempts this classic for some reason...and they never do a unique arrangement...always the Statesmen version.)/"What A Celebration" Riffle Family "There'd Been A Resurrection"/"So Much To Look Forward To" Nicole Watts Jenkins "When I Step Into The Presence"/"Jesus Is There For Me" *Crystal River Quartet "The First Time"/"What He's Done For Me" *Brian Arnold (This pianist plays with his right hand only. His left arm is paralyzed. His arrangements are remarkably full, and he sings as well...not to mention his skills as a comedian. I had seen him previously with the group Chosen Few, but he's MUCH more effective as a solo performer.) "The Lord's Prayer" (Piano instrumental)/"I Can Do All Things Through Christ" *Crossmen Quartet "When I Come To The End Of The Road"/"Old Landmark" Mystery Men Quartet "Love Will Roll The Clouds Away"/"America, I Thank God Right Here" (There are better patriotic songs than this one. The Mystery Men gave a pretty good performance, but I've heard them do better in the past.) Testify "Mercy Came Running"/"With A Name Like His" *David Patillo (I am always blown away by David Patillo's easy going delivery and songwriting skills. His daughter sang and signed the first song, so I actually only rated him on the second song. It's a gem.) "The Lord's Prayer"/"Make Me A Promise" The Allens "I Will Glory In The Cross"/"I'm Saved" Misty Freeman (Freeman's first song was outstanding, but the second was pitched too high for her voice, IMO) "My Name Is Faith"/"One Of These Days" Daryl Williams Trio "It Wasn't Too Late"/"I've Come Too Far To Look Back" *The Beene Family (This group has a good mix of stage presence and creative arrangements.) "Then Came The Morning"/"Beautiful Home" Soul Real "Lovin' Out Loud"/"The King Of Who I Am" Labels: NQC Road Trip Review, Day 4, Part BTuesday Evening Concert, September 13, 2005 - NQC There were seventeen groups on the Tuesday evening concert at NQC. I saw nine of them perform complete sets, and caught the tail end of two others. Tuesday night is typically the night I spend more time in the Exhibit Hall chatting with artists and message board friends. You probably know this drill by now...comments are in blue. Asterisks (*) are beside groups that impressed me with their performances. Apologies for incorrect titles. Overall, I've sensed an improvement in the professionalism at this year's event...more variety in how they get artists on the stage and the crew has been quick this year. Also, I have seen NO commercials on video during the evening concerts this year. I missed the Galloways, Squire Parsons Trio, Down East, and Reggie Saddler Family. The Primitives were on their last song when I took my seat, but I didn't get there in time to catch the song title. Dr. Buck Morton was tonight's emcee, but he turned his duties over to Dennis Swanberg part of the time. I didn't hear Morton use the phrase "sing the notes off the page" a single time. *Perrys (Their whole set consisted of songs from their new CD, Remembering The Happy Goodmans. They used a full live band for their set, including Rick Goodman on drums, Jeff Easter on bass, Steve Easter on steel, Tim Surrett on rhythm guitar, and their regular piano player.) "I Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now"/"The Eastern Gate"/"What A Beautiful Day"/"Who Am I?"/"Living In Canaan Now" Crossway (Paul Lancaster was filling in for one of the guys whose wife recently gave birth to triplets.) "The Long Arm Of Love"/"I'll Fly Away" (This was performed with one of the singers playing a guitar for accompaniment...they did a unique version on this song, which was very nice)/"I See A Savior" Rick Webb Trio "Bells Of Heaven"/"Let The Church Roll On" (This was a novelty song...cute lyrics, but the arrangement repeated the chorus too much, IMO.)/"Mercy Stepped In"/"Let Us Stand" Lesters "You Sure Do Need Him Now" with "Standin' In The Need Of Prayer"/"I've Seen The Light"/"I'm Standing My Ground"/"On Jesus Alone We Will Stand" *Booth Brothers "His Grace Is Sufficient"/"Livin' For The Moment" (This is the best cut on their new CD, IMO...lots of energy, which they do so well.)/"He Saw It All" (This is their current single, and it got a great response.)/"Still Feeling Fine"/"He Saw It All" (A reprise of the chorus, with just acoustic guitar played by Ronnie Booth for accompaniment...smart move, IMO...they made sure the audience didn't forget their current single after hearing "Still Feeling Fine.")/"Through It All" (Ronnie Booth sounded a lot like Larry Gatlin on this.) *Crabb Family "Amazing Grace" (Harmonica, then vocal solo)/"Please Forgive Me"/"Through The Fire"/"Don't You Wanna Go?"/"Redeemer" (This is the song originally recorded by Nicole C. Mullen.)/"Because He Lives" *Toney Brothers "Then I Met The Master"/"Light Up The Sky"/"In The Garden"/"Feeling Mighty Fine" (They were joined by the Booth Brothers for their last song.) I missed the Whisnants and Journeymen. When I got back to my seat, the McKameys were finishing up their last song, which was "I've Won." Peg still had her shoes on. *Hoppers "Yes, I Am"/"He Wrote My Name"/"I Wonder What They're Thinking Now"/"Jerusalem" (I may have missed one of the Hoppers' songs. They had a 23 minute set, so I'm thinking they surely did another one.) *Greater Vision "He'd Still Been God"/"Do You Know How Much More"/"When The Home Gates Swing Open"/"Samaritan's Heart"/"He'll Carry Me" Closing...Greater Vision and the Hoppers "He Wrote My Name"/"What A Lovely Name"/"Oh Holy Night" (Dean did the first verse and Gerald did the second. They used the Hoppers' arrangement.) Labels: Concert Review, NQC Tuesday, September 13, 2005Road Trip Review, Day 3, AftermathYou never know how the secular media is going to portray a gospel event like the National Quartet Convention. Louisville's Courier-Journal had THIS story in the Tuesday morning paper following the events of Monday, September 12, 2005. It's a pretty good write up...explaining why the word "southern" is a bit of a misnomer for the genre and mentioning some of the top groups. I overheard about the article while I was having breakfast. I'm not prone to eavesdropping, but my ears perked up when I heard someone at the next table read the front page teaser..."40,000 gospel fans gather for convention." Then they flipped to the story, and the next two words out of their mouth were "OH NO!"  This comment was made in response to seeing the large photo on page 1 of section B. The photo shows the Northmen sporting pink suits and prepping before going on stage. (The photo looks much smaller here and on the weblink above. Try to imagine it six inches wide.)Thanks guys. You are the new image of the National Quartet Convention in Louisville. Now everyone in Louisville thinks people who sing Southern Gospel dress in ridiculous outfits like yours. They probably thought Southern Gospel was weird enough already, but you had to go and give them hard evidence to back up their suspicions. Perhaps NQC should add some color restrictions to their dress code. I'm joking, of course, but only a little bit. Maybe they could just require groups that dress funny to limit their acts to comedy. The Northmen send a mixed message when they dress like clowns, but sing serious songs like "His Amazing Love" and "It's In The Savior's Hand." Their singing quality is pretty decent, by the way, but who is going to take them seriously? Someone at NQC does, evidently, because they let them go on stage on the afternoon showcase. I'll bet they weren't planning for the newspaper to cover them, though...oh well...you make your bed and you sleep in it. By the way, Tabatha Barkley of Family Tradition looks classy in her photo. Unfortunately, Barkley's photo is much smaller and below the fold. She also gets credit for carrying on when her group's "tape broke"...evidently the folks at the Courier-Journal don't recognize the sound of a CD skipping and think Southern Gospel artists are so lost in the past they still sing with tapes. Labels: NQC Road Trip Review, Day 3, Part AMonday Afternoon Showcase, September 12, 2005 - NQC Comments are in blue. Asterisks (*) are beside groups that impressed me with their performances. Apologies for incorrect titles. I was guessing at most of these. *Randy Miller (Miller was also the host.) "Let Faith Answer The Door"/"I Surrender All" (Harmonica solo...it was great, but the audience wasn't ready for a slow song. A lot of talking was going on while Miller was playing this expressive number.) Family Tradition "He's Pouring Out The Latter Rain"/"He's Alive" (Their track started skipping on this song, so Miller hopped up and played piano for them. The crowd gave them a standing ovation, so they did an encore again with piano...smart...milking an equipment malfuntion to win over the audience.) New Plainsmen Quartet "If You Could See Where I Am"/"Heavenbound" Pathfinders "I'm On A Journey"/"Carried By Grace" Chosen Ones "The Covenant" (Probably not the title, as this song had no clear "hook.")/"I'm Not Ashamed" Embrace "Surrender To The Lord"/"Blood Bought, Faith Walkin' Child Of The King" Tar Heel State (This group performed as a trio with piano. They used to be a quartet.) "I'm Movin' Up On The Mountain"/"When I Kneel At The Foot Of The Cross" Soul'd Out (This group was being marketed with a flyer in every chair.) "We Shall Rise"/"Please Remember Me" *Shiloh (The accompaniment died again, so this group sang a cappella and won over the crowd. Randy Miller went to the piano for the second song, but the lead singer said, "We'll just do it Church Of Christ style" and got a laugh.) "Doxology"/"How Great Thou Art" *Randy Miller "There'll Be No Dentures In Heaven" Angelina McKeithan "I'll Fly Away" (McKeithan plays harmonica like Angie Hoskins sings...all around the melody.)/"Blessed Assurance"/"Amazing Grace" (harmonica duet with Randy Miller) Northmen "It's In The Savior's Hands"/"His Amazing Love" Right Spirit "You Brought Me Through"/"In God's Hands" *Greater Faith "Gettin' Up And Going To The Promised Land"/"Faithful Is Your Name" *Crist Family "In The Great Beyond"/"Worth The Trip" Trinity Quartet "He Took My Place"/"He's The One" *Bradys "More Than A Book"/"Waiting On A Day Like That" Homesteaders Quartet "Come And See"/"I Built The Cross" Sunday Edition "He Keeps Lifting Me Higher"/"What A Day That Will Be" (Sunday Edition was joined by their pastor Johnny Minick, who sang with them on the first song and played piano for the second.) There were about five more groups scheduled on the program after Sunday Edition that I didn't hear. Labels: NQC Monday, September 12, 2005Road Trip Review, Day 3, Part BMonday Evening, September 12, 2005 - NQC I figured most people would be more interested in the evening concerts at NQC, so I'm posting Part B of Day 3 first...which is actually the evening of Day 1 at NQC 2005. I'll post Part A of Day 3 (NQC Day 1 Afternoon) tomorrow...confused yet? Read on and hopefully all will become clear. The evening concert on the first day of NQC is traditionally devoted to male quartets. I think NQC got it right this year. There wasn't a single group on the main stage that had me scratching my head going, "What on earth were they thinking letting them up there?" I'm keeping up with the setlists so far. I wrote down everything I heard...granted, I did take a couple of breaks to roam the exhibit hall. I think I'm missing four groups, so if anyone who was there kept a setlist on the ones I missed, leave a comment and I'll add it to this post. Also, I'm sure some titles aren't precisely right, because I had to guess at the ones I didn't already know. As with previous Road Trip posts, my comments are in blue. An asterisk (*) beside a group name indicates the artists I particularly enjoyed. (The lack of an asterisk does NOT mean I disliked a group. See my comment above about NQC getting it right this year.) Event Opening *Florida Boys - "National Anthem" *Gerald Wolfe, Dean Hopper, Kim Hopper, and Gene Mcdonald - "God Bless The USA" Brian Lester was the emcee tonight. IMO, Lester is the best host NQC has. I expect we'll get treated to "Jerry Goff's Parade Of Jokes From 1949" and Dr. Buck's "Sing The Notes Off The Page Extravaganza" before the week is over. *Melody Boys Quartet "Victory In Jesus" (a cappella, but not on purpose. There was a malfuntion with their accompaniment)/"My Heavenly Father Watches Over Me"/"I'm Gonna Walk The Way He Wants Me To"/"Wrap Me In Your Arms Tonight, Sweet Shepherd" (This was a well written/arranged tune.) Songfellows "Have You Talked To The Man Upstairs"/"Just A Little Talk With Jesus"/"Mansion Over A Hilltop" (featuring 91 year old Bob Jones)/"Oh What A Savior" *Stamps (As much as I loved hearing Ed Hill sing, his replacement Michael Helwig has brought some energy to this group that has really helped their stage presence, IMO. They sounded great tonight, singing a lot of uptempo songs, so they got more in than most groups.) "We Have Come To Worship The Savior"/"Walkin' And Talkin' With My Lord"/"He's Making A Change In Me"/"Victory Road"/"Church Twice On Sunday"/"Extra Little Bit Of Love"/"Sweet, Sweet Spirit" Inspirations "I'll Not Turn My Back On Him Now"/"We Need To Thank God"/"Two Shoes"/"Winner Either Way"/"When I Got Saved"/"I'm Not Ashamed" *Palmetto State Quartet "I'm Going There"/"Movin' Up To Heaven"/"Glory Can't Tell It All"/"I'm On My Way"/"The Prayer" (piano solo by Andrew Ishee)/"Knock, Knock, Knock"/"We'll Meet Again" *Brian Free and Assurance "Church Foundation Hymn Medley"/"In My Robe Of White"/"My Answer Is Yes"/"I Have Been Healed"/"Long As I Got King Jesus" (They had the old biddies up dancing on this one!) :o) *Florida Boys "Sing Your Blues Away"/"I Can't Even Walk"/"On Some Sweet Day"/"More About Jesus"/"Tell Me Why"/"This Is The Day"/"While The Ages Roll" *Legacy Five (L5 introduced their new bass player, Roger Bennet's son Jordan.) "I'm Feeling Fine"/"He's Just A Whisper Away" (This was really a nice change of pace.)/"Monuments"/"Raised To Walk"/"You Died For Me"/"Out Of My Darkness" *Dixie Melody Boys "Far Above The Starry Sky"/"Wait 'Til You See Me In My New Home" (Dustin Sweatman piano solo.)/"Give The World A Smile"/"Roll On, Jordan"/"Hide Thou Me"/"He Bore It All"/"'Til The Storm Passes By" *Gold City "Angels From The Realms Of Glory" (a cappella)/"I'm Not Giving Up"/"He Said"/"It's Still The Cross"/"When He Blessed My Soul" Singing Ambassadors "Clinging To A Saving Hand" (I took a break here and missed the rest of their set.) Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet (I got back in time to hear them do one song. Tony Jarman sounded good singing tenor for them. I didn't learn the name of the bass singer and I don't know if the one singing was filling in or a permanent replacement for Jeff Pearles.) "The Lighthouse" *Dove Brothers (The Doves did three songs off their new CD, which seemed to go over well.) "Have A Nice Day"/"Anything But Ordinary"/"Blow Your Trumpet, Gabriel"/"When He Came Walking"/"Walk That Lonesome Road" (They've incorporated pianist Jerry Kelso into their comedy routine on this song.)/"Get Away, Jordan" (They did the encore section just once, but it brought the crowd to their feet.) *Anchormen (This group is sounding very, very solid right now.) "My Heavenly Home"/"Heaven's Jubilee"/"Just A Little Talk With Jesus"/"Somebody Touched Me" (This is played as a hat tip to Danny Funderburke. Audiences connect, because Funderburke's son is the emcee for the Anchormen now.)/"Where The Milk And Honey Flows" (This is not the song recorded by the Cathedrals on Faithful.) Dixie Echoes "I'm Gone" (And I was gone after that...my four hours of sleep from the night before was taking a toll, so I decided to avoid the rush and skip out early. Unfortunately, this meant I also missed hearing the Kingsmen, who were scheduled to close out the evening.) Labels: Concert Review, NQC Sunday, September 11, 2005Road Trip Review, Day 2September 11, 2005 The evening of Day 2 on my road trip finds me in Huntington, WV. I was just treated to supper by Dean Adkins, which was greatly appreciated. Thanks Dean! Most of today was spent traveling, but I did take in one concert this afternoon. I drove to the metropolis of Jumping Branch, WV to hear the Mark Trammell Trio at Bluestone Baptist Church. The singing was part of the church's Homecoming celebration. (This church has been in existence since 1798...that's 207 years.) I had the opportunity to chat with Eric, Joseph and Mark as they were setting up. I already knew Eric from his days with the Melody Masters, but it was my first chance to talk with the other two guys. One thing I sensed from all three was a spirit of unity and purpose about their livelihood. If I could sum up the group in one word, it would be "maturity." This is an element of the Mark Trammell Trio that extends beyond their ability to put on a great performance. Joseph said he reads the Musicscribe.com blog regularly. Mark said he doesn't know how to turn a computer on...so Joseph, you might want to print this one out and show it to Mark! :o) On to the concert...the ink pen I stole from the Microtel Inn in Christiansburg, VA this morning worked a lot better than the pen I used at the GVB/SSQ concert last night. (That pen is now laying beside I-81 somewhere between Roanoke and Christiansburg.) Anyway, here's the setlist for today's concert with the Mark Trammell Trio. Set 1 1. Congregation - "Victory In Jesus" (First verse) 2. Choir - "Child Of God" (a Mike Speck arrangement) 3. Mark Trammell Trio - "I Have A Heavenly Father" 4. MTT - "I'm Glad That I Know Jesus" 5. MTT - "To God Be The Glory" 6. MTT - "The Love Of Christ" 7. MTT - "When They Ring The Bells Of Heaven" 8. MTT - "When Compared To God" 9. MTT - "I Needed To Hear That Today" 10. MTT - "With God As My Witness" 11. MTT - "The Love Of God" (This was the Vep Ellis standard; not the traditional hymn by Frederick Lehman.) 12. MTT - "This Time" (This is their new single and the title cut from their new CD. It's similar to "It's Jesus" in style.) 13. MTT - "When I Stand In The Presence Of The Lord" Set 2 1. Congregation - "Blessed Assurance" (first and last verses) 2. MTT - "What A Lovely Name" 3. MTT - "Jesus, Hold My Hand" 4. MTT - "Keeper Of The Keys" 5. MTT - "More Than You'll Ever Know" 6. Invitation/Congregation - "Just As I Am" The concert was about an hour and forty-five minutes in length. Trammell does a great job as emcee, mixing humor with more serious fare. He's a master at making a local audience feel special...pointing out that Eric's father graduated from the local high school, for example, and bragging on a lady who had made a coconut pie. Housekeeping notes: I don't know how reliable my internet connection is going to be when I get to Louisville tomorrow. These first two nights, I've been in hotels that had free high speed wireless. Tomorrow, it's back to dial-up. Hopefully, I can continue to update my road trip for you on a daily basis...if not, I'll go ahead and type it up each day and then post it all when I get back home on Thursday night. I MAY continue to keep setlists for the next three days at NQC, but I'm going to hear a LOT of songs, so I'm not making any promises about that. We'll just have to wait and see if I'm determined enough to follow through with writing everything down as I hear it for three solid days! Labels: Concert Review Saturday, September 10, 2005Road Trip Review, Day 1September 10, 2005 Review: I'm sitting in a hotel just down the road from Roanoke, VA, having just returned from seeing the Signature Sound and Gaither Vocal Band concert there. The event was held at the Roanoke Performing Arts Center, a VERY nice, modern venue that seats approximately 2000. It appeared to be sold out. The biggest question everyone seems to have regarding the Gaither Vocal Band is "How is Wes Hampton doing as the GVB's new tenor?" The answer is very, very well. The former GVB tenor he most resembles (vocally speaking) is Terry Franklin. You can tell he's still adjusting, learning the songs, and learning he has to be ready for anything Bill pulls out on the spur of the moment...but all that being said, I think he has a bright future with the GVB. At the moment, though, the main driving force in the GVB's sound is Guy Penrod, where before it was shared between Penrod and Phelps. By the way, Marsh Hall is doing an outstanding job as well. I thought my readers might want to see a setlist. I was writing in the dark, and my ink pen didn't work a few times, so in the end, I missed the title of one song by EHSSQ. If anyone else was there and remembers it, leave a comment to this blog post and I'll get the info updated. By the way, the musicians present were Roy Webb, Anthony Burger, and Kevin Williams. I should also add that there was a full fledged light show which really enhanced the program, aside from one problem at the begining...see my running commentary below. The light show consist of four or five towers of colored spots, a dozen motorized spots that could display various patterns in sync, and numerous floods up above. Two circular video screens were used to show moving patterns and a bit of video for comedy effect. Here's the setlist, with my running commentary... Set 1 Just before the show started, a bright white motorized spot was "parked" pointing straight at the audience. The first two songs by Kevin Williams and Bill Gaither's first appearance were peppered by angry people yelling at them to turn down the light. The crew finally figured out why folks were yelling and got it redirected so it wasn't a problem from that point on. 1. Kevin Williams - "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder" (guitar instrumental) 2. KW - "Power In The Blood" (guitar instrumental) 3. Bill Gaither - "Old Friends" On the second verse, Gaither had Anthony Burger sing and he got the words wrong. That got the first big laugh of the night. 4. Ernie Haase and Signature Sound Quartet - "Glory To God In The Highest" 5. EHSSQ - "Shout Brother, Shout" 6. EHSSQ - "Lead Me, Guide Me" 7. EHSSQ - "Telling The World About His Love" 8. EHSSQ - "Happy Rhythm" 9. EHSSQ - "Stand By Me" On this one, Ernie pulled Bill out from backstage on the encore and tried to get him to dance. 10. EHSSQ - "Heaven Holds Much More" 11. EHSSQ - "This Could Be The Dawning Of That Day" 12. EHSSQ - "Glory To God In The Highest Reprise" 13. Gaither Vocal Band - "Alpha And Omega" 14. GVB - "Jesus Loves Me" Marsh Hall tore it up on this one. 15. GVB - "I'll Tell It Wherever I Go" This was used to introduce Wes Hampton. 16. GVB - "I Catch 'Em, God Cleans 'Em" A new Guy Penrod feature...I assume this is the same song Gordon Mote recorded. It has a feel similar to "I'm Gonna Sing." 17. BG/KW - These two did a great extended comedy routine to set up the next song. It was complete with some video footage to augment Bill getting his bass notes "cranked up." 18. GVB - "Low Down The Chariot" 19. Anthony Burger - "Shout To The Lord" with Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" (Thanks to Jim Duggan for that added detail. My brain wouldn't pull up that info when I heard it for some reason!) 20. AB - "Old Time Religion" with the "William Tell Overture," or for those of you lacking a cultural education...the theme from the Lone Ranger. :o) 21. GVB - "Journey To The Sky" 22. GVB - "Loving God, Loving Each Other" 23. GVB - "Why Me, Lord?" 24. GVB - "It Is Finished" 25. BG - Led the audience in the choruses to "Down At The Cross," "I Love You, Lord," and "Alleluia" Set 2 1. BG - Played piano and led the audience in singing "Where Could I Go" 2. GVB - "We Shall Wear A Robe And Crown" 3. EHSSQ - "Heavenly Parade" 4. GVB/EHSSQ - "Holy Highway" 5. GVB/EHSSQ - "Blow The Trumpet In Zion" 6. AB - "Jesus Loves Me" with "Claire de Lune" 7. Gloria Gaither - Introduced the next song. 8. EHSSQ - "Then Came The Morning" 9. GVB/EHSSQ - "Few Good Men" 10. GVB/EHSSQ - "Oh My Lord, What A Time" This was encored four times. 11. GVB/EHSSQ - "There Is A River" 12. BG - Led the audience in singing "In The Cross" 13. GVB/EHSSQ - "Because He Lives" This started off as an audience singalong coming out of "In The Cross," but then they kicked in the track to finish it with the groups. 14. GVB/EHSSQ - "Holy Highway Reprise" Labels: Concert Review Friday, September 09, 2005Florida Boys Biography Florida Boys(circa 1948-present) J. G. Whitfield formed the Gospel Melody Quartet following WWII with Roy Howard, Guy Dodd, Edward Singletary, and “Tiny” Merrell. Howard passed away in 1951 following a radio performance. By 1952, Glen Allred had replaced Dodd in the group to sing baritone and play guitar. Les Beasley came on board to sing lead the following year. Inspired by Wally Fowler’s introduction of the group as “those boys from Florida,” Whitfield changed the group name to the Florida Boys in 1954. Derrell Stewart joined the group in 1956 to play piano. Whitfield left the road in 1958 after the death of his first wife and a subsequent re-marriage. At that time, Beasley assumed the management responsibilities for the group. Under Beasley’s leadership and with the continued support of their founder, Mr. Whitfield, the Florida Boys embraced modern technology to enhance their fame. In 1961, Whitfield began producing a black and white television program with the Florida Boys called The Gospel Song Shop. A few years later, the Florida Boys were called on by Showbiz, Inc. to anchor the Gospel Singing Jubilee, with Les Beasley co-producing and Whitfield selling ads. In addition to the Florida Boys, the Jubilee featured a cast of groups including the Lefevres, Couriers, Happy Goodmans, and the Dixie Echoes. The show was ultimately syndicated into 90 markets and ran for more than a decade. The success of the Florida Boys on television secured them a spot on the Canaan record label, a division of publishing giant, Word, Inc. After recording on Canaan for 20 years, they moved to Homeland and when that label went out of business, to Cathedral. In 2000, Les Beasley “fired himself” from singing lead, though he continued to travel with the group as the emcee and bass player. He hired Josh Garner to sing lead in his place. Celebrating 50 years together in 2006, Allred, Beasley and Stewart have toured together longer than any other full-time gospel music threesome. Labels: biography Tuesday, September 06, 2005Michael Combs Biography Michael Combs(1957-) Michael Combs has been singing gospel music since 1991 after giving his heart to Christ in 1989 at the age of 31. An ad campaign for a recording called Lambitus introduced him to Southern Gospel fans. Curiosity was sparked at first by advertisements stating that the singer had a rare “disease,” which was later revealed to be Lambitus. When Combs went on to combine his somewhat unorthodox vocal style with a string of popular and at times, controversial songs, he soon had a dedicated group of fans. The Solid Gospel radio network refused to air his song “Not For Sale” due to what they deemed to be low production quality, but fans requested the song so much that it landed at number five on the Singing News chart. Other popular songs by Combs include “It’s Time To Get Up” and “Drinking From My Saucer.” Labels: biography Monday, September 05, 2005Roy Carter BiographyRoy Carter (Mar. 1, 1926-Aug. 4, 1997) Roy Carter served in the Navy near the end of WWII and was ultimately discharged in February of 1946. In 1947, Roy majored in Bible and education at Abilene Christian College using his G.I. Bill supplement of $90 per month to pay expenses. He completed his double major in three years. After trying his hand at preaching, teaching, and selling insurance, he moved back home to Texas to sing bass with his family’s group, the Chuck Wagon Gang, who had just started actively touring after 15 years singing almost exclusively on radio. After five years on the road, Roy took a break from the Gang in 1957 to sell school supplies for Weber-Costello. The group itself entered a period of semi-retirement at this time, though they continued to record. Roy returned to the group in 1963, but in 1967 he came off the road again, this time to try his hand at teaching once more and earn his Masters degree. As before, the group reduced its touring schedule and ultimately ceased to tour after Anna Carter (who had carried on the group in Roy’s absence) married Jimmie Davis in 1968. In the mid-1970s, Roy reorganized the Chuck Wagon Gang with his sisters Ruth Ellen and Bettye. Ronnie Page and Pat McKeehan alternated on the fourth part and Anna Carter Davis sometimes sang in place of Ruth Ellen when her schedule permitted. At first, they only sang on a summer schedule to allow Roy to continue teaching. Once the group stabilized with McKeehan and Ruth Ellen around 1977, Roy began making plans to return to full time touring. In 1987, Roy retired from teaching and realized his dream of touring full time once again. He continued to sing with the Chuck Wagon Gang for the next ten years until his death in 1997. Roy Carter received the Marvin Norcross award in 1989. Labels: biography 
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