SouthernGospelBlog.com

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.

Observant Singing News forum poster LRBB observed a strange anomaly on the Singing News charts for 2001. From May through October, a song charted in the top 40, peaking at #7 in July and August. It was at #23 on the all-year chart.

However, on the Singing News hits archives for 2001, all of the instances where the song appears are left blank.

LRBB asked what song was missing. I did some research. The song?

“Left Behind” (Steeles)

No, I’m not kidding. You can’t make this kind of stuff up.

Could some staffer at Singing News be playing a royal practical joke on us? I wonder how long this song has been missing.

Why is it that tenors get to sing “Glory Road,” but basses have to sing “Lonesome Road”?

Author unknown (I adapted this)

A well-worn one dollar bill and a similarly distressed twenty dollar bill arrived at a Federal Reserve Bank to be retired.

As they moved along a conveyor belt to be burned they struck up a conversation. The twenty dollar bill reminisced about its travel all over the country.

“I’ve had a pretty good life,” the twenty dollar bill proclaimed. “Why, I’ve been to concerts by Luciano Pavarotti, Britney Spears, and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra.”

“Wow!” said the one dollar bill. “You’ve really had an exciting life!”

“So tell me,” says the twenty dollar bill,”where have you been in your lifetime?”

The one dollar bill replies, “Oh, I’ve been Southern Gospel concerts–groups like the Perrys, Greater Vision, and Mark Trammell Trio.”

The twenty dollar bill interrupts, “WHAT’S SOUTHERN GOSPEL?”

Daniel Britt recently posted an interview he did with Ernie Haase. In the interview, Haase mentions that he’s been interested in the idea of a Southern Gospel workout video that fans can exercise along with. That’s a great idea, but I have this feeling that if anyone tried following the moves on their main videos, they’d burn just as many calories as they would with a regular exercise video!

Now some of you will probably say you suspected this all along, but at last we have confirmation, from the words of Mr. Averyfineline himself:

a non-sg friend of mine who lurks on the blog as an alien outsider commented just the other day on how many intelligent and insightful commenters this site is fortunate to have…

I didn’t know they had computers on Mars, or spoke English for that matter. But at long last I have an explanation for those occasional comments I can’t make heads or tails of, no matter how long I scratch my head.