More Singing In The Foothills And Free Music Give-Away

I decided to attend the last night of the 2012 Singing In The Foothills in Wilkesboro NC on Saturday (06/23/12).  Six artists capped off this event to a large crowd of Southern Gospel enthusiasts.  On this particular night Jonathan Martin was recording some social cam videos.  I will also be providing some audio sound bytes of each set to give my readers a small taste of the event.  Here are highlights in order of appearance.

Kingsmen – The Kingsmen kicked off the event to a crowd ready to hear some great music.  This was my first opportunity to see the group with Chris Jenkins (tenor) and Bob Sellers (lead).  They sounded great.  Chris was a great addition to the group.  He is reminiscent of the classic high tenors the Kingsmen were known for in the past.  Here is a social cam clip from Jonathan Martin and some sound bytes for you to enjoy.

Nelons – This was the third time in a two month time span that I’ve seen the Nelons.  Similar set, but I am still in awe at the vocal talent that Amber possesses.  Enjoy these audio sound bytes of their set.

Talleys – It was great seeing the Talleys in a four-part harmony mixed group.  They did quite a bit of material from the new album (Love Won), most notably “Make Way For The Master” and “Broken World”.  But the song that caused that crowd to come unglued was their closing number, “He’s Alive”.  Wow!  Here are some sound bytes of their set.

Karen Peck & New River – New River is a favorite among the Singing In The Foothills crowd.  It was evident from the first song.  It was great hearing “On The Banks Of The Promised Land”, but the crowd would not let them leaven the stage after performing “Four Days Late”.  Jonathan Martin picked up a social cam video here.  Enjoy sound bytes from New River’s set.

Primitives – Bluegrass Southern Gospel artist the Primitives delighted the crowd with their brand of mountain flavored music.  A favorite of folks in North Carolina, the Primitives highlights included “I Don’t Have To See The Tomb” and “Walking In The Highway”.  Another social cam video of the Primitives picking here.  Also, sound audio sound bytes of their set.

Martins – I can’t tell you how great it was to see the Martins again.  It has been several years since I had the chance to catch up with these folks.  They have never sounded better.  ”The Promise” and “Unredeemed” knocked my socks off.  Jonathan even got a social cam video of the group on stage, here.  Enjoy sound bytes from the Martins set.

As a result of the great time I had at Singing In The Foothills, there is some free music to give away.  I have two brand new, unopened copies of the Talleys newest album Love Won.  Easily one of the best Southern Gospel albums released so far in 2012.  The first two individuals to email me (swea215@yahoo.com) the answer to the following trivia question will win.

***Question:  Name the group Debra Talley was a member before marrying Roger and joining the Hoppers.***

UPDATE:  Congratulations to Charles and Justin for being the first two to answer the Songmasters correctly.  They won a copy of the Talleys new recording Love Won.  Thanks for the continued readership and more free music to continue through the summer.

The Fab Five – February 2012

Let’s kick off a new month by looking at some songs currently at radio.  Here are five current Southern Gospel radio singles that have piqued my interest over the last month.  From Gold City returning to #1, the Primitives having the best song of their career, Rambo McGuire honoring the Rambos legacy, the Anchormen releasing a new album and Sisters also having a career making single.  Enjoy!

Concert Review – Tony Greene Memorial Sing

Friday January 28th, 2011 I had the chance to attend the Tony Greene memorial concert in Lenoir NC.  This was an event that used to be promoted by Tony as the annual Lenoir Gospel Winterfest.  This year’s line-up was a mixed bag of artists.  Here are a few highlights in order of appearance.

*McKameys - This Clinton TN based family kicked off the evening.  It was interesting to see that each artist seemed to bring their own group of fans to the event.  Enthusiastic while their preferred group was on and then quiet while the other artists performed.  The McKameys took the audience through current hits such as “Above And Beyond, “I Keep Praying” and “The Shepherd’s Point Of View”, while also performing classics such as “God On The Mountain” and “I’ve Won.”  “I’ve Won” was the closing number for the McKameys and by the time the group made it to this song, Peg’s shoes took a trip across the stage.  I first saw the McKameys live sometime around 1987 and their style and presentation has remained consistent since that time.

*Brian Free & Assurance - The lone quartet on the night received a tepid response from the crowd for nearly their entire performance.  It took the encore of “Long As I Got King Jesus” to get the crowd on their feet.  The group did give the crowd several songs from their current recording.  “Never Walk Alone”, “Anything Is Possible” and “Remind Me Of The Cross” were all great additions to the groups performance.  “Go Tell The World”, “I Am Redeemed”, “Glory Road” and “You Must Have Met Him” were also in the mix.

*Taranda Greene - A memorial video of Tony Greene preceded Taranda’s solo performance.  The video brought many in the crowd to tears.  By the time Taranda was introduced the crowd were on their feet.  Taranda started with “When God Has Another Plan”.  You could tell it was tough for her to be there without Tony.  She struggled through the first verse of “When God Has Another Plan” and the crowd let her know they were behind her.  Most of her time was spent talking about Tony and how her life has changed since his passing.  She also sang “Sky Full Of Angels”, “God Is Singing Over Me”, “Oh The Cross” and “The Hallelujah Chorus”.

*Primitives - The Primitives closed out the program with their own brand of mountain/bluegrass gospel music.  “The Blood Of God’s Only Son” and “No Longer An Orphan” highlighted this group’s style.

Promoter Bill Bailey was on hand to assist with the program and he also emceed the event.  It sounded as though he may take over the event in the future.  Another highlight was this was the 2nd week in a row that I have been to a concert event that has been sold out.  There were over 1,000 in attendance  at the Crabb concert attended last week and 800 packed out the JE Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir for this event.

EXTRA CONCERT NOTE:  I also had the chance on Saturday January 29th, 2011 to go to Thomasville NC.

*Freemans -  Held at a Baptist church, this program was definitely more of a church service than a normal concert program.  The group performed for over an hour and rolled out all of their biggest hits which included “He Chose Me”, “The Father And The Son”, “He’d Still Been God”, “Three Rugged Crosses”, “He’d Have To Walk Through The Blood”, “Sing Hallelujah”, “Seawalker” and ”Once Was Enough.”  The group also threw in a few classics, “I Can’t Even Walk” and “Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand.”  The service ended with a powerful and moving rendition of “What A Day That Will Be”.  I was glad to have been a part of this service.