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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?

First, let me assure you that my post yesterday was not a publicity stunt, or a ploy to get more comments. I was and remain honestly willing to change the general direction of this blog (or adopt a niche) if that’s what a majority of my readers want.

That said, it seems like the consensus (so far) is to keep doing a little bit of everything. So that’s what I will do, at least unless you decide you want something else.

I was incredibly honored to be mentioned in the March 2007 Singing News. Doug Harrison, who wrote the article, said that this blog hadn’t found its niche yet.

As I thought about it, I realized that he is completely right. I’ve tried to do a little bit of reporting: In-depth commentary, News reporting, Links to Southern Gospel articles, Historical perspectives on current issues, Album Reviews, Video Reviews, Humor/Parody pieces, Concert Reports…you name it, I’ve probably tried it.

I suppose that adopting a niche approach means that I will do only one of the above and stop doing the rest. (This would almost definitely mean that I would not be able to do something in that niche every day.)
I’d like your feedback. Should I adopt a niche, and if so, what should it be? Or do you like a little bit of everything?

For a PDF version of this story, click here.

As most Southern Gospel fans know, Keith Plott just left Brian Free & Assurance after singing with them for several years. I recently caught up with him and did a mini-interview. He’s busy putting a solo career together, and I didn’t want to trouble him with in-depth questions. That said, he knows how to communicate what he wants to communicate with fewer words than anyone else I have interviewed yet!

DJM: As many Southern Gospel fans know, you recently decided to leave Brian Free & Assurance to start a solo career. Why?
KP: Due to my wife’s health and to spend more time with her and my family.
DJM: How soon should fans be looking for a solo album, and how will we be able to obtain copies?

KP: My solo project should be finished within one month and I should be getting a web site up very soon. Until then my e-mail is plotthounds@charter.net.
DJM: What can fans expect from a Keith Plott solo album? Will it sound similar to some of Brian Free & Assurance’s recent semi-progressive music, or will it be more traditional or more contemporary than that?
KP: My project will sound traditional.

DJM: What can fans expect when they come to see you in a live concert? Do you expect to be rattling the subwoofers as often as you do in a quartet position, or do you plan on singing your melodies in a somewhat higher key than you did in an ensemble setting?

KP: I’ll be singing a little bit of both, high melodies and some low end rattling (I hope).

DJM: Not too many bass singers attempt a solo career. As you start into this new venture, what do you view as your biggest opportunities and challenges?

KP: A solo career will give me more opportunities to interact with the fans since my schedule will be more flexible. As far as challenges, I’ll have to do all the singing, talking, setting up, tearing down, scheduling and driving—but I love challenges.

DJM: Thanks, Keith! I wish you the best of success.

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.

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?

I’ll second Inquirer’s sentiments. John Crenshaw, probably the foremost Southern Gospel historian online (and a fine writer, too!), is turning 50 this week. Congratulations and blessings, John!

An article on the Blackwood Quartet was featured on mlive.com. This is Ron and R.W. Blackwood’s group, the group which John Rulapaugh sings with.

Jimmy Blackwood’s Blackwood Brothers Quartet, the one taping a live DVD this evening in Florida, is a different group; Mark Blackwood’s Blackwood Gospel Quartet is a third group.

Just as an attempt to get it straight for everyone:

Blackwood Brothers Quartet: Traditional male quartet led by Jimmy Blackwood, son of legendary Blackwood Brothers Quartet lead James Blackwood.

Blackwood Gospel Quartet: Traditional male quartet led by Mark Blackwood, son of Blackwood Brothers Quartet baritone Cecil Blackwood.

Blackwood Quartet: Traditional male quartet led by Ron and R.W. Blackwood, sons of Blackwood Brothers Quartet baritone R.W. Blackwood. R.W. was a crucial member of the group until a 1954 plane crash that claimed his life as well as the life of Bill Lyles, the group’s bass singer.

Blackwood Singers: Mixed group also led by Ron and R.W. Blackwood.

Both the Blackwood Quartet and the Blackwood Singers perform almost exclusively as part of a variety show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. (Of course, as the article which prompted this post shows, it’s not quite exclusively, as they do a bit of touring in the winter months.)

On the other hand, the Blackwood Gospel Quartet and the Blackwood Brothers are the two regularly touring quartets on the Southern Gospel circuit that still bear the Blackwood name and trace lineage to a famous member of the original group.

Attempting to tell the various Blackwood groups apart can get a little confusing, but hopefully this summary made it a little less so.

Yesterday, the National Quartet Convention posted an update to their mainstage performances schedule. The Freemans and the Skyline Boys were each given mainstage slots. But beyond doubt (as, with a hat tip, I see Chuck Peters notes), the change that will attract the most attention is the fact that the NQC Board of Directors has decided to put a soloist on the main stage for the first time…ever?

It will come as no surprise that this soloist is Ivan Parker, arguably Southern Gospel’s most popular soloist (though Mark Bishop is, also arguably, a close second).

Since Parker has his own strong fan base, this will probably draw fans to NQC–both Parker fans and fans who want to see history in the making as a soloist walks on stage for the first NQC solo concert in years.

Granted, other people will probably use the set as an excuse to go to the product hall or food court, but that takes place with every group. Some skip the Inspirations, some skip the Crabbs, and some probably even skip the Kingdom Heirs. (I tried to think of a group whose style would offend just about nobody, and they were the first to come to mind.)

Is this experiment a good one for NQC to try? I do not know. It will probably change the dynamics a little, at least until the novelty wears off. That’s as far as I will go until I devote further thought to the idea…and until I read what you have to say about it.

EDIT: Thanks to John, who posted some interesting information in his comment below, I edited this post slightly. I added one or two question marks and tweaked a phrase. Where the original post stated that this was the first time a soloist has appeared on main stage, I tweaked the post a bit to reflect his thoughts below.

The Blackwood Brothers Quartet is doing a live taping tomorrow (February 23) at the First Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Florida. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet is managed by Jimmy Blackwood, and features Randy Byrd on bass, Wayne Little on tenor, and Brad White on piano and baritone.

David Bruce Murray at MusicScribe has a good summary and commentary on the Dove Awards nominees. He does make a point about how the artists on the Torch project could claim to be Dove Nominated Artists now, though (as he well says) that would be a stretch. The artists on that NQC Special Event project, incidentally, were:

Lauren Talley, Scott Inman, Annie McRae, Adam Crabb, Jeremy Peace, Josh Feemster, Derrick Selph, Jeremy Lile, Nick Succi, Brandon Reese, Jason Selph, Amber Thompson, Jeff Snyder, Kelly McRae, Christian Davis, Ricky Free, Matthew Holt, Jeremy Brown, Paul Smith, Chris Weaver, Matt McFarland, Aaron Crabb, Jason Crabb, Dusty Barrett, Justin Ellis, Micah Schweinsberg, Lori Sikes, Zach Smith, Autumn Thompson, Avery Wolfe, Scott McDowell, Randy “Scoot” Shelnut, Jr., John Rulapaugh, Lance Moore, Josh Singletary, Aaron McCune, Andrew Ishee, Jim Mahalick, Jessica Harrison, Amber Balltzglier, Katy Peach, Joseph Habedank, Jason Waldroup, Anthony Facello, Josh Garner, Chris West, Stewart Varnado, The Crabb Family, Lauren Talley, Stephanie Brown, Eddie Harrison, Josh Simpson, Troy Peach, Terah Penhollow, Kelly Bowling ; Ed Leonard, Crystal Burchette, Mike Speck, Rick Shelton, Melody Van Nuss