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This isn’t a lineup I came up with, and so this isn’t an official entry in the series. But an honorable mention needs to go to this comment on my surprisingly popular Dove Brothers post.

Comment by: josatchmo

THE BEST LINEUP THAT NEVER WAS: SIGNATURE SOUND

Bass: Mike Holcomb
Mike can do the low notes on “Stand By Me” a lot like Tim can, so I’d assume that he’d be perfect for them.
Baritone: Jason Crabb
You know where Doug hit those “soulful” notes on “Happy Rhythm”? I guess Jason would fit right in.
Lead: Scotty Inman
Scotty’s tall just like Ryan Seaton, so he’s a natural!
Tenor: Jodi Hosterman
Well…..I mean, there just shouldn’t be any need for an explanation here. He’s perfect.

If I was doing a Signature Sound lineup–which I’m not intending to do in this series–I must say that I would never have come up with this particular lineup.

But, why not? I think this group would sound nice. And I can’t help but smile at the thought of Mike Holcomb doing Stand By Me.

Daywind Music Group announced that Donna Beauvais is leaving Hope’s Call to join the label’s Radio Promotions team. This will permit her to spend more time with her family and with her record prodution efforts.

There are very few true first sopranos in Southern Gospel–this eccentric genre where the men sing high and the ladies sing low. In my mind, she was the best first soprano on the road today, and I hate to see her go.

Southern Spin recently sent out a press release announcing that “Morning Star Records recording artist Rod Burton has received two nominations in the Eddie Crook Company’s inaugural Eddie Awards.” The two nominations were for Newcomer of the Year and Male Soloist of the Year.

Now Morning Star Records is operated by the Eddie Crook Company, so I wondered what was up. Fortunately, the press release explains: “The Eddie Awards were designed to recognize outstanding achievement for artists, ministries and writers associated with the Eddie Crook Company, as well as support personnel and suppliers to the Company. …  All award winners are voted upon by the Eddie Crook Company roster of artists.”

I believe this is the first time I have ever heard of a label setting up an awards ceremony for its artists, so its artists can vote for the best artist on the label. I’m not sure just what will be said about this, but at the very least, on the positive side, I suppose it can be said that this is thinking outside the box.

Greater Vision’s most recent e-letter contains an announcement of a book co-written by Rodney Griffin, God Wants to Hear You Sing, co-written with Ruthie Jacobson:

This new book features stories of how God has used some f Rodney’s most popular songs in the lives of people cross the country.  It takes the messages of the lyrics, as well as the stories of the people who have been changed by them, and puts them in a setting that shows God at work.  These are real stories of people who discovered they could trust the hand of God, even when they could not see His face.

It is available here.

Yesterday, the National Quartet Convention sent out an email to those on their mailing list. The first two questions asked if they had attended the convention within the last 5 and the last 10 years. The final three questions, however, were the heart of the survey, and are of particular interest. They asked if fans would be more likely or less likely to attend if the convention was held in late June, mid-July, or kept at the week following Labor Day.

Because of traveling related to my job, I indicated that my current personal preference is to keep it where it is. (Also, I don’t personally have a great tolerance for heat, and the thought of adding 90 degree temperatures to 16-hour days is not particularly pleasant!)

That said, moving NQC to June or July could definitely play a role in freeing up a younger audience to be able to attend.

Let’s continue the “Best Lineup that Never Was” series with a look at the Dove Brothers.

• Jay Parrack. Parrack can blow the roof off with his high endings, but he can also sing the soft tenor parts–such as those required by “I Can Pray”–to perfection.
• Ben Harris. Harris, the lead singer for Southern Sound, has always struck me as having a voice falling somewhere between McCray Dove and Jake Hess in voice quality.
• Daniel Riley. Eric Dove has a fairly distinct accent and tone that no other baritone quite duplicates; however, when Daniel Riley sticks to singing baritone and doesn’t venture into lead singer territory, his voice is the closest to Dove’s that I can come up with.
• Ray Dean Reese. His voice quality sometimes reminds me of David Hester’s. Of course, I should have said that in reverse, but that would have defeated the purpose here.

I think that this group could sing the current lineup’s songs so well that an audience that only saw but did not hear them would sit back and wonder if it was the real McCoy.

Doyle Lawson shares his views on bluegrass and Southern Gospel in this South Bend Tribune article. Of particular interest are his comments on Southern Gospel:

“I have never laid claim to be a Southern gospel artist,” Lawson says. “I am a person that loves to sing and play gospel music. I think that is a testament to the fact that gospel music in itself is universal. As far as trying to convey a message in song, I don’t think there are any boundaries. I don’t think there should be any boundaries.”

Lawson says the decision to release an occasional secular album is simply a matter of “supply and demand.”

“I have both a secular market and a gospel market,” he says. ” I guess the only difference in the two is, by and large, the people that listen to gospel music probably only want to have those recordings in their possession. Whereas, the people that support the bluegrass world, most of them, they love the music, they love the gospel music, and they love the bluegrass. They will tend to buy both.”

The Ball Brothers made quite a splash with their debut project, getting an invitation to a Gaither Homecoming taping and becoming an opening act for Ernie Haase & Signature Sound’s Summer Spectacular Tour. When a group finds this level of success with a debut, many people closely watch to see whether their sophomore project can sustain that kind of momentum.

Knowing this, I was surprised by the Ball Brothers’ announcement that their sophomore project would be acapella. Some groups use acapella projects to fill the gap between releases that they hope will have a more serious impact. I can’t say how the Ball Brothers viewed this project, but I have to admit that if it is an interlude, it is one of the most interesting interludes I have encountered to date.

1. “There is a Mountain.” This song really shines, due in part to a guest bass vocal by Darren Rust. The obvious question of how they will be able to duplicate this in a live setting may be answered by the addition of another brother, Josh Ball, to sing a fourth vocal part. Though he is not officially a bass, the bass runs in this song can be adequately performed by a low baritone.
2. “He Set Me Free.” This arrangement changes the original Albert E. Brumley song enough that I had to check the liner notes to be certain it was the same song.
3. “Of Thee I Sing.” This Dianne Wilkinson song was originally recorded by Greater Vision on The King Came Down (1993). For those who were first exposed to the Ball Brothers through their rendition of “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” and hoped that this acapella project would include another song in a similar style, this modern-day hymn fits the bill. It is one of the best songs on the project.
4. “Lean on Me.” This song features a guest vocal by Marshall Hall, who produced the album. Hall is baritone for the Gaither Vocal Band, but was active in the studio world long before going on the road.
5. “I’m Free.” I’m not quite sure why many groups near the Gaither Homecoming universe include a Gaither tune on each album. It could be totally random. It could be that his songs are so much a part of the Southern Gospel repertoire that it seems natural. Or–and this is totally off the wall–I suppose including and paying royalties on a Gaither tune would be a roundabout way of letting Gaither know how many albums you sold without actually telling him. (All right, I doubt that was the reason here, but sometimes my mind goes down strange avenues!) Whatever the reason, while including a Gaither tune is hardly obligatory, it’s a smart move for a group near the Gaither Homecoming universe.
6. “Walkin’ in Jerusalem.” This is an interesting rendition of the spiritual. It’s actually an instrumental track, but since it has the same feel as the rest of the album, it doesn’t really stick out like a sore thumb. In fact, it blends in so well that I did not notice it was an instrumental track until my third time through the project.
7. “I Sing the Mighty Power of God.” It was a smart move to include this song on the project, since their rendition of the Couriers’ arrangement (hat tip, JS) served as their introduction to a wider audience on Signature Sound’s self-titled DVD. While they may have recorded it before moving up to the big leagues, they didn’t have it on any project yet.
8. “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.” I have long thought that this classical selection would sound good in an acapella rendition such as this–a rendition that does not disappoint.
9. “Good Livin’.” This song is not quite acapella, since (in addition to a drum track) it features a guest appearance on upright bass by Ben Isaac. Initially it did not grab my attention, but after multiple plays it stands out as one of the project’s highlights.
10. “Sweet Beulah Land.” The Ball Brothers did an acapella rendition of this song when I saw them live in concert. Although this studio version does not capture the (apparent) spontaneity of the live rendition, it was a smart move to include it on the project

Vocalized is progressive, but not in the sense the term is typically used in Southern Gospel. Its innovative arrangements are solidly within the genre. They do not descend to the common fallacy of borrowing yesterday’s Contemporary Christian Music and calling it tomorrow’s Southern Gospel. This project achieves an uncommon feat by staying true to the genre while being completely unique.

I have a couple upcoming radio appearances promoting my book on The Faith of America’s Presidents. Any of you who might be curious to hear the voice behind the keyboard can tune into today’s Viewpoint Radio live show at 4 PM Eastern. It’s aired nationally on various radio stations, and is streamed online here.

Also, I’ve already taped a show for WCTS Radio in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I doubt many of this blog’s readers are in listening distance, but it will be streamed online next Tuesday at 8:35 AM Central / 9:35 Eastern and at 7 PM Central / 8 Eastern.

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Trust me, there’s no way I’m going to change topics on this blog. It’s just that these radio appearances are so exciting for me that I can’t really help but talk about them! I’ll return with more Southern Gospel posts tomorrow, Lord willing.

The “best lineup that never was” series continues with this installment on Gold City.

• Billy Hodges. Hodges’ voice is akin to Brian Free’s and Jay Parrack’s, and he is one of the first people that came to mind when I considered who to select for this lineup.
• Josh Feemster. When Feemster was with Mercy’s Mark, the group, under former pianist Garry Jones’ leadership, sang numerous Gold City songs. By doing this as he developed his style and defined himself in the eyes of fans, Feemster showed his abilities at this style of Gospel singing.
• Nick Trammell. Though his voice sounds more like his father Mark’s voice did during his early Cathedrals years than Mark’s Gold City-era fully matured voice, Nick Trammell can perform with the style and sound of a Gold City baritone.
• Jeff Chapman. Chapman can do a Riley-style bass so well that some people thought (or hoped) he would join Gold City after Bill Lawrence left. He elected to stay with the Kingdom Heirs, but he is arguably the best Tim Riley / Gold City-style bass on the road today.