SouthernGospelBlog.com

Legacy Five just distributed a press release announcing that pianist Tim Parton will be leaving the group “to pursue other interests.” He will leave once a replacement is found.

Tim Parton stated that he “enjoyed filling in for Roger Bennett during his illness and was glad to stay on board after his death,” but that he got to the point where he had to choose between touring and other musical opportunities. (This could involve producing, since he has been involved in producing albums before.) He thanks Legacy Five fans “for welcoming me and accepting me into the Legacy Five family.”

Scott Fowler thanked Parton for helping through “a rough transition” with “humility and class.” He added, “There isn’t an unkind bone in Tim’s body. He’s one of my favorite people and all the guys will miss him but we wish him all the best.” Fowler will be auditioning pianists and can be contacted at scottfowler@legacyfive.com.

Parton is the second pianist to leave a major Southern Gospel group this week, Matthew Holt’s departure from the Perrys. The particularly weird feature is that both are top 5 nominees in the Singing News Fan Awards. Voting on the final round has ended, so this will not affect the vote. However, Singing News may not choose to count votes for Holt and Parton as being valid; their policies aren’t entirely clear on that point.

Everyone knew Roger Bennett would be a difficult and nearly impossible act to follow. Tim Parton did well under the circumstances, quietly supporting the group from the background rather than trying to duplicate Bennett’s on-stage charisma. His year and a half as the group’s official pianist (with several months spent filling in previously), though more or less an interlude in the group’s history, will go a long way toward letting the group’s third pianist bring his own set of shoes to fill.

Rating: 4.5 stars (of 5)

Producer: Ken Harding, Daniel Riley.

Songlist: Ain’t That What It’s All About; When I Get Carried Away; Introduction of Members; Teach Me Lord to Wait; I’m Rich; Look Who Just Checked In; Under Control; If God Be For Us; Truth is Marching On; Get Up, Get Ready; After Awhile; Alone in the Garden; Mercy Came Running; Preach the Word.

Available from: Amazon, CBD, artist.

***

This summer, Gold City releases two projects. Moment of Truth, a CD of new songs, was reviewed last week. Live at the National Quartet Convention features thirteen songs recorded over Gold City’s three sets at NQC last September. Unlike a Gaither release, where a CD and DVD released together feature (mostly) the same songs, this video features songs from Gold City’s previous release, Revival.

Gold City staged seven of the ten songs on Revival for the video; the only three that weren’t were “God’s Still Good,” “That’s What I’m Talkin’ About,” and “Not Anymore.” Five classics also made the set list–”When I Get Carried Away,” “Under Control,” “If God Be For Us,” “After Awhile,” and “Alone in the Garden.”

This is Jonathan Wilburn’s last film project with the group. It was the first in another way, though–Gold City’s first DVD without a band. But since NQC’s stage setup hides the band down on the side, their absence is less felt than in a concert taped in a typical church or theater setting.

Since performers don’t have the opportunity to stop for a re-take, often live-at-NQC videos suffer a little in video and audio quality. But the videography is impressive–though a notch below Gaither’s Hi-Def quality, it’s several notches above video quality in some previous NQC projects. There are few if any awkward cuts as a group member moves out of the camera’s zoomed view, and few instances where a shot is dampened by a sudden spotlight change.

Gold City’s last few studio projects have experimented with new styles as the group redefines its sound, with mixed (though largely positive) results. Constant personnel changes have been a challenge that the group has had to work hard to overcome. But this DVD demonstrates that they are still masters of the live stage.