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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March 9, 2006

Will The Real Imperials Please Stand Up?

As of today, there are at least three gospel groups using the name Imperials, and all three have ties to the group started by Jake Hess in 1964. See HERE, HERE, and HERE. Let's break it down...

The Real Imperials
First we have the group I'll refer to as the Real Imperials. Of course, THEY call themselves the Imperials without the "real," since they really are the real Imperials. :o)

Some people might say they aren't the "real" group, because these guys probably have the least recognizable names of the three groups. However, the fact is that this group is the only group that has been continuous since 1964.

Armond Morales sang bass with Jake Hess and the rest of the original group in 1964 and continued to travel and manage them until 2003, when Ian Owens became just the second bass singer in the 39 year (at that time) history of the group. Joining Owens in the current Imperials is Armond Morales' son, Jason, who has been singing baritone with the group for seven years; a terrific tenor named Jeremie Hudson who has also been with the group for seven years; and lead singer Shannon Smith, who became the group's lead singer in 2003.

By the way, this particular line-up of the group has their first all new CD coming out later this year, and from all I've heard, it's going to be outstanding. I had a chance to chat with the guys for a bit about it last weekend and I've heard two songs. Be prepared for one Southern Gospel song and otherwise expect a recording that sounds very much like 4Him could have sounded if they'd had a deep bass singer in the mix. Check out their website for more information.

The International Imperials
Next up is a group I'm calling the International Imperials to distinguish them from the Real Imps. I chose that name because the most recent news on their website says they sang at an Elvis Presley tribute event in Belgium last October. This group includes Gus Gaches, who isn't a former member of the Imperials as far as I know; Joe Moscheo, who played keyboards for the original group in the late 1960s and early 1970s; and rounding out the group are Terry Blackwood and Sherman Andrus, who were in the group during the same era as Moscheo.

This group is particularly confusing since they bill themselves as the Imperials just like the real Imperials. Maybe that's OK as long as they only sing overseas. I don't know if this group is singing regularly or not. They don't have a schedule posted on their website and no product that's uniquely their own for sale.

The Classic Imperials
Finally, there's the Classic Imperials, who just today announced they had signed a recording agreement with Nick Bruno's Song Garden label. Unlike "Real Imperials" and "International Imperials," "Classic Imperials" isn't a name I made up. This group actually bills themselves as the Classic Imperials. Armond Morales and Jim Murray even own the trademark.

This group consists of Rick Evans, who is not an ex-Imp as far as I know; Jim Murray, who sang tenor for the original group for twenty years from 1966 to 1986; Armond Morales, the 39-year veteran bass singer, and David Will, who was the baritone singer for the group for a period of 23 years (1976-1999). (Real Imperials baritone Jason Morales was Will's successor.)

Now, to make this more confusing, Jim Murray, Armond Morales, Terry Blackwood and Sherman Andrus recorded a CD two years ago which billed them simply as "The Imperials." This line-up also had a website for a while referring to themselves as the "Classic Imperials." Ironically, this line-up minus Morales plus a non-ex-Imp bass singer named Hovie Walker also owned a trademark on the name "The New Imperials Quartet" at one time. New?

Let's just hope Russ Taff doesn't get any ideas about starting up a group using another variation on the Imperials name...although a line-up of Taff, Jonathan Pierce, and Ron Hemby (if he's still around) would definitely be a group worth hearing.

If case you're wondering, the trademark for "The Imperials" is owned by Clarence Collins of Costa Mesa, California. I have no idea who he is or what his connection to the group might be. I just thought someone might ask, and I wanted you to know I tried to explore every angle of this story.

Of course, I didn't get into Little Anthony And The Imperials, since they sang another form of music and have no connections to the group formed by Jake Hess in 1964 as far as I know. Their trademark has been dead since April 2004, so I assume the group is no longer active, thought they do have an official website.

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posted by David Bruce Murray @ 11:44:00 PM


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