SouthernGospelBlog.com

There are several interesting stories in Southern Gospel today.

• Karen Peck & New River’s Devin McGlamery was featured in his hometown paper, the Valdosta Daily Times, a few days ago. The article contains a good summary of his background, his advice to young singers, and his thoughts on a Grammy nomination. (Hat tip, DA.)
• Idaho’s Liberty Quartet will be featured on Rob Patz’s Southern Styles show this Saturday, Feb. 2, at 5 PM Eastern, 3 PM Mountain Time.
• Last August, the Dixie Echoes bus caught fire and was totaled. They replaced it in November, and things were humming along nicely until January 25, when it died on the way to a concert. The mechanic determined that the engine was completely blown and would need to be replaced. On top of that, while they were parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot, trying to determine what to do, the driver of an 18-wheeler semi ran into their bus and left significant damage to the back of their bus.

About two weeks ago, we had a discussion on this blog over whether CD reviews of regional/local groups should be featured. Of course, that raises the question: What constitutes a national group?

It would be hard to define it strictly in terms of salary, since some groups that clearly aren’t nationally known manage to be full-time, while some full-time groups have members with other active business interests.

What criteria should be used to determine which groups are “national groups”?

When the Crabb Family disbanded, some fans immediately began speculating about and hoping for special reunion appearances. It looks like the wait is over, or at any rate will be this September, since the National Quartet Convention will be hosting a Crabb Family Reunion on Saturday (September 13) showcase in Freedom Hall. It will be interesting to see which members the reunion includes.

While it is possible that the Crabb siblings came up with the idea, it is also possible that the idea came from the NQC board. If the latter is the case, it would be an encouraging sign for many fans who hope for reunions of other popular groups of the past.

Like any genre, Southern Gospel has its myths and misconceptions. One of the most publicized of these is that, over the years, Ernie Haase keeps lowering the key in which he performs “Oh, What a Savior.”

I’ve heard this multiple times on enough different message boards that I finally decided it was worth a blog post. Here is a video of Haase singing the song within a few weeks of joining the Cathedrals.

This was in 1990; he was doing it in the key of G. Within about a year’s time, he moved it down to F-sharp. This is a half-step lower. (For those not particularly musically inclined, that’s the smallest distance you can change a key.) With a few exceptions, that’s the key he’s used ever since. Here’s a video of Haase doing the song in F-sharp in 1996.

Oddly enough, he performed the song with the Old Friends Quartet in F in 2001 (see here).

Perhaps that may have been due to other factors, such as Jake Hess’s or Wesley Pritchard’s range. But within a few years, he was again doing the song in F-sharp. Here’s a video of him doing the song with Signature Sound in F-sharp, ca. 2003.

Of course, that was on a professional video. Here’s a version of the song, captured at a regular concert, probably on a video-equipped digital camera.

Here’s a video of him doing the song in F-sharp in 2005.

In summary, after twenty-two years in professional Southern Gospel, with about eighteen of those in the national spotlight, he’s doing the song today only a half-step lower than when he started–a key he’s been using over the past sixteen or so years.

EDIT: I had a complaint from a good friend that the embedded videos took too long to download on dial-up.

Last year, several Southern Gospel artists and promoters heard about Jim Hamill’s health problems and decided to put together a concert to help raise funds for his medical costs. He passed away late last year, so the concert was renamed the “Jim Hamill Memorial Concert.”

This concert took place last Friday. Several artists, including Calvary’s Way, the Old Paths Quartet, the Diplomats, the Original Liberty, Randy Miller, and the Mark Trammell Trio donated performances. Several members of these groups–Mark Trammell, Jeremy Peace, and Randy Miller come to mind–were former Kingsmen, while Eric Phillips is the son of former Kingsmen tenor Ernie Phillips.

The Hamill family has ongoing expenses from his illness; donations can still be mailed to Hamill’s widow, Jan Hamill, 126 South Joyce Street, East Flat Rock NC 28726.

Here are two videos of clips from the concert:

This video clip was taken of Greater Vision in concert over the past weekend. Watching Gerald Wolfe sing “Till the Storm Passes By” is watching a master in action.

Legacy Five’s London album was released five years ago, when the group was at the pinnacle of the Southern Gospel field. The project came out in 2003; in the year following its release, the group had its first #1 song (”I Found Grace,” from this project) and swept the Singing News Fan Awards, winning Favorite Male Quartet and three of the five quartet positions (pianist, baritone, and bass).

Looking back on the projects recorded during the seven years Roger Bennett was with the group, this was probably their best. Only Strong in the Strength, their 1999 debut project, comes close in the area of song selection.

Listening to London is more than just listening to a CD. It’s an experience.

Here’s what I mean. The project starts off with a slow song, “Holy is Thy Name,” to give you a feel for the group and its sound. Then it has a string of three excellent songs–”I’ve Got That Old Time Religion” (an old convention song with orchestra), “It’s Good to Know” (a radio single), and “He Forgets” (a big hit ballad).

Then (also like many concerts) the album has a breather. The fifth through the seventh songs (”Meanwhile,” “Mercy Extended,” and “The God Who Comes Through”) compose this  slower middle section.

Then the album builds to a strong finish, where three of the strongest songs Legacy Five ever recorded (”Joy,” “I Found Grace,” and “Home Free”) punctuate the final five songs. Home Free is a quintessential Roger Bennett solo; this recording was one of three songs he recorded that were played at his funeral.

If there was a dictionary of Southern Gospel music, this album’s picture should be placed next to  the definition of “perfect song placement.” Sometimes I wonder if it is possible that this album’s placement could have been determined by the same person who chose the order for the songs on Monuments, their following project, which I’ve maintained since the album’s release would have been a much better project if the songs had been in a different order.

While we all wish we could have had Roger Bennett with us for many more years, at least he had the opportunity to leave us with a recording of this caliber during the years we did have him.

Rating: Highly Recommended. (5 stars of 5)

In Southern Gospel, there are some performers so brilliant that the average fan just doesn’t get it.

Every genre has these performers–these Channing Eletons and Stan Whitmires, these musicians and vocalists whom the reviewers claim don’t receive their fair share of attention. These are the “critic’s favorites,” the performers that make the Averyfinelines of the world sit up and pay attention.

There is a flip side, of course. Other performers do so well at relating to the average fans that they don’t need to be geniuses. The musical elite often don’t care for their unpolished music, but the fans love it.

Of course, there are also the rare few–the geniuses, the legends–who are both brilliant and somehow manage to convey that brilliance into a stage presence with that extra something that makes the fans come back for more.

While I may be able to pop back in to moderate comments (please pardon any moderation delays), I’ll be out most of the rest of the day at a conference in St. Louis, so here’s a question to discuss amongst yourselves until I have a chance to pop back in: Which SG performers fall into each category, and why?

Liberty Quartet’s tenor Keith Waggoner writes a blog that has both personal/family and Southern Gospel-related posts. But it’s invariably interesting enough to make my daily read list. Yesterday’s post on how he’s faced the modern vs. traditional music debate from both sides is interesting and informative reading, even if it does carry the title “Soapbox Rant.” Particularly interesting is when he discusses a somewhat frequent occurrence, when those who view their music as too traditional often come up afterwards and sheepishly admit that it actually blessed them.

While the Inspirations do produce good records, I’ve been of the opinion for some time that their popularity stems from their live shows. This story in the Picayune (MS) Item is a good example why. The paper’s Lifestyles editor attended the concert, and, judging from the tone of the article, was quite impressed:

The crowd sang, clapped and shouted “amen” throughout the concert, as The Inspirations, a four part harmony group, gave the performance of a lifetime with mostly up tempo songs. …

The groups’ weaving harmonies, rounds, crescendos and decrescendos would melt even the hardest of hearts. Bass, Mike Holcomb, outshined in almost every song as his booming voice reverberated in the chest, and brought goose bumps to the flesh.

The most touching and beautiful song was performed a cappella and sung by a tenor voice lead. When the group joined in, again without accompaniment, the harmonies were spot on. The bass vocal line cut through while the tenor’s vibrato soared and floated above all four parts.

The author, Ginger Schmidt, concluded: “No matter your faith or belief, you will be inspired by the group. They live up to their name in every way.”

Whether or not you’re an Inspirations fan, it’s nice to see Southern Gospel groups winning over hearts of the merely curious in attendance.