SouthernGospelBlog.com

Two groups announced today that they are seeking tenors. Mark Blackwood’s Blackwood Gospel Quartet announced that they are seeking a tenor and that they will take as long as they need to find a keeper since Paul Lancaster will fill in as long as necessary.

Ben Harris’s Southern Sound is also looking for a tenor. There had been some uncertainty over whether Jeremy Calloway would stay with the group, but right now it appears as though he’s leaving.
This is a good time to be a tenor looking to make it into full-time Southern Gospel, since (if I had to venture a guess) neither Southern Sound or Blackwood Gospel is likely to hire a tenor from another full-time quartet. Be looking for some new names on the Southern Gospel horizon soon.

Ernie Haase and Signature Sound has signed an exclusive radio promotion deal with Rick Hendrix. Hendrix will be distributing the first single from the upcoming EHSS project Get Away Jordan to radio starting next Tuesday, October 10th.

There is a preview of the song, John in the Jordan, on the Rick Hendrix website. This song is interesting; it has a traditional Southern Gospel feel (especially when the chorus kicks in), but it has enough of a musical influence from other genres (like Black Gospel) to instantly catch your attention.

Chuck Peters contacted David Staton and Lynn Keffer concerning the Song Garden split. David said: “I do want you to know that this is a peaceful parting.  No one is mad at anyone.” Lynn re-affirmed that Nick Bruno wanted to devote more time to artist development.

I have two observations. First, perhaps because his future plans may not be set, none of the press releases and articles make any more than a brief mention of the fact that Robbie Hiner will be leaving to pursue other interests. I think he was as big a part of the the label’s succcessful launch as Nick Bruno was, in part because he played a major part in bringing in the groups that have caused me, at least, to pay attention to the label - the Old Time Gospel Quartet, the Chuck Wagon Gang, and the Classic Imperials.

Second, it’s nice to see that the parting was evidently amicable. In all likelihood, the Keffers and Nick and Robbie had different ideas about where to take the label and chose to peacefully go their separate ways.