Most Influential – #39 – Teddy Huffam And The Gems

The most influential series is already off to a great start.  If you didn’t get a chance to check out last week’s feature with the Mid South Boys, be sure to do so.  It created a bit of buzz.  The most influential continues this week with the artist I ranked 39th among the most influential artists in the history of Southern Gospel music; Teddy Huffam and the Gems.  Teddy Huffam and the Gems got their start in the Southern Gospel music arena after winning a talent competition at the Hoppers Brothers & Connie annual Watermelon Park singing in 1973.

Up until this point, for the most part, the Southern Gospel music industry was made up of all white artists.  Teddy Huffam and the Gems changed that and made a way for black artists to find a home in Southern Gospel music.

INFLUENCE METER:

• Teddy Huffam and the Gems was the first artist to find success with the Eldridge Fox penned classic, “Gone”.  This became a signature song for the group.
• Huffam’s success paved the way for artists that came after:  Don DeGrate and Strong Tower, Gospel Enforcers, Larnelle Harris, Charles Johnson and the Revivers, Quinton Mills, Lynda Randle and Scotts.
• Hit Songs:  ”Gone”, “Heavenly News”, “I’m Rich”, “John The Revelator”, “Living In The Light Of God”, “Oh What A Sunrise” and “Wait’ll You See My Brand New Home”.
• Best Album:  Souled Out Live (1977)

Here is a YouTube clip I found of the group from 1982 singing the classic “What A Lovely Name”.  Even though the quality is not the best, it was too good not to share.  Enjoy!

Album Covers To Rank – Set 19

We are down to the final two sets of album covers to rank.  In the comments section rank each album from 1 to 6 (1 being best, 6 being worst).  Click on thumbnail for larger image.

Sky High – Oak Ridge Boys (1975)

I’m A Jesus Fan – Paynes (1984)

Sings With Hovie Lister – Statesmen Quartet (1958)

Souled Out Live – Teddy Huffam and the Gems (1977)

Something For Everyone – Voices Won (2009)

Blessings – Wilburns (1995)

Ten On Ten – Teddy Huffam And The Gems

The ten on ten feature continues this week with a fan favorite from the late 1970′s; Teddy Huffam and the Gems.  Their soulful, enthusiastic stage presence captured the attention of many concert goers.  A career that began in the Southern Gospel industry after winning a talent contest at the Hopper Brothers and Connie’s annual watermelon park singing in 1973.

It was only several years later that Teddy Huffam and the Gems would be recording for one of the biggest record labels of that era; Canaan Records.  While newer listeners of Southern Gospel music may not be familiar with Teddy Huffam and the Gems, their contributions should not be overlooked.

Teddy Huffam and the Gems ten best albums are as follows:

1. Souled Out Live (1977)
2. Cookin’ (1978)
3. Live Like No Other (1996)
4. Standing Room Only (1979)
5. That All May Be One (1977)
6. Heavenly News (1991)
7. Black Gold (1978)
8. Incredible (1980)
9. 24 Karat Soul (1976)
10. The Way It Oughta Be (1988)

• The pinnacle in the group’s discography is the 1977 live album Souled Out Live.  This recording captured what a concert with Teddy Huffam and the Gems was like in the late 1970′s.
• The group’s recording of “John The Revelator” on this album became one of the group’s most popular songs.  The album also featured “Oh What A Sunrise”, “He’s Everything To Me”, “Just In Time” and “Wait’ll You See My Brand New Home”.
• The follow-up recording, Cookin’, from 1978 ranks #2 among the group’s best.  It was Teddy Huffam and the Gems version of Eldridge Fox’s tune “Gone” that became the standard and remains the definitive version of this song to this day.  The listener is also treated to “Because I Love Him”, “I Believe He Died For Me”, “Looking For Jesus”, “Not A Moment To Lose” and “A Whole Lot Of People Would Be Surprised”.
• Horizon Records released a classic concert, originally recorded on video in 1990, titled Live Like No Other in 1996.  This was the last video recorded by the group before Teddy’s passing in 1991.  This recording has some great versions of some of the group’s biggest songs.
• “I’m Rich”, “Gone”, “Glory Road”, “What A Lovely Name” and “Joy In Jesus” all highlight this album.  If you get lucky to pick up the original video recorded in 1990, be sure you do.
• William Anderson and Gary Shelton spent the most time with Teddy Huffam as the other vocalists in the Gems, going back to the group’s start.
• Teddy Huffam and the Gems recorded another live album in 1979 titled Standing Room Only.  While it doesn’t quite match the enthusiasm of Souled Out Live, it is still one of the group’s ten best (ranked #4).  The listener is treated to rousing renditions of “Rock My Soul” and “Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus”.  The album also contains one of the best versions of the Southern Gospel classic “Stepping On The Clouds’.
• The group’s final studio recording, Heavenly News, released in 1991 ranks #6 among the group’s ten best.  Teddy Huffam, William Anderson and Gary Shelton combined one more time to record a great final record for Teddy Huffam.
• Gary Shelton and other former members of the Gems came together to record an album in 1994 titled Sail Away.  The Gems even toured for a short time after Teddy’s passing.
• It also became a tradition for Teddy Huffam and the Gems to close out the National Quartet Convention on Saturday night each year.  Folks would stick around and in usual fashion, the group would bring the house down.

***NEXT UP ON TEN ON TEN:  IMPERIALS***

Smack Down!! – “Living In The Light Of God”

This week’s smack down feature covers a song penned by Teddy Huffam.  Teddy Huffam and his group the Gems broke on to the Southern Gospel music scene after winning a talent competition at the Hoppers annual Watermelon Park concert event in 1973.  Teddy Huffam and the Gems would later sign with Canaan Records and release several major recordings.

In 1980 the group released an album titled Incredible.  On that recording was a song titled “Living In The Light Of God”.  A nice up tempo number in the Gospel tradition.  Listen to Teddy Huffam and the Gems take the first half of the song.

In 2011 the LeFevre Quartet decided to cover “Living In The Light Of God”.  Found on the Live In Memphis recording, former lead singer David Staton is featured on the LeFevre Quartet’s version.  The LeFevre Quartet’s cover is less ‘get up and go’ than that of the Gems.

Listen to the LeFevre Quartet take the second half of “Living In The Light Of God”.  Enjoy!

Smack Down!! – “I’m Rich”

This week’s smack down feature highlights the Teddy Huffam tune “I’m Rich”.  Teddy Huffam and the Gems recorded the song on a 1988 recording titled The Way It Oughta Be.  The song has since become a Southern Gospel standard being recorded by several other artists including being recorded in one of the Homecoming Series videos.

Teddy Huffam and the Gems always brought excitement to the concert stage.  Hitting the scene in the mid ’70s, the group went on to record over a dozen albums before Teddy’s untimely death in the early ’90s.  Listen to Teddy and the Gems on the first verse and chorus of “I’m Rich”.

One of the biggest remakes of the song came from Gold City when they recorded it on their 2006 album Revival.  Lead singer Jonathan Wilburn took the lead on the song and really made it his own.  The excitement he generated in the live setting with this song rivaled the original.

Listen to Gold City take the second verse and chorus of “I’m Rich”.

As a bonus, here is a verse and chorus from Wilburn & Wilburn.  They recorded the song on their self titled recording released earlier this year.  Enjoy!!

Record Rewind – Teddy Huffam & Gems

As I was formulating ideas on why I wanted to start a blog, about Southern Gospel music, my initial thought was how can I be relevant with so many other bloggers bringing ideas to the table on the same subject.  Where can I fit in?  Where can I be different?  Will anyone really care?  I realized I wanted to focus on the new generation of Southern Gospel music and its artists and varying styles while also introducing today’s Southern Gospel fan base to some great classic Southern Gospel music.

As a reader of this blog you will soon come to realize you will get a lot of music clips, both audio and video.  The plan is to meld both current/modern and classic Southern Gospel music and try to show the reader that past the recording processes of different time periods the music is still great, no matter what era it is found.

That brings me to another feature I plan to bring you periodically, something I would like to refer to as record rewind.  Providing today’s Southern Gospel audience to some great classic music.

The first feature shines the spotlight on Teddy Huffam and the Gems.  To my knowledge, Teddy Huffam and the group were one of the first black artists to market themselves in the industry.  Teddy and the Gems won a talent competition circa 1973, held at what use to be the Hoppers annual singing at Watermelon Park in Berryville Virginia.  By 1977 the group released its first album with Canaan Records, one of the biggest Gospel labels of that time period.  Along with their debut release, in the same year the group also released a live album titled, Live! Souled Out.  The album’s most notable songs were “John The Revelator”, “Just In Time”, and “Wait Til You See My Brand New Home”.  “John The Revelator” and “Wait Til You See My Brand New Home” became standards for the group.

Take a listen to some of the excitement from this 1977 release.  For any serious Southern Gospel record collector, especially if you enjoy live recordings, this LP is must have.  This is the kind of album that needs to be re-released in digital format for today’s Southern Gospel audience.