Retro Spotlight – 1963

For this week’s retro spotlight I wanted to see how far back I could go in my music collection.  The oldest LP I own happens to be the Speer Family’s Speer Family Album RCA recording from 1955.  The problems with this time period in recording is copyright dates were in most cases not listed on the LP.  By looking at catalog numbers on most LPs, a date could be determined within a year one way or the other.  So I chose 1963 for this week’s retro spotlight, while understanding some of these recordings are considered circa 1963.

The Dixie Echoes released their first album circa 1963 titled Sing Songs Of Faith.  The group was composed of George Forbes (Tenor), Jack Toney (Lead), Joe Whitfield (Baritone) and JG Whitfield (Bass).  Musicians included Sue Whitfield on piano and Hal Kennedy on lead guitar.  Hal was also a featured vocalist and the song clip chosen from this recording features Hal.  The song clip is “Keep Walking”.

The Happy Goodmans were also starting their recording career in 1963.  On October 10th, 1963 to be exact the group recorded what would be their first album on Sims Records.  The album, I’m Too Near Home; the song clip featured, “It’s Different Now”.

The Hopper Brothers & Connie would release their first album in 1962 with Gospel Favorites.  They followed that up circa 1963 with their second recording, Man On The Middle Cross.  The group at this time featured Will (Tenor), Claude (Lead), Steve (Baritone), Monroe (Bass), Connie (Pianist) and Paul (Musician).  Featured is a song made popular by the Sego Brothers & Naomi, “Satisfied With Me”.

Quartets dominated the Gospel music industry during this time period.  There were a few mixed groups break through and one of those was the LeFevres.  The group opened their own recording studio in 1960 and started the Sing Records label.  Circa 1963, the LeFevres released Rainbow Of Love.  The bass singing talents of Rex Nelon can be heard on “All Aboard”.

The Oak Ridge Boys were also riding high during this era.  Singing The Gospel was released by the Stateswood Record label in 1963.  The Oak Ridge Boys were mainstays on the Skylite Record label, one of the only major labels at this time period.  The vocal line-up here included Willie Wynn (Tenor), Smitty Gatlin (Lead), Jim Hamill (Baritone) and Herman Harper (Bass).  Not to be overlooked was Tommy Fairchild on the piano.  I have provided a clip of “Lord I Want To Go To Heaven”.

From the Tampa Florida area of the country came the Rebels Quartet.  The group had Horace Parrish (Tenor), Jay Berry (Lead), John Matthews (Baritone), London Paris (Bass) and ‘Little’ Jimmy Taylor (Piano).  At this time period they recorded for the LeFevre’s Sing Record label.  There were several albums released circa 1963, one of those being No Disappointments In Heaven.  Featured is the song “There’s Only One Way”.

The family group that was the standard-bearer for all family groups that came after was the Speer Family.  Next to the Statesmen and Blackwood Brothers, they were the biggest group in Gospel Music during this era.  They released several albums with RCA and in 1963 came the recording Sacred Hour.  Featured from this recording is a clip of “God’s Love”.

The Stamps Quartet returned to recording Gospel music in 1963 with the release of a Skylite Records album titled, The New Stamps Quartet.  This was prior to JD Sumner returning to the helm of the group.  At this time the group was composed of Jerry Redd (Tenor), Terrell Blackwood (Lead), Roger McDuff (Baritone), John Hall (Bass) and ‘Smilin’ Joe Roper (Pianist).  Featured is a great quartet number, “I’ll Be Ready To Go With Him”.

Our walk down memory lane wouldn’t be complete without the standard bearer’s of Southern Gospel quartet music, the Statesmen.  Also recording with RCA, the Statesmen released The Mystery Of His Way is 1963.  What several historians of this music consider the best quartet line-up ever, this album featured Rosie Rozell (Tenor), Jake Hess (Lead), Doy Ott (Baritone), ‘Big Chief’ Wetherington (Bass) and Hovie Lister (Pianist).  This album also featured a song that has since become a song every tenor singer has probably attempted in their career.  How about we hear the first tenor to ever sing “What A Savior”.

Grace – Palmetto State Quartet

OVERALL RATING:  7.83

CRITERIA:

1. Creativity/Originality = 8 
2. Lyrical Content = 8
3. Production = 8
4. Song Selection = 7.5
5. My Recommendation = 7.65 (10 song average)

 

Let me go ahead and say this is not your ‘grandpa’s’ Palmetto State Quartet.  A name that has a nearly 65 year history within Southern Gospel music, the Palmetto State Quartet name was synonymous with classic quartet music.  When current bass singer, Larry Strickland purchased the group in 2009, the sound of Palmetto State Quartet has transformed into a country vocal quartet (the lyric is all Gospel). 

I am not surprised by that move considering Larry’s ties to Country music.  Being the husband of country legend Naomi Judd could be an influence in your own music.  Palmetto State Quartet have also recently toured, singing back-up, with Wynonna.  The current group configuration is Robert Fulton (Tenor), Paul Lancaster (Lead), David Darst (Baritone) and Larry Strickland (Bass).

Recording for Mansion Entertainment, Palmetto State Quartet’s album Grace released to retail on 02/11/11.

Baritone David Darst’s straight ahead country vocals really suit the group’s new sound.  He shines on this recording.  Right out of the gate is the ‘hard driving’ country flavored “All Hail The Power” (not the classic hymn you might be familiar with).  David also has the lead on two of the best songs on the entire album.  “Don’t That Sound Like Heaven” (penned by Terry Evans) and “The Debt Has Been Paid” (Justin Herod) are complimented by classic country melodies and David’s vocal interpretation of both songs only enhance the message. 

Paul Lancaster has been a utility player of sorts in Southern Gospel, being with various artists over the course of his career.  My first recollection of Paul was with the Mullins back in the early ’90s.  His vocal is a perfect fit with Palmetto State’s current sound.  He turns in one of the finest performances on the recording with his interpretation of “A Moment Of Grace” (Joe Gordon).  This song would be a good choice for Southern Gospel radio.  Paul has another ballad that compliments the former song, this song titled “There’s No Place Too Far From Grace”.   

Palmetto State Quartet didn’t totally abandon Southern Gospel quartet music.  The first single from the recording, “There’ll Be No Dying” (Margie Sullivan) is out of the up tempo Southern Gospel playbook.  “Holy Ghost Revival” (Marc Harris, Leslie Satcher) also follows that same mold.

The only song that didn’t fit with the rest of the music presented on Grace was a cover of the Christmas tune “Go Tell It On The Mountain”.  Outside of that one mis-step, I enjoyed the new music presented by Palmetto State Quartet on Grace.  I look forward to see where they take this new sound.

SONG LIST:  1. “All Hail The Power”  2. “Walk This Way”  3. “Don’t That Sound Like Heaven”  4. “There’s No Place Too Far From Grace”  5. “There’ll Be No Dying”  6. “The Debt Has Been Paid”  7. “Holy Ghost Revival”  8. “A Moment Of Grace”  9. “Unto The Least Of These”  10. “Go Tell It On The Mountain”

Reader’s Choice – Other Musical Genres

It is time to answer some more reader email and offer the reader’s choice post for this week.  Brenda in Tennessee asked what other musical genres I listen to and if those other musical genres influence my listening preferences within Southern Gospel music.

Brenda, this is a great question.  I have been thinking about a response to this ever since I read the email.  The more I thought about it the more I realized there is a correlation between musical genre preferences and how that translates to my likes/dislikes within Southern Gospel music.

Outside Southern Gospel, I do listen to some CCM in Christian music.  As far as mainstream musical genres I listen to Country music, some modern rock, some blues and growing up in the 1980′s, XM has a channel devoted to ’80s rock that I listen to frequently.

If I were to narrow it down 99% of my Christian music listening is Southern Gospel while 80% of my mainstream music listening is country music.  I am a sucker for a nice hook, country melody and crying steel guitar.

How does that translate to my Southern Gospel music listening?  Anytime I am listening to a new Southern Gospel album by any artist, my ears ‘perk up’ immediately when the song has a country melody.  Does that translate to that song getting a preference over the other songs on the album?  No, it only means it grabs my initial attention before another song may.

Also, lets not confuse style preference for bad singing.  I know there are many who dislike country music.  That is perfectly fine, but I have talked to individuals (who know I like country music), that wonder how I can enjoy bad music.  A vocal twang doesn’t constitute bad singing (at least from a technical standpoint), just a style preference.

So let me open it up to everyone.  First, what other musical genres do you tend to listen to and enjoy?  Second, do those preferences influence the style you prefer within Southern Gospel music?

Smack Down!! – “We Shall Overcome”

This week in the song covers Smack Down we find “We Shall Overcome”.  Written by Jeff Ross, “We Shall Overcome” was recorded by the Nelons on their 1985 album In One Accord.  This was the first album that the group shortened their name from the Rex Nelon Singers to the Nelons.  The Nelons were one of the top groups in the industry during this time period with Jerry Thompson (Tenor/Lead), Karen Peck (Soprano), Kelly Nelon (Alto) and Rex Nelon (Bass) rounding out the vocal spots.  Jeff Stice was also the pianist for the group during this era.

Karen Peck took the lead on the first verse to the Nelons version.  Included in the clip is the first verse and chorus by the Nelons.

Jeff Stice factors into the remake of “We Shall Overcome”.  Now with Triumphant Quartet, the song cover found its way onto the group’s 2010 recording Love Came Calling.  Jeff Stice was an associate producer on the recording and handles the group’s song arrangements.  While Triumphant’s version doesn’t stray too far from the original, bass singer Eric Bennett takes the lead on the second verse.

A song clip of Triumphant Quartet on the second verse and chorus.  Who will overcome this week with their version of the song; Nelons or Triumphant Quartet?

Blue Skies – Perrys

This week, Southern Gospel Views From The Back Row (Steve Eaton) and Musicscribe (David Bruce Murray) combine for our second installment of the ‘must buy or not’ feature. The album in this installment is the Perrys new release Blue Skies. Hitting retail outlets on Tuesday (02/22/11), Blue Skies continues the Perrys long streak of releasing high quality Southern Gospel material.

Remember, this collaborative review offers likes and dislikes from the two of us and then gives a definitive yes or no on whether the album is a ‘must buy’.

SOUTHERN GOSPEL VIEWS FROM THE BACK ROW

• “Blue Skies Coming” (penned by Wayne Haun and Joel Lindsey) and “Every Time I Need Him” (Kyla Rowland) are the strongest songs on the recording.
• The banjo/fiddle accompaniment on “Blue Skies Coming” adds a little something different that separates it from other songs on this recording.
• Libbi continues to shine vocally and turns in a powerhouse vocal performance on “I Know What I’m Singing About”.

MUSICSCRIBE

• The instrumentation on “Blue Skies Coming” is a highlight for me as well. The banjo and fiddle elements give the arrangement some defining character, but there’s enough of a string section presence to keep it out of stereotypical bluegrass territory. The instrumental outros on “Blue Skies Coming” and “His Love Lights The Way” are a thoughtful touch as well.
• Having lost my own Christian mother just three weeks ago after an extended fight with cancer, “Celebrate Me Home” was particularly meaningful, especially the line, “Don’t just sit and weep because I’m gone.”
• “Rejoice, My Children, Rejoice” has hit written on it. It should do well at radio, but this song’s greatest potential is in the concert setting.

SOUTHERN GOSPEL VIEWS FROM THE BACK ROW

• This album doesn’t match the caliber of landmark recordings such as This Is The Day and Almost Morning.
• After a half-dozen listens to the album, there was no song that jumped out at me as a major hit. It is tough for any group, especially established groups like the Perrys, to follow-up an album with mega songs like “If You Knew Him” and “Did I Mention”.

MUSICSCRIBE

• “Nothing Was Burned But Their Bands” is a fun song and shouldn’t be taken too seriously, I suppose, but I wish the lyric had provided some sort of theory to answer the question it poses rather than just walking through the story and asking the question.
• The lyric for “Every Time I Need Him” borrows from the hook of Belinda Smith’s “In Time, On Time, Every Time” (popularized by Gold City). I’d prefer something more original.

SOUTHERN GOSPEL VIEWS FROM THE BACK ROW

• NO – As tough as it is for me to say, when I review albums I am looking at that specific group’s body of work and how the current album stacks up in comparison. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, if I were to rank to Perrys last 10 recordings, Blue Skies would rank 7th.

MUSICSCRIBE

• NO – I probably favor this CD a little more than Steve, because I think the Perrys do have a potential hit, or a big concert favorite at the very least, in “Rejoice, My Children, Rejoice.” I’d certainly recommend buying that song as a single download if possible, but the CD overall is not one I’d rate as a Must Buy.

NQC – A Look Back – 1993

Doing the two posts this week regarding music from 1992 it got me to thinking about attending my first National Quartet Convention in 1993.  This was the last year the NQC was held in Nashville TN.  I’ll admit that I was blown away by the grandeur of the event the first time I attended.  I pulled out the program from that year and thought I would offer a few thoughts as I leafed through. 

(1) Canaan Records and RiverSong Records (Benson) were still involved in Southern Gospel music.  (2)  The Gaither Vocal Band were releasing Southern Classics.  (3)  The Speer Family, Florida Boys, Singing Americans, Cathedrals and Nelons were still major players in the industry with full-page ads in the program.  (4)  The Singing News Fan Award nominees were listed in the program.  The song of the year only had five nominees and they included “Do You Know How It Feels” (McKameys), “From The Depths Of My Heart” (Isaacs), “Mention My Name” (Hoppers), “There Rose A Lamb” (Gold City) and “Wedding Music” (Cathedrals).  The album of the year nominees in 1993 were Looking For The Wounded (Perfect Heart), Mention My Name (Hoppers), Pillars Of Faith (Gold City), Singing In The Sun (Kingsmen) and With Feeling (McKameys).

With all that has been made over the groups removed from the main stage in 2011, lets take a look at all the main stage performers in 1993.  Here is the full list of groups and what night they performed.  Many of you newbies to this music won’t know a lot of these performers.

Retro Spotlight – 1992 – Part 2

I want to continue my look at the year 1992 with part two of retro spotlight.  Here are eight more recordings that were released in Southern Gospel music during the year 1992.

Let’s kick off part two with the Cathedrals.  Campmeeting Live was the recording released by the Cathedrals in 1992.  It was mostly a collection of songs previously recorded by the group.  It was a live concert released in both audio and video.  Here’s an encore of the classic “What A Meeting”.

The Hayes Family have been a main stay in the Southern Gospel music industry for many years.  From Boone NC, this family group has remained consistent with their style and presentation.  From the 1992 album, All We Have Is Jesus, is a clip of “Look Up You’re Going Home”.

After disbanding in 1988, the Hinsons returned in 1992 with a reunion project and then embarked on a reunion tour.  The project, One More Hallelujah was filled with many great songs that have since been recorded by other artists.  One of those songs is “I’ve Been To Heaven”, most recently covered by the Hoppers.

JD Sumner put the Stamps Quartet back together around 1987 after the Masters Five stopped touring.  JD Sumner & the Stamps Quartet would continue touring through the 1990′s until JD Sumner’s death.  The group released an album in 1992 titled Master Of The Wind.  The first track from that recording was a song written by Dolly Parton, “Don’t Let Your Left Hand Know”.

Karen Peck & New River started their career in 1991 after Karen exited the Nelons.  The group’s second album was released in 1992 titled Restoration.  One of my favorite songs from that recording and also one of my favorite Southern Gospel songs of that year was the song “When Jesus Passes By”.

There was a family group out of Mississippi by the name of the McFalls that hit the scene sometime in the late 1980′s.  They recorded and toured for about five years.  Many will not remember this family group but some may know the father, James McFall.  He was best known as songwriter for the Southern Gospel classic, “Thank God I’m Free”.  The McFalls released Rapture Ready in 1992 and had a great song titled “Jesus Still Saves (Delivers And Heals)”.

Hovie Lister decided to put the Statesmen back together for a brief time in the early ’90s.  Their first recording back was Revival in 1992.  One of the strongest songs on that recording was “Every Eye Shall See”.

While there were still additional recordings I would’ve included from 1992 I think I will close out this year with the Wilburns.  One of my favorite albums released in 1992 was the Wilburns, First Class.  The group introduced “Outside The Gate”.  This song was a show stopper in concert and several groups have recently recorded the song including Ricky Atkinson & Compassion and Tribute Quartet.

Retro Spotlight – 1992 – Part 1

It has been two weeks now since I offered my first retro spotlight post of 1986.  Due to the positive feedback, the retro spotlight will become a regular feature of this blog.  I already have several requests for different years to be featured and I will get around to all of them.  This week I wanted to shine the spotlight on the year 1992.  This year alone could bring a weeks worth of posts with the amount of music I have.  I am going to bring you two parts with a post today and a post tomorrow.

As I began looking through my collection for music from 1992, the sheer number of recordings was a bit overwhelming.  I started part 1 with a clip from the Anchormen’s 1992 recording, In Concert.  David Hill was the lead vocalist at the time of the recording for “Behold The King”.

One cannot talk about 1992 and miss what many herald as one of the greatest Southern Gospel music albums ever recorded.  I am talking about Gold City’s Pillars Of Faith.  Every song on this recording is worth providing a clip but I decided to choose “If God Be For Us”.

The Greenes were also riding high during this era.  Amy Lambert was the group’s soprano during this time and 1992 saw the release of two albums by the Greenes.  Safe In Christ was the mainline release but the group also released and album titled Mountain Heritage.  The Greenes took a Phil Spector song made popular by the trio of Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt and sang it as a gospel song.  With it being Valentine’s day I thought it would be fitting to use “To Know Him Is To Love Him”.

The Hoppers were also coming to the fore front during this time period.  Mention My Name was the group’s release in 1992.  The title track along with “Milk & Honey” were both #1 hits from that recording.  A clip of “Milk & Honey” has been provided.

The Kingdom Heirs were already known for being Dollywood’s quartet.  Just as now, during the winter months the group toured.  In 1992 the group released Extraordinary.  The vocal line-up during this time period was Rick Strickland (Tenor), Clayton Inman (Lead), Steve French (Baritone) and Eric Bennett (Bass).  Listen to “I Can See Heaven”.

A group that ended up winning horizon group at the Singing News fan awards during this era had one of my favorite albums of 1992.  One Step Forward by the Mullins took that classic country sound similar to the Hinsons and brought it up to date (for 1992) to create a unique sound.  “This Shelter’s Strong” is the clip provided.

The mother/daughters trio, the Ruppes, didn’t make a name for themselves in the industry until later in the decade with “Under His Wings”.  The truth is the group actually released their first recording as far back as 1975.  In 1992 the group released an album titled Until He Comes which featured a great ballad titled “Thorns Crowned The Rose”.

Don’t fret if you think I am missing anything from 1992 because I will be posting part 2 tomorrow.  The final recording for part 1 comes from the Singing Americans.  This was the final configuration of the group before they disbanded for good a couple of years later.  1992 saw the release of On Stage.  The song “I’ll Not Turn Back” was more recently recorded by the Kingsmen.  Here is the Singing Americans version.