Kyle Boreing
Jul 30, 2009
Observations
Mark Trammell – The smartest singer in gospel music?
After listening to Gold City’s Renewed project (and a conversation with Wes Burke), a question entered my mind….Is Mark Trammell the smartest singer in gospel music?
When Mark joined the Cathedrals, their harmony seemed to adjust somewhat, allowing Glen Payne (who had been the group’s lead/second tenor singer) to move down to a baritone range and stacking Mark and Kirk Talley/Danny Funderburk above him. For years, Mark was billed as a baritone, and in many instances, he sang the baritone part, but just as often, he sang second tenor.
Later on, when he joined Gold City, he continued as baritone, but still had his moments where he would climb comfortably into the upper lead range (such as “Calvary’s Hill”). Even today, with his own trio, he still cuts loose on songs like “Love Lifted Me.”
A lot of lead and tenor singers start off their careers trying to show off how often they can hit (and hold) the high notes. This is great for the first few years, but after a while, it takes a toll on the voice, and they start to suffer. Mark, however, makes his living in the lower register, even though he has the ability to shoot up to the upper range virtually on demand.
It’s not like a baritone is the most popular part to sing. It’s very difficult to harmonize, especially in the lower register, and as Glen once remarked [half] jokingly, “Nobody cares about the guys in the middle!” When people talk about the Cathedrals, they often mention Danny Funderburk or Ernie Haase, and when they say Gold City, they often remember Jay Parrack. But Mark has made his entire career out of being a support player. Heck, when with the Cats, he was very rarely afforded the opportunity to even leave his spot on stage, since he was limited by a mic stand while playing the bass!
Yet even today, Mark still has just as strong of a voice as ever, and much fuller as he has matured. Perhaps this should be a sign to wanna-be Ivan Parkers, Guy Penrods, or Michael Englishes….sometimes it’s wiser to play it safe.
