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For those of you who happen to notice this within the next hour or so, you can catch a Perrys concert being streamed live here.

Tip: Right click, select zoom, and select full screen. At least on my Vista desktop, it works.

Here’s a set list being updated live:

• I Love to Tell, featuring Tracy Stuffle. The Perrys brought back this classic quartet song on their new CD, Almost Morning. It’s a great concert opener.
• I Know it Was The Blood. This started off their last album, Look No Further, and they had been using it as a concert opener for a while.
• He Will Hide Me, featuring new baritone Troy Peach. Peach was solid on this Perrys classic.
• Did I Mention, featuring Libbi Stuffle. This has been such a showstopper for them that I’m a little surprised they’re pulling it out this early. (Update) I’m still surprised. The Spirit is definitely moving, and the altar is definitely full. Other than encoring this song all evening, how can follow this?
• If You Knew Him, featuring Joseph Habedank. (Comment 1) Tracy is making the right call transitioning to this song, certainly the only song from their new project that could follow “Did I Mention.” He’s taking his time setting this song up, which is probably the only way to transition. (Comment 2) Joseph is hitting a home run. (Comment 3) Looks like it was a short concert! There’s going to be a sermon and then perhaps another song or two at the invitation. No wonder they sang those two at the end.

After the sermon:

• I Surrender All. Piano and vocals—simple but powerful.
• Did I Mention. Again powerful, a power ending.

Last night, I had the chance to hear Triumphant Quartet and the Collingsworth Family in Wooster, Ohio. A photo gallery from the concert is here.

A barbershop quartet called What’s Next opened the concert with two songs, “Swing Down Sweet Chariot” and “No More Sorrow.” One of the members was a cousin of the concert promoter. Their renditions were stellar, and the energetic harmonies on “Swing Down Sweet Chariot” quickly won the audience over.

Triumphant Quartet sang next:

• Amazed at the Change
• Everyday (featuring lead singer Clayton Inman)
• Jesus Built This Church on Love (featuring tenor David Sutton)
• Do You Know that You Know (featuring baritone Scotty Inman)
• He Is (featuring Clayton and Scotty)
• Look For Me (featuring bass Eric Bennett)
• What a Wonderful Day (featuring David)
• Goodbye, World, Goodbye (featuring David Sutton on harmonica and pianist Jeff Stice)
• Sunday Meeting Medley
• Medley: Climb Ev’ry Mountain / Till the Storm Passes By / You’ll Never Walk Alone (featuring Jeff)

Triumphant sang no less than six songs before saying a word. Their set was more subdued than a normal concert, largely because the promoter actually canceled their part of the booking after hearing them earlier and apparently disliking some of their comedy routines. The promoter and Eric Bennett talked for forty-seven minutes and ended up withdrawing the cancellation. (Eric Bennett told the story from the stage with the promoter standing next to him and actually turned it into quite a funny story.)

One highlight video:

On the other hand, the Collingsworth’s typical style fit the venue and the promoter’s tastes perfectly, and their program was more or less normal for them.

• Light from Heaven
• Holy Holy Holy (featuring Courtney) – This acapella rendition went over very well.
• God is In the Shadows (featuring Courtney)
• Trumpet / Piano medley – Come into His Presence / Shout to the Lord / Trees of the Field (featuring Phil and Kim) – A malfunction on one of the trumpet’s valves stopped Phil’s first solo within the first few notes. Kim (impressively) switched from accompaniment to melody within less than a measure. After some valve adjustments, Phil was back for the rest of his solo, with a strong finish.
• More Than Just a Swear Word (featuring Phil and Courtney)
• My Favorite Things (featuring Olivia) – Olivia apparently had a sore throat but was a trooper and delighted the audience, as usual.
• Salute to the Troops (piano solo featuring Kim)
• Lily of the Valley (fiddle duet – Courtney and Brooklyn)
• He Looked My Fault and Saw My Need (violin duet – Courtney and Brooklyn)
• Blessed Be the Lamb
• A Mighty Fortress is Our God / Hallelujah Chorus.

The audience stood at the start of the Hallelujah Chorus, but this song nevertheless received the strongest response of the night, with a prolonged ovation that must have lasted 45-60 seconds. Phil led the audience in a chorus of “Alleluia” before ending the first half.

Triumphant’s second half was rather short:

• Long Black Train (featuring Eric) – The audience seemed to enjoy this one.
• Don’t Let the Sandals Fool Ya – Interestingly, in the final choruses, both David Sutton and Eric Bennett chose less taxing alternate notes that didn’t require the particularly high or low ranges.
• Back to Me (featuring Scotty)
• Amazing Grace – This featured David Sutton on harmonica and Jeff Stice on piano.

Between Triumphant’s and the Collingsworth’s final sets, Jeff Stice and Kim Collingsworth played two piano duets, “When They Ring The Golden Bells” and “Meeting in the Air.”

When the Collingsworths came back on stage, Phil mentioned that one of Kim’s piano heroes and mentors was in the audience, and they called her up to play “In the Garden.” Then the Collingsworths sang three more songs:

• I Shall Not Be Moved (featuring Brooklyn) – This is a new song from their upcoming CD. It has a bridge from the familiar hymn, but is a different song by the same name.
• I Can Trust Jesus (featuring Courtney)
• May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You

I was somewhat surprised that Kim did neither of her signature songs (”How Great Thou Art” and “It is Well”) in the concert. But though I never get tired of hearing those two songs, it does illustrate an interesting point: They have built their group’s repertoire to the point that they don’t need to include those two songs to have a strong program.

Last night, the Collingsworth Family did a concert at the historic Rennaissance Theater in Mansfield, Ohio. Local businessman John Matthes, owner of Johnny’s Home Furnishings, paid the expenses of the concert and donated all proceeds to his church’s missions fund. Roughly 600 tickets were sold in advance (not counting tickets sold at the door), and the theater was fairly well filled. There were several hundred empty seats in the back and the balcony, but turnout was decent.

• Inhabit the Praise.
• Light from Heaven. The Collingsworth family has been singing this song for four years now, since it was released on CD and to radio in 2005. Since the last time I saw them sing this song, they have improved the live performance. One thing that particularly stood out was the Phil Jr. / Phil Sr. duet on a couple of lines during the verse they sing together. Their voices had a certain dynamic that just clicked in a fresh way on that song, most notably on the line “You’ve forgotten that the sky is blue.”
• Trumpet Medley (Come into His Presence / Shout to the Lord / Trees of the Field). One thing was different from previous times I’d seen this song. As before, Phil and Kim stayed on stage, and Phil Jr. was running sound. This time, Brooklyn and Courtney stayed on stage (in the literal background) to provide live background vocals. Although the prerecorded vocals were still on the track, only someone familiar with the track would have known.
• More than Just a Swear Word.
• My Favorite Things. The biggest change in the family since the last time I saw them was the maturity in Olivia’s voice. She recently turned 11, and on this song, her voice had very few of the little-child inflections that it had a year ago. Her voice is maturing into a smooth alto voice fairly similar to Courtney’s alto. There were a few notes, especially the high notes, where the little child could still be heard in her voice, but her voice is maturing quickly.
• Goodbye World Goodbye. This was Kim Collingsworth’s first piano solo of the night. I think Phil wasn’t quite expecting the enthusiastic response (I think the applause probably went close to a minute). But a large portion of the audience had probably never seen the Collingsworth family before, so this was their first time to see a Kim Collingsworth piano solo.
• Holy Holy Holy. This was done acapella and featured Courtney. After the strong response the piano solo received, this was a perfect transition.
• He Already Sees.
• Lily of the Valley. This fiddle duet by Brooklyn and Courtney received enthusiastic applause.
• He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need. This was a violin duet by Brooklyn and Courtney.
• It is Well (piano solo – Kim). This was the first standing ovation of the night.
• The Blood of Jesus.
• Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho (piano solo – Kim). This was performed at the special request of the promoter, John Matthes, and received a standing ovation. After this song, they took a break for intermission.
• Tradin’ This Old Cross for a Crown.
• The Lover’s Waltz (violin duo – Brooklyn and Courtney).
• I Can Trust Jesus.
• The Healer is Here.
• Piano Medley: Climb Every Mountain / ? / Ten Thousand Angels / Majesty / I’ll Fly Away / Then Came the Morning / Near the Cross. This was composed of requests from the audience. Kim focused on songs dealing with the Cross and the Resurrection,
• How Great Thou Art (piano solo – Kim). Stellar as always, and greeted by a standing ovation.

The concert was somewhere around 2 hours (counting the time off for intermission). Many in the audience had not seen the Collingsworth family before, and they picked up quite a few new fans last night.

When Southern Gospel makes it to my immediate area, it has always been in the form of church concerts. A local businessman is changing that: He has rented out the largest theater in town tomorrow night, bringing in the Collingsworth Family tomorrow night for a Good Friday concert.

What makes this even more unique is that he’s not looking to make money from this: He paid their flat and rented out the theater, and he’s donating profits to his church’s mission fund.

Information on tickets is available at the Renaissance Theater’s website, here, or by calling them at (419) 522-2726. Tickets are $15 for up front, $10 for towards the back, and $7.50 for the nosebleeds (balcony).

If you are within reasonable driving distance and don’t have other Good Friday plans, I would love to see you there. Post here in the comments and perhaps we can make plans to meet beforehand or afterwards.

Note: I’ve had requests from time to time to make a post about a specific upcoming concert. I virtually never do this, but this effort is significant for Southern Gospel in my area that I made a rare exception. And no, I wasn’t asked to do this – I know of the person promoting it, but have never talked with him and, in fact, presently can’t remember his name.

Last Saturday, I caught one of the Dixie Echoes’ all-too-rare Ohio concerts. They were at First Lutheran Church of Shelby, at a concert promoted by their music minister (who comments here from time to time as Paul the Concert Guy).

Though I didn’t do a head count this time, the concert hall was packed and extra chairs were set up; I’d say a solid 300 people were there, possibly 400.

Song list:

• I’ll Be Ready (featuring lead singer Randy Shelnut)
• Miracles Will Happen on that Day (featuring Randy)
• Come On to the House of the Lord
• How Big is God (featuring bass Pat Barker) – This song had one of the most enthusiastic responses of the night. If it had been a standing ovation crowd, it would have been a standing ovation.
• Intros
• Just a Little While (piano solo, Stewart Varnado)
• Until You Find the Lord (featuring baritone Scoot Shelnut)
• On the Other Side of Jordan (featuring Scoot)
• Peace In the Valley (featuring Randy) — I hadn’t heard them do this song before. It got a strong response, enough so that after a minute or two of comments about the song, Randy encored it.
• River of Jordan (featuring Pat Barker)
• Walk With Me (featuring tenor Wes Smith)
• Gonna Move to the Sky (featuring Randy Shelnut)
• Little is Much
• When They Ring those Golden Bells (intermission piano solo, Stewart Varnado)
• Ole Brother Noah (featuring Pat Barker)
• Plan of Salvation (featuring Pat Barker)
• How Great Thou Art (featuring Randy Shelnut)

They mentioned that they were all coming off a round of being under the weather. But it was completely unnoticable. Randy Shelnut’s legendary vocal abilities were as strong as always, and I’m convinced Pat Barker is a legend in the making. Wesley Smith has settled into his role as a Dixie Echoes-style tenor, doing well at matching Randy Shelnut’s inflections and placement, a third interval above Shelnut’s part. Baritone/bass guitarist Scoot Shelnut and pianist Stewart Varnado laid a strong musical foundation.

A personal highlight was their rendition of  the Cathedrals classic “Plan of Salvation.” Knowing that I would be there, and how much I love Cathedrals music, they worked up the arrangement that afternoon. It was the first time they had ever sung the song on stage; I found out after the fact that Stewart Varnado pulled up the song on YouTube a few minutes before the concert to learn the Cathedrals’ piano licks.

Nobody portrays the golden era of Southern Gospel better than the Dixie Echoes. A few groups come close—particularly the Chuck Wagon Gang and Jimmy Blackwood’s Blackwood Brothers,both singing the songs they were known for in yesteryear—but the Dixie Echoes’ performance of the classics and forgotten gems of the 50s, 60s, and 70s brings that era to life.

…and this is what I thought.

Yes, I can step back and write about the genre objectively, but at heart I’m a fan.

I’ll post more detailed thoughts when I have the time, probably Monday.

If you’re within driving distance of north central Ohio, don’t miss one of the Dixie Echoes’ rare Ohio dates this evening. They will be doing a free admission / love offering concert in Shelby, Ohio at the First Lutheran Church of Shelby Ohio. The church’s website is here and has their street address for Google Maps purposes.

On Saturday, I had the chance to see the Perrys in Reynoldsburg, OH. The concert was at a fairly small church in Reynoldsburg, a Columbus suburb. The church could seat about 200-225, but 296 people were present.

It was tight, but the enthusiasm level was high. How many times have you arrived 45 minutes early for a Southern Gospel concert and gotten to choose any of the last 4 or 5 parking spaces you wanted? The church brings in several Southern Gospel groups every year, and the pastor said he had gotten more calls about this concert than any other (at least in recent memory). Presumably based on expectations from attendance at other concerts, the church and the Perrys had put sound equipment in the choir loft, several volunteers had to clear it out at the last minute.

Here’s a song list, with some brief comments. I’ll put more detailed comments below:

• Gentle Shepherd (Tracy Stuffle).
• Every Question Will Be Answered. Standing ovation.
• I Know it Was the Blood. Standing ovation—audience remained standing after the last song and stood throughout this one.
• I Am the Water (Joseph Habedank).
• He Will Hide Me (baritone Nick Trammell and Joseph Habedank). Standing ovation.
• Come and Get Me (no solo).
• I Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now (Joseph Habedank).
• Keep on the Firing Line (pianist Bryan Elliott). Standing ovation.
• The Potter Knows the Clay (Libbi Perry Stuffle).
• Holy Shore (Joseph Habedank and Libbi Perry Stuffle). Standing ovation.

At intermission, Bryan Elliott played “Mansion Over the Hilltop,” in an arrangement fancy enough that for a good number of bars I thought it was the old convention classic “I’ve Never Been Sorry.” Though an offering was taken at intermission, there was no chance to go to the product table; instead, the church’s pastor spoke for several minutes, giving announcements and encouraging people to visit the church.

• Jesus Opened Up the Way – with a chorus done in the shape notes.
• He Forgot (Joseph Habedank).
• The Chainsaw (Tracy Stuffle). It had apparently been a while since Tracy Stuffle had done the chainsaw, and he kept cracking up (along with the other members in the group). It was only after several tries that he was able to keep his composure long enough to pull it off.
• All is Well (Nick Trammell).
• God Walks the Dark Hills (Libbi Stuffle). Partial standing ovation.
• Grip of Grace (Joseph Habedank). Standing ovation.
• I Rest My Case at the Cross. Standing ovation.
• I Wish I Coulda Been There (Joseph Habedank). Standing ovation.

This is the fourth time I’ve seen the Perrys with this vocal lineup—two NQCs and two individual concerts—and they have improved each time. Loren Harris left some big shoes to fill; though Joseph Habedank was competent from the start, he has steadily grown as a lead singer. From the start, I have preferred his placement and voice quality to Loren Harris’s. But his range and command have consistently been growing.

The song where this was most evident was “I Rest My Case at the Cross.” The bridge is a challenging passage with a number of high A-flats, a note several steps beyond the range of many lead singers. Loren Harris had an incredible range and handled it with ease. When I saw the Perrys a year ago, Joseph sang a slightly altered melody to eliminate all except the one or two most crucial high notes. This time, he sang the bridge much as Loren Harris was known for, hitting the repeated A-flats with a confidence rarely seen in singers his age.

Nick Trammell has also shown growth in the baritone position—his delivery, even of the same songs the Perrys sang a year ago, is noticably more confident.

Bryan Elliott is doing quite well. Though his style is somewhat different than previous pianist Matthew Holt’s, his onstage energy is a nice complement to the Perrys’ power vocals.

A photo gallery from the night can be found here.

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.