David Bruce Murray
Diana Brantley
Kyle Boreing
Phil on Southern Gospel
Steve Eaton
This week I am going to tackle to the first year of the 1970′s in the definitive Southern Gospel collection. In 1977, the Inspirations and Blackwood Brothers were riding high. The Singing News fan awards saw the Inspirations winning group of the year, while “Learning To Lean” (Blackwood Brothers) won the song of the year at both the fan awards and the Dove awards.
Speaking of the Dove awards, the Cathedrals picked up male group of the year as the Speer Family walked away with mixed group of the year. Then And Now (Cathedrals) also won the Dove for Southern Gospel album of the year in 1977.
The twenty definitive albums released in the year 1977 (by rank) are as follows:
- Chattanooga Live – Kingsmen (Heart Warming)
- Naturally – Rambos (Heart Warming)
- The Group That God Built – Hinsons (Calvary)
- The Sun’s Coming Up – Rex Nelon Singers (Canaan)
- Souled Out Live – Teddy Huffam & Gems (Canaan)
- Then And Now – Cathedrals (Canaan)
- Sail On – Imperials (Word)
- Cornerstone – Speers (Heart Warming)
- Just A Little Closer Home – Kingsmen (Heart Warming)
- Oh What A Beautiful City – Song Masters (Calvary)
- The Very Best Of Live – Happy Goodmans (Canaan)
- I Am A Seeker – Willie Wynn & Tennesseans (Heart Warming)
- Street Corner Preacher – JD Sumner & Stamps (QCA)
- Highly Seasoned – Hopper Brothers & Connie (Supreme)
- Vintage Gospel – Florida Boys (Canaan)
- That All May Be One – Teddy Huffam & Gems (Canaan)
- In God’s Sunshine – Hemphills (Heart Warming)
- Plain Georgia Gospel – Wendy Bagwell & Sunliters (Canaan)
- The Spirit Of The Dove – Thrasher Brothers (Canaan)
- We’ve Got The Best There Is – Lamar Sego Family (Supreme)
Listen to a mash-up of music from the 20 best albums released in 1977. Enjoy!
I sure with there was a way to get the Willie Wynn & The Tennesseans albums either on cd or download somewhere…don’t know how many they made…but I have two of them on vinyl and loved them both.
Are I getting old and “set in my ways” or is the quality and distinction represented in this list not present in Southern Gospel today? This “mash-up of music” as it is called brings back many fond, touching memories!!
Please pardon my grammatical error. Guess I am older than I realize!!
No problems, thanks for stopping by.
Definitive by what standard? Grammy Awards, album sales, national / international group popularity? Using an objective standard of measurement, I think you’d have to put the Imperials – Sail On # 1 on the list. The Imperials blew by every other group in both SGM and CCM in the late 1970′s and early 1980′s.