Legacy Five has a Q&A box in every newsletter. In their most recent newsletter (mailed yesterday), Jo Kennedy from Springfield, Illinois asked: “Do you have a song that you have sung that means more to you than any other song?”

I must admit I cheered when I read their answer:

Another tough question… there are so many great songs and it would be impossible to pick one as the all-time favorite! That said, there is one Legacy Five song that has probably been requested more than any other… that is “I Stand Redeemed” from the “Strong in the Strength” project, which was our first single release in 2000. We get requests for that song almost every night, and we haven’t been singing it for a long time.

However, we’re happy to inform you that we just finished recording tracks for our upcoming new CD titled “Know So Salvation” and it will feature a new version of “I Stand Redeemed”. The new CD will be released at our Memorial Day Celebration in Nashville and we should be able to start singing that powerful song again real soon!

That song is one of the most powerful songs that any group has released in the past decade. That said, I believe the original is in the key of G, and though original tenor Josh Cobb could handle singing it that high, I think it’s keyed too high for his two successors to do and to sound good doing. So I have a feeling they either took the key down a couple notches or down an octave and handed the solo to one of the Scotts.

Either way, it’s unfortunate when a group can’t stage its best song, and I am glad to see them bringing it back.

From SGN Scoops e-magazine:

TIM GREENE TO SELL HIS CATALOG OF MUSIC TO PURCHASE MEDICINE

Tim Greene, of the Greenes, owns West Carolina Publishing Company with 170  original songs written by Tim. The entire catalog  of Tim’s music is  for sale. Call 910-616-5610 for this investment opportunity, Tim is selling his entire catalog to purchase medication for his illness.

A little searching reveals that the songs are licensed through BMI, and include songs such as “Glory Mountain” and “I’m So Happy.”

I regret to see that his illness has progressed so far that this move is necessary. Since I’m a songwriter myself, I can’t help but feel that this move would be equivalent to an owner selling his group to pay for medical expenses. I guess my reaction to this is roughly equivalent to how the average Southern Gospel fan would hear if Roger Bennett and Scott Fowler were to sell Legacy Five to pay for Roger’s medical bills.

Hopefully things will work out for Tim.

This makes the price for broadband worth it: Watch James Dobson joining Signature Sound in choreography on “Glory to God in the Highest.”

Since David Bruce Murray broke the story, I see no harm in talking about it now. [EDIT, 6/7/12: Broken link removed.] Crossroads Records is bringing together several bloggers to discuss the future of the Southern Gospel industry. Daniel Britt, David Bruce Murray, and Doug Harrison are all taking part. No, they did not set a requirement that your name had to begin with D to be eligible.

I’ll keep you posted on what happens!

There has been too much talk lately about jealousy and backbiting in Southern Gospel. It’s there, and I’ve been one of the people talking about it–but that’s only the bad side of the coin.

Those of you who read my blog for long enough know that I am an optimist at heart, and I look for the good side of the story.

This week, I didn’t have to look far.

As I posted yesterday, Roger Bennett’s health situation is very precarious right now. I initially thought (based on the Legacy 5 email update) it was just a serious downturn, but as more information is coming out, it looks like it could be life-threatening. There is, of course, nothing good about this.

But here’s the good part: It has warmed my heart to see how the Southern Gospel community has come together in support of Roger, to let as many fans as possible know to pray for him.

Legacy Five sent out an email alert yesterday morning. In the 24 hours since, I have gotten the same prayer request from the Perrys’ newsletter, The Gospel Greats newsletter, the Singing News newsletter, as well as two or three newsletters and personal friends.

Now, of course, there are people like me who are on all of these newsletters. But there are also more casual fans who receive only one group’s newsletter. In light of that, it has warmed my heart to see how many of Roger’s peers and colleagues have risen to the occasion and taken the time to let their fans know to pray.

When we were discussing backbiting in Southern Gospel, the only reason it was a topic of discussion is that we are dealing with a group of people who know better. (We’d expect it in many other fields.) But there is a bright side to knowing better: Just like a family where siblings might bicker among themselves until they face a common enemy, Southern Gospel artists know when to leave the pettiness aside and unite fans and artists together in prayer to a God who has the power over sickness and death.

From Legacy Five’s most recent email update:

This is an urgent prayer request for Roger Bennett… his doctors are very concerned that he is not responding to the treatment for viral meningitis and they have put him in ICU this morning.

Please keep Roger, Debbie, Chelsea and Jordan in your prayers today and we’ll keep you updated.

The Kingsmen have a 50th Anniversary Reunion / video taping scheduled for this evening. But according to this post, it appears their legendary lead singer Jim Hamill will have to miss it due to health reasons. From 1970 through the mid-1990s, Hamill provided both the centerpiece of their sound and their emceeing, so he was right when he told that poster that it would be 200% better if he was there. [EDIT, 11/7/10: Regrettably, the link is broken, so it has been removed.] (Put another way, it would be only half as good without him.)

According to another post, [EDIT, 11/7/10: Regrettably, the link is broken, so it has been removed.] it looks like their video taping will be rescheduled. I applaud that move, because a 50th Anniversary Reunion would not be the same without Jim Hamill. In my mind, the two players who would be absolutely key to pulling off a successful reunion would be Jim Hamill and Ray Dean Reese. Though it would have been nice to have the late Anthony Burger and the late Eldridge Fox, it simply wouldn’t work to try a reunion without Hamill and Reese.

The headline tells the story. Singing News just posted the April 2007 chart on their website, and the Inspirations claim the #1 spot with their song “I Have Not Forgotten.” Many Inspirations and non-Inspirations fans alike agreed that the song ought to go to the top of the charts, and I for one am delighted to see that it did.

The Inspirations’ last #1 hit was “I’ll Not Turn My Back on Him Now” (Jan-Feb 2002). Other than that, you have to go back to Feb-May 1976 (“Jesus is Mine”) to see the last time that one of their songs sat atop the charts.

They have now had six #1 hits in their career: Jesus is Coming Soon, Touring the City, When I Wake Up to Sleep No More, Jesus is Mine, I’ll Not Turn My Back on Him Now, and I Have Not Forgotten. Considering all the songs they’ve released in the 43 years they’ve been on the road, that’s a pretty select list. But select list or not, I think “I Have Not Forgotten” has the makings of a future classic, and belongs in that list.

Congratulations, Inspirations!

Here are my nominations in the first round of the Singing News Fan Awards:

Group – Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Male Singer – Mark Trammell
Female Singer – Libbi Perry Stuffle
Horizon Group – Ball Brothers
Horizon Individual – Randy Byrd (Blackwood Brothers)
Musician – Stewart Varnado
Young Artist – Joseph Habedank
Songwriter – Dianne Wilkinson
Song of the Year – “Once Upon a Cross” (Mark Trammell Trio)
Album of the Year – “Come Thirsty” (Perrys)

Who are your picks?

Two members each from two different trios, First Love and the McRaes, are joining together to form a new mixed quartet, TK & the McRaes.

“TK” is short for Troy and Katy Peach, two-thirds of the First Love trio. The other third, J.P. Miller, has decided to come off the road. Annie McRae and Amanda Till of the McRaes are also joining the group, while Morgann McClanahan is “leaving her full time position with the McRaes.” The wording almost makes one wonder if, in the game of Southern Gospel musical chairs, Morgann just so happened to be the one without a chair. But nonetheless, fans of both groups are already expecting great things from this group.

This unusual move has, of course, promoted discussion on message boards and blogs. Most of this has, so far, centered around merging Southern Gospel group names, thanks in large part to David Bruce Murray kicking off the discussion with this creative post. [EDIT, 6/7/12: Broken link removed.]

But while that is interesting, and I even took part in one message board discussion to that effect, I personally find it even more interesting to discuss the hypothetical merger of actual groups.

For example, I may have mentioned more an interesting possibility I’ve considered, that of a Dixie Echoes / Florida Boys merger when the senior Florida Boys (Les Beasley, Glen Allred, and Darrell Stewart) come off the road. Randy Shelnut could replace Beasley at emcee work and on the bass guitar, Scoot Shelnut could slip into the baritone position, Stewart Varnado could play the piano, and Tracy Crouch bass. (Dallas Rogers would go to the Inspirations, or whatever group Matt, Melton, and Mike are singing in, even if by that point they aren’t carrying on the Inspirations name.)

Any other ideas?