SouthernGospelBlog.com

On Sunday (August 10), I took the chance to see the Ball Brothers at Calvary Baptist Church in Ashland, Ohio. It was an annual event; though not all-day, it was otherwise my first time to be at an old-fashioned all-day-sing and dinner-on-the-ground.

The Ball Brothers are actual brothers; Andrew Ball sings tenor, Daniel Ball sings lead, Stephen Ball sings baritone, and Josh Ball, though not a bass in voice quality, sings what I call “choir bass” (think Bill Gaither, Claude Hopper). Their blend and harmonies are very tight, tight enough to make their sound unique among male quartets. In professional Southern Gospel circles, most family groups where all the members are related have at least one female vocalist; though Southern Gospel fans have become accustomed to tight family blends in mixed trios or quartets, this group is unique among male quartets.

They sang a mixture of new (orchestrated), acapella, and classic piano-and-bass-guitar convention songs. They did not have live accompaniment; however, they did have a sound man, Josh Gibson, Daniel Ball’s brother-in-law.

• My Lord and I
• He’s a Personal Savior
• I’m Already Living Forever
• There is a Mountain - A highlight of the set, even though it was a little odd to hear five voices. In the studio version (found on Vocalized) the group had a guest bass vocal from Daren Rust; that part was played.
• Walkin’ in Jerusalem
• Alright

During intermission, a church quartet and mixed trio each sang several songs. The church quartet, led by the pastor singing lead, sang “Damascus Road,” “I Rest My Case at the Cross,” “Glory Road,” and “Even Thomas Couldn’t Doubt It.” The mixed trio sang “I’m Happy With You, Lord,” “God is a Good God,” and “In My Robe of White.” The last song, “In My Robe of White,” was written by Genice Spencer Ingold, who was a member of the trio.

• I Wonder
• Somebody Loves Me
• Blessing Burden Bearing God
• A Comfort to Know - This featured Josh Ball on a solo.
• Promises One By One - This acapella song was fully acapella, with no drum track.
• Mercy Said No - This featured Andrew. I originally heard the song as recorded by Greg Long on CCM radio; I consider the Ball Brothers’ rendition to be superior. The song has finally found the genre for which it was written (perhaps unbeknownst to the author).

I had the time to talk with members of the group for a little while about some of their upcoming plans. Be watching for big things from the group.

On August 2, I had the chance to catch a set by the Dan Keeton Quartet at an outdoor sing north of Mansfield, Ohio. It was a fairly short set; they only sang eight songs.

• Saved to the Uttermost (featuring Dan and Nancy Keeton)
• Heroes of the Faith (featuring Dan)
• Movin’ Up to Gloryland
• Oh, What a Savior (featuring Dan)
• I’m Not Perfect, Just Forgiven (featuring Dan) - a Hemphills song
• I Must Be Getting Closer to the Cross (featuring Nancy) - a Hinsons song
• Saints Will Rise
• I Feel So Good About It (featuring Dan) - a Downings song

Perhaps partly because of the lineup change, the group stayed in mostly familiar territory musically, both as to who was featured (most of the songs featured Dan) and as to song selection (most of the songs were familiar classics, though the group did one original song and two relatively forgotten songs from the Hinsons and Downings repertoire.

“Saints Will Rise” was the high point of the set; the group ended with a sky-high three chords and a cloud of dust ending and got a response that would have made an encore fitting if they had had a track ready.

The group is in transition, so this brief set was probably not that great of a snapshot on which to rate them. But it did show their potential.

Yesterday, my family and I went out to Harrod, OH to see the Blackwood Brothers in concert. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet is run by Jimmy Blackwood, son of James Blackwood. Jimmy himself sang lead for the Blackwood Brothers for some time in the ’70s before leaving the road; several years ago, he brought the name back.

The Blackwood Brothers Quartet is one of the few groups on the road today to do their entire program with two old-fashioned microphones. Much of their program is done with light soundtracks (piano and perhaps some bass guitar), but for some of the program their baritone/pianist, Brad White, moves over to the piano (where a third old-fashined microphone is set up) and accompanies the group live.

First set:

• How About Your Heart (featuring lead singer Jimmy Blackwood)
• The Man Upstairs
• The Old Country Church (with encore)
• Group Intros
• Jesus is Coming Soon (featuring Jimmy)
• I’m Feelin’ Fine (featuring a piano interlude by baritone/pianist Brad White)
• This Old House (featuring bass Randy Byrd)
• The Lighthouse (featuring tenor Wayne Little)
• Since Jesus Came Into My Heart (Brad White piano solo)
• How Great Thou Art (Randy, Jimmy)

During intermission, Brad White played a second piano solo, “Tis So Sweet.”

Second set:

• Jesus is a Waymaker (Jimmy)
• He Bought My Soul
• I Get Happy (Randy)
• I’ll Fly Away
• I Wanna Be More Like Jesus

Then, they did a request time, taking several audience requests:

• Sweet Hour of Prayer (Brad on the melody)
• Prayer is the Key (Jimmy)
• Suppertime (Randy)
• Looking For a City (Wayne)
• His Eye is on the Sparrow

Then, returning to the program, they finished with:

• Learning to Lean (Jimmy)
• Oh, What a Savior (Brad)
• I’ll Meet You in the Morning (Jimmy)

The requests time was certainly one of the evening’s highlights. Much of their program was the same as when I saw them two years ago (with This Old House being a delightful addition), but the requests are different every time. In fact, the requests are perhaps the biggest reason to go see the group multiple times–even if the rest of the program remains the same, you can always ask for a favorite during requests.

After entertaining the thought of asking for “Excuses,” primarily to see what they would say, I settled on “Victory Road.” They didn’t know it well enough to feel comfortable doing it, but they let me have a second pick, and I asked for “Suppertime.” I had heard good things about Randy Byrd’s rendition, and I was not disappointed. He is one of the hidden gems on the Southern Gospel scene, and has both the voice and the personality to become a fan favorite once more fans get to know him

It was an enjoyable evening, and worth the nearly two-hour trip.

Last night, I had the chance to catch the Mark Trammell Trio in Shelby, OH.

First set:

• Won’t it Be Wonderful There (old one)
• I Still Believe
• Weary At the Well
• How Great Thou Art
• Moving the Hand of God
• Introductions
• There’s Something About That Name / In the Garden
• Hallelujah, I’m Going Home
• Glory Road
• Once Upon a Cross

The group got three standing ovations during their first set. The first was for Mark Trammell’s rendition of “How Great Thou Art.” Then they got back-to-back standing ovations for “Glory Road” and “Once Upon a Cross.”

Mark Trammell introduced “Glory Road” by explaining how he loved coffee and his wife didn’t care for it but fixed it for him anyhow since she loved him. He said he’d been singing “Glory Road” ever since he started in Southern Gospel thirty-four years before, even singing it at his first talent contest, and he’d performed it with every group he had been with since. He said that he was sick of the song, but like his wife making him coffee, he loved the audiences enough to do the song for them anyhow. Tenor Eric Phillips tore the song up, as always.

During group introductions, Trammell commented that, interestingly enough, this was their first concert at a Lutheran church.

During the intermission, Dustin Sweatman played two piano solos, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” and a quartet-style mid-tempo piano solo. The song sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it.

Second set:

• Thank God I’m Free
• Walking with Jesus
• When Compared to God
• I Know that I Know
• I Believe In a Hill Called Mount Calvary
• Won’t it Be Wonderful There (new one)

“I Know that I Know” will be on their next project. They had a great routine leading into it, with Mark Trammell asking lead singer Dustin Sweatman about the song’s title. Dustin said something, to which Mark replied, “I Know, but what’s the song title?” Dustin said, “I Know that I Know.” Mark said, “That’s all good and well, but what’s the song title.” Dustin replied again. Mark ended up saying he gave up, and “just tell me what key it’s in.” (They played it in F.)

Mark Trammell got a standing ovation for his performance of “I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary.” The final song on their set, “Won’t it be Wonderful There” (this time, the newer Chris Allman-penned tune), also got a standing ovation (which was partly for the overall concert).

Last Friday, I took the chance to see a regional quartet based in my hometown, Colonial City Quartet. I’ve been impressed with previous lineups and wanted to see them with their new bass Kim Brown.

• Testify. Each group member had a solo on this song and the next one,
• Strong in the Strength. This is a good way to start a concert; it relieves the pressure on any one member to carry the first song or two on their own, and leaves them all warmed up.
• My Lord & I (Walk This Road to Glory, Children). Most of Colonial City’s songs are cover songs; manager Tim Campbell has told me that they are content to be a regional group, and since they have access to local venues that have never had a Southern Gospel group in, it is the first time many in their audiences hear these songs. This particular concert was at a local mega-church; most of its members had never heard of Southern Gospel, but their seniors pastor brought the group in for their annual Seniors Banquet. (Thanks perhaps in part to the dinner, there was quite an audience, at least 300 and maybe over 400. The sanctuary was pretty filled.
• I Bowed on My Knees. This song featured tenor David Campbell. Right before the song, he had some sound system issues, but recovered well with this song. It received prolonged applause. (It was the sort of reaction that would become a standing ovation elsewhere, but this audience did not seem particularly inclined to stand, standing only when invited on “Give it Away” and for the patriotic number.) Since the group’s lead singer, Steve Feazel, used to sing tenor with the group, their arrangements are high; he sang the harmony part above David.
• Pray (”You Can Awake to a Beautiful Morning”). This was a new addition to their program since the last times I’d seen them. It was performed acapella–and performed well. Kim Brown is an excellent rhythm bass; he struck me as the sort who is a good bass now and has the potential to be a great one with a few more years of voice training and experience.
• Give it Away. This was the Gaither Vocal Band song; during the encore, the group came down into the audience and shook hands.

Intermission

• Total Praise. I had never envisioned this Talley Trio song as a quartet song until the first time I heard Colonial City do it, but since hearing their rendition I think it’s even better as a quartet song.
• Journey To the Sky. Classic quartet number.
• I Pledge My Allegiance. This was the first time I’d heard the group do a patriotic number. I’ve been told by some groups that they sometimes include a patriotic number in their programs since they know that it will sometimes evoke a stronger response than anything else on their program. If they haven’t gotten a standing ovation earlier in the program, a patriotic song will often bring a standing ovation if all else fails. It’s a weird quirk of American evangelicalism that the flag will bring some audiences to their feet when everything else–even the cross, the empty tomb, and Heaven–fails.
• I Then Shall Live. This was the first time I’d heard them do this song; it’s a good addition to their program.

Last night, I went to a concert featuring Greater Vision and three soloists. The concert was hosted by soloist Greg Lockridge, who was recording a live video yesterday evening. He brought in Greater Vision and the other soloists to help draw a good audience. (The plan worked; I’d estimate attendance at 400 to 600.)

The concert started with Lockridge taping his live video. (The rest of the 3.5-hour-long concert was also taped, but it was unclear what would make onto the finished product.) Lockridge performed nine songs and did two audience sing-alongs:

• So Good to Be with the People of the Lord.
• All You Need is a Need.
• Blessed Assurance.
• I Am the Way.
• He Sent Angels. Introduced by a touching story of how he played it for his grandmother shortly before her death, and she commented that she liked the song. It was the first time she had spoken in several weeks.
• I Know He Lives.
• I’m Guilty.
• I’ll Fly Away. Audience sing-along.
• He Touched Me. Audience sing-along. These two were done without soundtracks; John Darin Rowsey played piano.
• Written in the Scars. A well-written play off the astrology-influenced phrase “written in the stars.”
• Just Stand. Lockridge asked the audience to stand during the song’s intro. The song was good enough that the audience probably would have stood anyhow, but perhaps not until the chorus.

There was no assigned seating, and I arrived early enough to get a front-row seat. The cameras panning the audience  were positioned toward the middle of the audience most of the time, since they also were recording the performers. So if you purchase the DVD, you’re unlikely to see my face in an audience pan. However, based on what I saw in the monitors, since I am not exactly short, you will probably get quite a bit of time viewing the back of my head. Fortunately, I remembered to comb my hair before the concert.

After an intermission–during which Gerald Wolfe made the day of this blog’s contributor Sony Elise by calling her and wishing her a happy birthday–the audience returned for the other three artists. John Darin Rowsey was up first and sang seven songs:

• Home is Always Where I’d Rather Be.
• Singing With the Saints. He introduced the song by commenting that he had written it for the Gaither Vocal Band.
• Lucky We Met.
• Let the Healing Begin. He introduced the song by telling how he wrote it for his wife as she was working through the trauma of memories of childhood abuse.
• Jesus Loves Me / Oh, How I Love Jesus. Audience sing-along.
• Ain’t No Grave. This was the same song recorded by the Isaacs and others.
• I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel. This was the song recorded by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (and possibly others, whose names are escaping me at the moment).

Soloist Mike Allen (who also sings bass with the Prophets Quartet and the Gaither Homecoming series) was up next. He sang:

• God is With Us.
• Roll Away Troubled River.
• Child of the King. He did this one as an audience sing-along.
• The Love of the Lord. Allen recovered well from a microphone malfunction mid-song, even making a joke about it between lines after it was back on.
• Forgive Me when I Whine (a well-done recitation).
• Way Down Deep.
• So I Love Him Dearly.
• What I Have. While it might be hard to envision this Bishops trio song being done by a bass singer, it was well done.

Greater Vision finished the evening with an hour-long set.

• He’d Still Been God. Though the first three artists had been well received, the audience enthusiasm unmistakably went up a notch or two when Greater Vision took the stage with this song.
• Tell Me the Story.
• As I Am.
• We are so Blessed. Wolfe introduced the song by commenting on Mike Allen’s recitation “Forgive Me When I Whine,” a recitation done earlier by George Younce. Wolfe said that the first time he heard Younce do the recitation, he followed it by singing “We are So Blessed.”
• My Name is Lazarus. The song got the most enthusiastic response of the night. Audience enthusiasm kept building throughout the song, and broke into a round of applause leading into a standing ovation during the final chorus. About halfway through the second and final chorus, it occurred to me that this the was song that put Greater Vision at the top, and it was the last time I would hear the lineup that made it famous performing it. So it was special to catch it live one more time.
• Redeemed Medley. Well-received with an audience sing-along.
• A Mighty Fortress. Gerald Wolfe introduced the song by saying how they recently performed their first concert at a Lutheran church. The only Lutheran song they had recorded was Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” Though they had never intended to stage it, they did that night, and it brought down the house. Wolfe said that he decided that thereafter, every time he did a concert and a Lutheran was in attendance, he would sing the song. Two were present, so they did the song.
• It Means Just What it Says.
• Till the Storm Passes By. Host Greg Lockridge introduced the group by commenting how Gerald Wolfe’s rendition of the song was the first Gospel song that broke through to his heart. Greater Vision pulled out all the stops with this rendition and brought down the house. This song got their second standing ovation of the night.
• God is So Good. This was tied in with an altar call, delivered by Rodney.

Since Jason Waldroup was recovering from walking pneumonia, Gerald Wolfe arranged the program so as to not tax his voice; other than incidental lines here and there, his only solo was his verse on “My Name is Lazarus.”

Random fact of the day: By my sister’s count, during the concert, Wolfe, Griffin, and Waldroup tapped their feet 1,597 times.

Concert photos can be found in the SouthernGospelBlog.com gallery here.

Last Saturday, I had the chance to see the Collingsworth Family in Bucyrus, Ohio. The attendance was remarkably strong for a Southern Gospel concert in this area. The host church included it as part of an annual celebration weekend; while that helped attendance, it was still heartening to see perhaps 600 or more turn out for a Southern Gospel concert. Shortly before the concert, ushers started putting out extra chairs in front of the first row, behind the back row, and (raising a retractable wall) even out into the lobby. Even so, people were standing behind the last rows throughout the concert.

Song list with comments:

• Not the Same. This song, from their most recent project (We Still Believe), was performed by the whole family. It features Brooklyn Collingsworth, the oldest daughter and the group’s soprano.
• When God Whispers. This song was performed by a ladies’ trio consisting of Kim Collingsworth (mother/alto), Courtney (second oldest/second soprano or mezzo), and Brooklyn.
• God Can Do Anything. The whole family came back for this song, featuring Kim (vocal solo).
• It is Well With My Soul. This was Kim’s first piano solo of the night, and got a standing ovation.
• The Blood of Jesus. This was performed by a mixed trio–Phil Collingsworth (father/baritone), Kim, and Brooklyn.
• I Can Trust Jesus. This was performed by a mixed trio with a different lineup, Courtney joining Phil and Brooklyn (while Kim played piano).
• Joshua Fit the Battle. This was Kim’s second piano solo (and second standing ovation) of the night. Interestingly enough, Phil Collingsworth introduced it by saying that it was their most requested song over the course of their ministry. I found this slightly surprising, since I would have expected “How Great Thou Art” to be her most-requested song.
• Lily of the Valley. This was a fiddle duet featuring Courtney and Brooklyn. More than any other song except Kim’s piano solos, this got the most enthusiastic response of the evening. It was encored once, and a second wouldn’t have hurt.
• No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus. Brooklyn and Courtney played this as a violin duet.
• We Still Believe. This Ronnie Hinson song, the title song from their most recent project, featured the whole family. It was well received enough to be encored twice.
• My Favorite Things. This song featured Olivia, the youngest Collingsworth, on a solo. The first verse stayed true to the original, from The Sound of Music; the second and third verses were parodies of the original, listing things old people enjoy. (Judging by the looks on the faces of various older audience members, the message of the song was hitting home.)
• And Can it Be / Majesty / In the Garden. In preparation for her upcoming live piano video taping, in which she will be taking requests, Kim took several requests. The first several audience requests were for “How Great Thou Art.” Phil noted the requests, and (as I guessed) saved that one to close the request time. Audience members also requested “And Can it Be,” “Majesty,” “Salute to the Troops,” and several others, and Kim worked several of the requests into an impromptu medley. She closed the medley with an audience sing-along on “In the Garden.”
• How Great Thou Art. Kim closed the concert with this number and received a (prolonged) standing ovation.

The Collingsworth Family appears on selected dates on the Gaither Homecoming tour. It seems most groups on the tour find ways to work in at least one Gaither joke during the course of their programs. Phil’s Gaither joke was one of the most original I’ve heard, tying it into the introduction of “My Favorite Things,” mentioning how the second and third verses listed some of Gaither’s favorite things.

With six family members, most of whom play instruments, the evening was full of variety. With one or two exceptions (in the instrumentals), there were no two consecutive songs done by the same lineup. This makes comparing a Collingsworth Family concert to a regular Southern Gospel concert something like comparing oranges to apples. To extend the metaphor (well, technically a simile, but who’s keeping score?), don’t go to one of their concerts expecting an apple–but you might just find the orange tastier than you expected.

See concert photos here.

I have been listening to the Freemans for over 20 years but I have never been to one of their concerts … until this past Saturday. We got there 1 1/2 hours ahead of time so we were able to sit close to the front and then had plenty of time to check out the product table before the concert started.

The service began with the pastor saying a few words and then the congregation sang “I’m Going That Way,” “Looking for a City,” and “What a Day That Will Be.” Then the offering was taken and the Freemans were introduced.

They started the concert with their current radio single, “Cast in the Sea,” followed by “Hello in Heaven,” “The Next Step,” and then Joe Freeman sang, “Sing Hallelujah.”

At times during the concert, I was close to tears as I thought of how the Freemans have had a hard couple years with multiple deaths in the family, Chris being in an accident in early 2007 and, most recently, Misty’s miscarriage but watching them sing about God’s goodness and faithfulness, you would never know the heartache they’ve experienced. Chris was right on when she said, “Sometimes it’s hard to praise the Lord but that’s when we need to praise Him the most.”

They then sang “In Spite of the Storm.” On the original recording, Chris sang both verses but lately Misty has been singing the second verse in concert and it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. “Rise Up” was next and then they introduced the group members.

After that, Darrell & Chris took a break while Misty sang “Cinderella,” which she co-wrote with Kim McLean. It’s a great song and is on a CD that’s not out yet but is scheduled to be released in late January or February. Misty then sang a bluegrass-sounding song with Joe and Chris backing her up called “Walking Through the Fire.” Then she called her dad up to sing “I Need a Drink.” She said she originally wrote the song for herself to sing, but Darrell does a great job and I love Misty’s background vocals on that song. Her voice continues to mature and her sweet nature makes her a blessing to listen to.

The last song on that set was their former #1 song, “He Chose Me” which is scheduled to be included on an upcoming Gaither Homecoming DVD.

After that, the pastor got up and preached a message on pleasure and how we should not strive for worldly pleasure but we need to keep God at the center of everything we do. There were several who went forward for the altar call afterwards.

The Freemans then went back to the stage and ended the service with “Children of the Dust.”

What impressed me the most in watching them afterwards is how they can be in a room full of people and yet make each person feel like they are the only one in the room. That is a trait I want to learn, and I love watching people who have mastered that.

~Sony Elise

Last night, I saw the Perrys in Shelby, Ohio at Shelby’s First Lutheran Church. It was their first time at this venue, as well as their first time to do a concert in my immediate vicinity, at any rate since becoming one of the top groups in Southern Gospel.

The concert started with “Product of Love,” a slow ballad from the Perrys’ current project Look No Further that features bass Tracy Stuffle.

Even though most of the audience had probably never heard the second song, “I Know it Was the Blood,” before, the song got the audience going in a way that typically only classics do. The audience enthusiasm kept building with the third song, “I Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now.” Lead singer Joseph Habedank accidentally (I assume) sang the second verse first, and the first second. This would not have been worth mentioning except for his strong recovery; he did the second verse’s words with the musical embellishments that typically belong to the first verse, and vice versa. It was fascinating to watch his recovery–the work of a professional in action.

Although this audience was not particularly given to standing ovations–there were only three that night–the applause on this song was prolonged and enthusiastic, so much so that Tracy called for a fourth song, “Living in Canaan Now,” before introducing the group. When Stuffle said it was one of the most enthusiastic audiences he had seen in a while, it probably wasn’t just flattery.

Alto Libbi Stuffle was featured on “God Walks the Dark Hills,” again to prolonged applause. “Come and Get Me,” an old Mosie Lister song re-introduced on Look No Further, warranted and received an encore. Matthew Holt’s piano solo got the first standing ovation of the night. The group sang “Grip of Grace” and “Holy Shore” before the intermission.

During the intermission, Matthew played “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Tracy and Matthew did a product pitch; however, there was no opportunity to go to the product table until afterwards.

They opened the second half of the concert with a new Rodney Griffin song, “Every Question Will Be Answered.” It’s a convention song in the same vein as Griffin’s earlier song “I Know I’m Going There.”

Tracy forgot to introduce “Jesus Opened Up the Way” by explaining the shape notes part, but his “singing in tongues” routine after the song went over all the better for it, since the audience knew what he was talking about.

Joseph Habedank’s rendition of “Who am I” was received with prolonged applause; the acapella encore was received with a standing ovation.

When Tracy called on him to sing “I Rest My Case at the Cross,” I thought his rendition deserved a standing ovation. I hate to be the only one to stand, so I didn’t, but the applause was as prolonged as during the previous standing ovations. The bridge of the song is particularly challenging for a lead singer, and while he sang a slightly lower arrangement that didn’t involve every high A-flat that previous lead singer Loren Harris did on the recorded version, he did hit the high A-flat without faltering or cracking.

Tracy did a recitation that led into the altar call. The Perrys closed the concert with “I Wish I Coulda Been There” and had the audience on its feet by (and during) the final encore.

The sanctuary was filled with an audience that was probably over 300 people. Since I was fortunate enough to sit near the front, I couldn’t spend lulls in the program counting heads, like I do at many concerts. (Of course, with this concert, there weren’t really any slow spots other than the brief intermission.)

Baritone singer Nick Trammell is growing into his role. He sang his parts with confidence, and even gave Habedank a break at one point by swapping parts. However, he wasn’t featured on any songs of his own.

Joseph Habedank has now fully come into his own as a lead singer. I did not realize until afterwards that Tracy picked three Habedank solos to close the concert (two of which brought the audience to its feet). A group does not feature a singer on three consecutive songs–let alone the three that close the concert–unless they are confident in that singer’s abilities. While there was a period of adjustment while Habedank was getting used to the lead part, he now sings it with confidence and command that makes this lineup as good as any that the Perrys have ever put on the stage.

Last Saturday, I drove down to Columbus, Ohio to see Mercy’s Mark at Garry Jones’ home church, Potter’s House Church of God. About 300 people attended, with approximately 31 of them being 25 and under.

The Pfeifers opened the concert with a seven-song set. After the Pfeifers were introduced, Mary Jane Carter and Candy Pfeifer walked toward the stage, but John Pfeifer was nowhere to be seen. This was quickly explained when a trumpet sounded from the back of the auditorium. John entered from the back, playing several of bars of music to introduce their first song, “Wake up the House.”

The highlight of their set was “Fighting On,” featuring Mary Jane Carter and a video presentation that included clips of the group members’ parents. The brass instruments were also very well done.

The sound was seemingly twice as loud as during Mercy’s Mark’s set. Of course, the brass instruments were loud, but I refer primarily to the soundtracks. I debated whether to say even that much, but since members of some groups read this blog, I thought I’d offer this observation: If the fans say the music is too loud, it probably is.

Mercy’s Mark performed a ten-song set; there was no intermission. They opened with three songs before group introductions. They performed “Where is God” (featuring Shane Dunlap) from their Southern Selections CDs and “Prayer Will Take Heaven By Storm” (featuring Garry Jones) and “When it All Starts Happening” from Something’s Happening.

After introducing bass singer Christian Davis, they featured him on “God of Second Chances.” Shane Dunlap sang “All I Need To Know”; both of these songs also came from their most recent CD, Something’s Happening.

Jones then said that they were going to do a classic quartet-style song in honor of the church’s seniors pastor, who was back for the first time since a multiple bypass surgery several weeks before. “Movin’ Up to Gloryland” was one of the highlights of their set. Interestingly, I don’t know how much of this was for real, but Shane Dunlap appeared to be completely at home with this song and several others. In fact, on this particular song the group seemed to be even more energetic than when I saw them a few months ago in Shelby. Perhaps it was Dunlap’s time with Signature Sound showing through, and perhaps it was just that the group has been doing the song for longer now.

Garry Jones introduced “I’m On the Battlefield” by saying that the groups that made him want to sing Gospel Music were black Gospel groups like Andrae Crouch and the Disciples. He said that “I’m On the Battlefield” was a Blind Boys of Alabama song, and proceeded to play a black Gospel introduction. Shane Dunlap and Christian Davis did some humming in a way like black singers sometimes do during introductions; Davis’s humming was particularly well received, in part because he surprised the audience by going as high as a high G above middle C. (Yes, I asked what note it was. I don’t have perfect pitch, and guessed it was somewhere around A, but didn’t know precisely.)

The concert closed with three ballads, Shane Dunlap on “Had it Not Been,” tenor Brent Mitchell on “He Loves Me,” and Dunlap on “Midnight Cry.”

“Midnight Cry” has been recorded so many times that I have just had this feeling that what I’ve heard hasn’t captured the song’s original grandeur. But Garry Jones, who had a hand in making the song the classic it’s become, knows how to do it right, and this rendition brought the audience to its feet before the song ended. For the first time last night, I felt that I finally heard what Gold City’s fans originally heard in the song–why those who heard the song then consider it a classic.

Several of this blog’s readers have been wondering what I thought of Shane Dunlap’s sound with Mercy’s Mark. He blended well, and would make a good permanent addition to the group, musically at least.

The original Mercy’s Mark–Anthony Facello, Josh Feemster, Garry Jones, and Chris West–had an excellent group blend, a distinctive sound, and overall left a memorable though all-too-brief mark on the genre. Anthony was the first to go, I believe, and was replaced by Brent Mitchell; Chris left next, and was replaced by Christian Davis. (I saw this lineup the last time I saw the group.) Josh Feemster left a few weeks ago, and Shane Dunlap is filling in.

With Feemster’s departure, the entire original lineup (except for manager Garry Jones) has left, and what I saw last time was an entirely new lineup. Last night, I concluded that the interim lineups were transitional for the group, and that if they keep Dunlap this will be Mercy’s Mark 2.0.