Would such a move affect your plans to attend?

Apparently (as I hear) at the urging of Blackwood Brothers bass singer Randy Byrd, my fellow blogger Aaron Swain put together an impromptu Southern Gospel Bloggers Quartet. He sings bass; the other three of us (David Bruce Murray, Nate Stainbrook, and yours truly) sing baritone or lead. We had no tenor.

Well, I believe my comfortable range is the highest, but it just as certainly is not a natural tenor. But I foolishly agreed to sing tenor anyhow.

So we stumbled through a rendition of Boundless Love. I did especially poorly; remember …that I was singing tenor and I’m not one. Anyhow, it was bad enough that the person in the booth next to our home base (the SouthernGospelForums booth) peeked through the curtain to see what the racket was.

Brian Free.

Though this might matter less to people there all week, like me, or people who are there Thursday-Saturday, he pointed out that this keeps the Saturday night attendees (well over 1/6 of the total), many of whom can only come for Saturday night, from being able to purchase projects by many of their favorite artists.

Fact is, it can cost artists sales from people who are there all week. Gold City inadvertently lost a sale to me (and not just a $10 one) by leaving early; I was hoping all week to purchase their Heritage Collection Vol. 2 DVD set, but had to wait till the week was over to see if I had enough money. By the time I made it to their booth early Saturday evening, they had torn down and headed out for the week. Maybe I can get it next year, but I have no idea if I’ll be able to get Tim Riley’s autograph then.

Understandably, many groups want to schedule weekend dates to recoup the costs of an NQC booth. And it would be hard to force them to stay–short of posting armed security guards, an idea Jones suggests and rejects as implausible.

If it’s worth encouraging artists to stay, there is a simpler way. NQC could charge artists $200 extra for a booth (roughly 50% more than the current rates, I hear), and announce and put it in the contract that the directors will walk around immediately after the finale ends and refund the deposit to groups that stayed it out.

Even then, it physically won’t be possible for many groups to stay. But perhaps a $200 refund would be an added incentive.

Agree? Disagree?

The Cathedrals Remembered showcase in the afternoon was spectacular. Since I got there early enough to get a front row seat, I decided not to take notes, as that would look odd on film. I plan to discuss the concert in more detail, adding observations from seeing it in person, once the DVD comes out later this year.

A complete list of Fan Awards winners is here. Overall, there was little surprising enough to be noteworthy in most categories; in many of the categories, the person who won the award last year won it again this year. There were a few notable exceptions:

• Triumphant Quartet picked up their first Male Quartet of the Year win.
• Their bass singer, Eric Bennett, won Bass Singer of the year for the first time.
• Perrys lead singer Joseph Habedank won his first fan award, Young Artist.
• Libbi Perry Stuffle won Favorite Alto for the first time in three or four years. The Habedank and Stuffle wins show that the Perrys’ current lineup (well, particularly the Habedank/Stuffle combination) has now been together long enough to build the kind of connection with their fans that they had in the Stuffle/Loren Harris days.
• The Crist Family won Horizon Group of the Year. This was particularly thrilling for me since I had spent the week updating their website (among several others, none of whom were also up for the award).

Quite honestly, after Fan Awards ended, I took Saturday night off and (during those times I was able to be in Freedom Hall) just sat back and enjoyed the songs. Two highlights that stick out in my memory are the Kingdom Heirs’ “He Locked the Gates” (a much stronger response than earlier in the week) and the Perrys’ “If You Knew Him.” There was applause when the soundtrack kicked off, more when Joseph started singing the first verse, more at the end of the first and second verses, and a standing ovation by the bridge. This song seems on the verge of defining this iteration of the Perrys—the song people will remember this lineup by.

NQC 2009 was an incredibly long but also incredibly enjoyable and memorable experience. In addition to all the posts I did on this site and on other sites, I also did a fair number of feature interviews, which you will get the chance to read in the coming months. Thanks for tuning in!

Rodney Griffin told the story behind a sermon his father preached that inspired “He’ll Carry Me”: “Today I carry you to Your grave; soon You’ll carry me from mine.” The song also received a standing ovation. Jacob Kitson’s voice was so perfect for the song that one cannot help but hope that Greater Vision would see fit to re-cut the song with his vocal at some point.

Triumphant Quartet involved the audience in a handkerchief-waving toe-tapping rendition of “Old White Flag.” Dianne Wilkinson, the song’s author, did not speak until afterward. Initially that seemed odd, but the reason quickly became evident when she presented him with a framed version of the piece of paper upon which she originally scribbled down the song idea and lyrics.

After the Couriers’ virtuoso performance at the showcase, their set on the main stage was a must-see. And what can I say? Three songs, three standing ovations. They started off with their classic a capella arrangement of “I Sing the Mighty Power of God,” receiving a partial standing ovation. “One Nation Over God” got a virtually unanimous standing ovation. As I expected, they closed with “Statue of Liberty,” and the audience was on its feet before the end.

Greater Vision sang immediately before the Signature Sound / Gaither Vocal Band set. Probably the highlight was Gerald Wolfe’s rendition of “There Is a River,” set up by a humorous story of how a lady had quit begging him to sing the song each year and started threatening him that she wouldn’t come back if he didn’t. He said that he told her that the song was so long that he was afraid the program would run over and he would get fined. He asked if she would be willing to pay the $200 fine (for running two minutes over). She said she would. So he asked her if she’d pay it in advance, in case he couldn’t find her afterwards.

Before Signature Sound came on stage, Gordon Mote played an uptempo rendition of “Give The World a Smile.” Mote isn’t a convention-style pianist, and even when he plays something close to convention style, it still has a different feel from when a Stewart Varnado, Bryan Elliott, or even Anthony Burger takes the lead.

Signature Sound sang much the same set they did at the Together showcase. This time, though, they started with their recent hit single, “Reason Enough.” Ernie Haase did give a more detailed introduction to “Wonderful Grace of Jesus,” describing a recent Opryland performance where they sang the song.

Then, in one of the most fascinating transitions in NQC, Doug Anderson sang several lines of a verse to “Reason Enough,” before Ernie Haase started into an acoustic piano-and-voice rendition of “Oh, What a Savior.” A little further into the song, the rest of the Gaither band kicked in, and the soundtrack was punched in for the final ending. It was a fascinating, best-of-both-worlds setup, with the spontaniety of a live song and the orchestra for the big ending.

Signature Sound closed their set with “Amen Chorus,” involving the audience in the fairly simple chorus while Tim Duncan, Ernie Haase, and Doug Anderson sang the solo lines.

The Gaither Vocal Band opened with a song that was probably the single most discussed event of the night: “I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary.” Wes Hampton sang David Phelps’ verse…and, with an astonishing authority, his high tag for the big ending.

Another highlight was hearing Gloria Gaither sing live for the first time. I have probably heard her give recitations at previous Gaither showcases at NQC, but after her recitation on “Something About That Name,” she sang with the Vocal Band for the rest of the song.

Bill Gaither and Michael English closed the set with “Worthy the Lamb.” It wasn’t Guy Penrod, and maybe it wasn’t quite as awesome. But to be almost as breathtaking as Penrod on that song is amazing.

Speaking of Penrod: He is here at the National Quartet Convention. He got in last night, and word is that he will be appearing at the Featured Artist Spotlight showcase in the showcase some time between 12:30 and 4 PM.

The Booth Brothers had a strong set, with a good mix of slow songs (”Look for Me,”) recent songs (”Blind Man” and “Tradin’ The Old Cross”), and a group classic  (”Still Feelin’ Fine.”)

The Diplomats only got one song (”That’s What Heaven Means to Me”), but they pulled out all the stops, pulling in Zane King to play steel guitar and the Hoppers’ bus driver (whose name escapes me) to play rhythm guitar.

The moment I wish I’d caught was when Brian Free & Assurance featuring Jeremy Lile on “Save Me a Seat at the Table.” Lile’s father had passed away earlier in the week. The funeral was that day, and he arrived at Freedom Hall less than an hour before the group’s set. I did catch the song on the live screens in the vendor’s hall. He was choking up in the first verse, but recovered to turn in a strong performance for the remainder of the song. He choked up again in the final tag, but by that point he had already turned in such a strong performance that he received a prolonged standing ovation.

One day to go!

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound started the program. Probably wisely, given the audience, they pulled heavily from the more traditional parts of their repertoire, starting with the classic “Our Debts Will Be Paid” (featuring lead singer Ryan Seaton) and the newer classic-in-the-making “Glory to God in the Highest” (featuring bass singer Tim Duncan).

Their recent #1 hit song, “Reason Enough,” went over quite well. Their acapella rendition of “Wonderful Grace of Jesus” also got a strong response.

They did sing one song from their brand-new Christmas recording (Every Light that Shines at Christmas), “Changed By a Baby Boy.”

Then they pulled out two vintage-style micropones for the remainder of their set. They sang “My Heart is a Chapel,” “Swinging on the Golden Gates,” “Walk With Me,” and “Since Jesus Passed By.”

As Signature Sound walked off stage, the lights were dimmed, and the Gaither Vocal Band walked onto the stage in hazy blue light, singing “Alpha and Omega.”

David Phelps was featured on “At the Cross”; as incredible as the song is recorded or on a Homecoming video, it is indescribably breathtaking from merely feet away.

Michael English was featured on “Temporary Home.” There was a round of applause when he stepped forward. There also was for his part and the other parts in the three-tenor rendition of “The Love of God.”

Mark Lowry and Bill Gaither were featured on “Satisfied.”

Lowry was featured again on Journey to the Sky, and received a standing ovation.

David Phelps sang “Nessun Dorma” solo. He ended the song on a powerfully high note and received a standing ovation.

Michael English and Mark Lowry were featured on “He Touched Me.”

English introduced “Lord, Feed Your Children” by saying that it had been a number of years since he stood on the National Quartet Convention stage, but it was good to be home. The song received a prolonged standing ovation. The Gaither Vocal Band closed their set with “It is Finished,” which received another standing ovation.

After Gordon Mote gave the other singers a break by singing “Old Gospel Ship,” the Gaither Vocal Band and Signature Sound did several songs together. They sang “Great Day,” highlighted by a particularly strong solo from Wes Hampton, “Love Like a River,” “Swing Down Chariot,” “Sitting at the Feet of Jesus,” and “I Then Shall Live.” On the final song, a trio comprised of Wes Hampton, Ryan Seaton, and Doug Anderson sang several lines. Their blend was phenomenal.

I had (and have) a crazy schedule, trying to get video up for a number of websites, so I was unable to spend as much time in Freedom Hall as I wanted to.

I did catch the Mark Trammell Trio set; they sang “Mansion Over the Hilltop,” “Sweetest Song I Know,” “If Only Just a Few,” and “Standing On the Solid Rock.”

The Hoppers and Collingsworth Family sang “Family of God” together. Then the Collingsworth Family started their set with an a capella rendition of “Holy, Holy, Holy,” featuring Courtney. Olivia was featured on “Little By Little.” A teenage trio of Phil Jr., Courtney, and Brooklyn sang a new Gerald Crabb song, “I Know.” (Come to think of it, though, I might not be able to use that any longer, since I recall hearing a reference to Brooklyn having heard twenty.) Courtney played a violin solo (truly solo, without even piano) on “There is a Fountain”; this led into their song “The Blood of Jesus.”

The Talley Trio sang four songs. They started with one of the strongest songs from their new project (Songs You Know By Heart), “Amazing Grace.” Debra sang the first verses, and Lauren finished with the last two. Roger was featured on “My Hope is In the Lord.” Then Lauren closed with two songs, the Talleys classic “Mountain Mover” and another song new to the Talley Trio, “He’s Alive.” It’s hard for a brand new song that many in the audience have never heard to get a standing ovation, but this one did.

Tribute Quartet started their set with two songs from their new project, “I’ve Been Blessed,” featuring lead Gary Casto, bass Dennis Dugger, and tenor Brian Alvey. I scribbled in my notes that it was remarkable how much Dugger sounds like Legacy Five bass Glen Dustin. Casto and Alvey sang solos on another new song, “That’s Why I Love Him So.” Brian Alvey closed the set with “Who Am I”; oddly, for whatever reason, even counting the “Who Am I” encore with the Perrys, Tribute Quartet walked off stage with 6 1/2 minutes left on the clock timing their set.

The Perrys featured Troy Peach and Libbi Stuffle on “Old Fashioned Altar.” For whatever reason (probably, like for so many groups for the rest of the week, microphone issues), one of Libbi’s feature lines in a final chorus was inaudible. And since the audience didn’t hear any vocals when that happened, the Perrys cannot be accused of over-stacking their songs.

One detour along those lines for a minute, if I may. Many singers use stacks–pre-recording their own voices–to help in certain situations. It allows the singers to ease off the power on big endings or save a set in a room with poor acoustics (Freedom Hall, anyone?) But, I am of the opinion that some amateur commentators mistake reverb for stacks. Most sound boards, including the ones used during the National Quartet Convention, have live processing effects. If a singer is minutely south or north of their pitch, and they were either on or slightly off in the other direction a moment before, reverb can add the choir effect that casual readers who know just enough to be dangerous can mistakenly assume to be stacked vocals.

Back to the Perrys’ set. They sang “If You Knew Him,” featuring lead singer Joseph Habedank, and received a standing ovation. They closed their set with “I Wish I Coulda Been There,” encoring it with Tribute Quartet, Morgan Easter (who had begged them to sing the song), and one or two other artists who had stayed in the artist circle to the finale.

* * *

I know, I fell behind, and this post is late. Please accept my apologies, and I’ll do my best to catch up! Maintaining six websites is a bigger job than I anticipated, but it’s a job I love. You have to love this music to survive this convention! But if you do, then the long days are a joy.