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Fellow SG blogger John Scheideman did his most recent post on the most significant albums in Southern Gospel history. In an email exchange afterwards, we touched on how nearly impossible “best” is to quantify. I’m not entirely certain how we got to this point, but we more or less dared one another to post a top 10 favorite Southern Gospel albums list in our respective blogs.

So, totally freeing myself from the pressure to make a “best-of” list that I can give quantifiable justification for, here are my personal favorites:

1. Cathedral Quartet - Sings Albert E. Brumley Classics (1976)
2. Cathedral Quartet - Easy on the Ears, Heavy on the Heart (1976)
3. Cathedral Quartet - Plain Ole Gospel (1975)
4. Cathedral Quartet - Radio Days (1996)
5. Perrys - Look No Further (2007)
6. Ernie Haase & Signature Sound - Stand By Me Live (2004)
7. Cathedral Quartet - Reunion (1995)
8. Cathedral Quartet - Statue of Liberty (1974)
9. Perrys - This is the Day (2003)
10. Kingsmen - Live at the University of Alabama (1983)

    My short list must have been at least 35 entries long. So I couldn’t stop at 10. Sorry, John, but here goes!

11. Cathedral Quartet - Keep on Singing (1979)
12. Cathedral Quartet - Something Special (1979)
13. Kingdom Heirs - Going On with the Song (2003)
14. Florida Boys - He Shall Return (1996)
15. Perrys - Come Thirsty (2006)
16. Greater Vision - Hymns of the Church (2006)
17. Cathedrals - A Little Bit of Everything (1970)
18. Florida Boys - Timeless (1987)
19. Inspirations - Golden Street Parade (1975)
20. Perrys - Hits & Hymns 1 (2001)

And, for whatever it’s worth, here are my “honorable mention” runners-up:

• Blackwood Brothers - In Concert (1960)
• Blue Ridge Quartet - By His Hand (1963)
• Brian Free & Assurance - Live in New York City (2004)
• Cathedral Quartet - You Ain’t Heard Nothing Yet (1979)
• Cathedral Quartet - Live in Atlanta (1983)
• Cathedral Quartet - Master Builder (1986)
• Cathedral Quartet - Travelin’ Live (1986)
• Cathedral Quartet - Symphony of Praise (1987)
• Cathedral Quartet - Farewell Celebration (1999)
• Gold City - Are You Ready (2000)
• Greater Vision - Live at First Baptist Atlanta (2002)
• Greater Vision - Quartets (2003)
• Happy Goodmans - Portrait of Excitement (1968)
• Hoppers - The Ride (2006)
• Kingsmen - Big & Live (1973)
• Kingsmen - Live Naturally (1981)
• Kingsmen - When God Ran (2007)
• Legacy Five - London (2003)
• Liberty Quartet - Timeless Treasured Hymns 2 (2007)
• Mark Trammell Trio - Once Upon a Cross (2007)
• Palmetto State Quartet - Knock Knock Knock (2004)
• Weatherfords - Finest in Gospel Singing (1959)

What are your top 10 (or 20) favorites?