SouthernGospelBlog.com

After seeing my April 1 post, a sent me this:

“Guyron, Martin’s Other Boy”

This morning, the Inspirations Quartet of Bryson City, NC announced the addition of multi-Grammy and Dove Award-winning artist Guy Penrod as their new lead singer. Penrod, who left the Gaither Vocal Band last year after over a decade with the group, had been at work on a solo recording; he will be doing some solo dates on days the Inspirations are not booked.

“His voice and contagious joy will be a blessing to our audiences,” said Inspirations pianist and manager Martin Cook, who added that Penrod graciously agreed to cut his hair in accordance with the group’s code of conduct. “And his passion for the Lord and for the Word of God will make him a welcome addition to the Inspirations family.”

* * *

When I posted that Guy Penrod was leaving the Gaither Vocal Band, you asked if it was April 1. Today it really is April 1.

I was serious then, but today…yes, I’m kidding.

I don’t have any serious posts in mind for the day, and I after a skim around Southern Gospel’s part of the web, I don’t see any stories of note either. So let’s take a break from serious posts and do something entirely off the wall.

This is an idea I got from Adam Edwards on Facebook, and the funny thing is…a few actually made sense!

The rules are pretty simple:

1. Put your mp3 player (iTunes, Windows Media Player, iPod, etc.) on shuffle / random.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. Write down that song name, no matter how silly it sounds.

IF SOMEONE SAYS ‘ARE YOU OKAY’ YOU SAY?
Climbing Up the Mountain – Speer Family

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Why Me – Gaither Homecoming Friends

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL
Where Could I Go – All American Quartet

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Walk Right Out of This Valley – Gaither Homecoming Friends

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE MOTTO?
The Old Rugged Cross – Dixie Echoes

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Sunday Meetin’ Time – Cathedral Quartet

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
My Pilot – The Rambos

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Danny Boy – Blue Ridge Quartet

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Some Good of Me – The Kingsmen

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
One of these Days – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Through It All – Oak Ridge Quartet

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
I’m Standing on the Solid Rock – Florida Boys

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
His Response – Mercy’s Mark

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Only Jesus / Calvary’s Love – Steve Green

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
As it Was in the Days of Noah – Cathedrals (umm, ok…NOT!)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Stop and Pray – Blackwood Brothers

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
You Better Pray – EHSS

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
High Above This World – Chuck Wagon Gang

Let’s see your entries!

I recently purchased some LPs from a friend who had duplicates. He sent them through the U.S. Mail. Evidently the U.S. Customs and Border Protection / U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers thought Southern Gospel records must be suspicious, because they opened the box, apparently tearing the top off in the process. After they found only LPs (which, fortunately, they didn’t damage), they put the package in a massive and very official-looking box, taping the top of the old box on:

So did the Immigrations Officer think my friend had managed to fit an illegal alien into an LP-sized box?

Or maybe it’s just that he loved Southern Gospel and wanted to pirate copies for his mp3 player before the shipment continued on its way!

Blooper of the Day: Check out the interview of Kingsmen tenor Harold Reed with JoyFM / enLighten DJ Daniel Britt about how he memorably messed up “Look for Me at Jesus’ Feet”: http://www.danielbritt.com/blog/2009/02/videointerview-morning-joyride.html

A sharp reader (hat tip, BG) notices that Greater Vision seems to have one photograph they really like with Jacob Kitson. Yes, one.

In the August Singing News, Greater Vision’s full-page ad (page 17) says “Greater Vision Welcomes Jacob Kitson.” Rodney Griffin, Gerald Wolfe, and Jacob Kitson pose in front of a tan / earth tones background, wearing maroon / red ties.

In the September and October issues, GV’s full-page ad (page 17 both times) announces the release of Not Alone. The CD cover shows Rodney, Gerald, and Jacob posing in front of a lime green background of two hands holding each other. They’re wearing dark green ties with a strangely familiar pattern…

In the November issue, GV’s full page ad (again page 17) has Rodney, Gerald, and Jacob posing in front of a maroon background. Though the picture has been brightened a little, those maroon / red ties look strangely familiar…

In the December issue, GV’s full page ad (page 17) wishes readers a “Merry Christmas from Greater Vision.” Greater Vision poses in front of a waterfall with a snowflake background. Rodney, Gerald, and Jacob wear blue ties, with a strangely familiar pattern…

But something doesn’t look quite right in the December photo. The yellowish tint and the lighting both don’t fit the backdrop.

It turns out that, by all appearances, Greater Vision has used the same photo for the last few months, just pasting the group members in front of different backdrops and digitally altering the tie colors.

It’s quite the Photoshop, and apparently done well enough that it took months for a sharp reader to catch on. Kudos to whoever does Greater Vision’s graphic design…sort of.

Only in Southern Gospel could you go up to a 40-something performer after a concert and hear a little old lady say this—and mean it as a compliment:

“This is the best concert I’ve heard since I heard your group back in ‘52. And you weren’t even born yet!”

(The group was the Blackwood Brothers, and the singer was Randy Byrd.)

Question: What does Northern Gospel sound like?

Answer:

• The Cathedrals (Ohio)
• Gaither Vocal Band (Indiana)
• Signature Sound (Ohio)
• Collingsworth Family (Ohio) (sort of—Greater Cincinnati is more South than not)
• Joseph Habedank and Matthew Holt of the Perrys (Ohio)
• Jacob Kitson of Greater Vision (Michigan when with Kitsons)
• Mercy’s Mark (Ohio)
• Ball Brothers (Illinois natives)
• The Spencers (Ohio—in fact, my hometown)
• Couriers (Pennsylvania)

Thursday afternoon, I was walking through the vendors’ hall shortly before it opened to the public. I saw a familiar face at the Legacy Five booth:

Then I saw another familiar face walking in the booth’s direction, and I knew something was up. I whipped out my camera and caught the culprit in the act:

Finished product:

Unfortunately, the one thing I missed was the look on Scott Fowler’s face when I showed him the middle picture.

On Friday, I posted about how the Steeles’ hit song “Left Behind” did not appear at its place on the chart in the Singing News online radio charts for May-October 2001. In its place was a blank (raptured?) line.

A little bird notifies me that the song has been restored to its proper place on the charts, and a quick look confirms this.

So the mystery’s over, in a way. The song is back, we just don’t know if it was a technical glitch or a practical joke that left its line blank in the first place.