SouthernGospelBlog.com

Stewart Varnado of the Dixie Echoes just sent out a press release announcing that former Dixie Echoes and Florida Boys bass singer Billy Todd passed away this morning:

It is with a heavy heart that I write this email to let you know that my friend and former Florida Boys & Dixie Echoes bass singer, Billy Todd, passed away this morning (November 30th), after a long battle against alzheimers.

Arrangements are still pending. They will be available at www.singingnews.com once they have been finalized.

I have just uploaded a “Remembering Billy Todd” page on our website that consists of a brief biography along with many pictures of Billy throughout the years.

Please keep the Todd family in your prayers.

God Bless you all!
Stewart Varnado
Dixie Echoes

When I gave the challenge to praise God instead of asking for things, I didn’t realize just how hard it would be. I spend a lot of my “prayer time” on a daily basis praising God for His goodness to me but I guess I never realized how much I ask God for on a daily basis too.  Not that it’s wrong to ask for things (In fact, Jesus tells us to ask) but this past week, I really wanted most of my time to be spent praising Him and I began to realize how much I ask for that He has already promised me. That realization reminded me how much more I can thank Him for than I do.

One thing people often pray is that God will be with them or be with a loved one. God has already promised to be there. (”I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” ~ Hebrews 13:5) Therefore, that is something I can thank Him for–the fact that no matter what I’m going through, He is right there with me.

I also found myself thanking Him for His covering, protection, wisdom and guidance. Although I often pray for these things, the fact is He has been providing those things and I need to remember to thank Him for that and trust that He will continue to do so.

Although Thanksgiving is the time of year that reminds people to give thanks, we need to do so on a daily basis. We have so much to be thankful for all year long. As a song the Freemans sang says, “I want to thank Him for all that I’ve already thanked Him for.” I don’t think we can praise Him too much.

Probably due to the extended holiday weekend, there wasn’t really enough news in SG to call for a Saturday roundup of stories I missed during the week.

So, in light of this discussion I was having with Chris Unthank over whether Crabb Revival is seeking success in the CCM market, I thought I’d point out something interesting I noticed in Daywind’s ad on page 39 of the September / October Homecoming Magazine:

In its third decade of business, Daywind Records is the pre-eminent label in the Southern Gospel genre with an impeccable roster of artists: Brian Free and Assurance, Greater Vision, Karen Peck and New River, the Booth Brothers, Crabb Revival, Aaron and Amanda Crabb, Austins Bridge, Legacy Five, Mark Trammell Trio, the Perrys, and Triumphant Quartet. Daywind is also crossing into the CCM Market with Pop/Adult Contemporary music from Austins Bridge, Aaron and Amanda Crabb, Crabb Revival, Brian Free and Assurance, and the Booth Brothers. (Emphasis mine.)

What caught my attention was the reference to Crabb Revival, settling the question at hand. But if it was just that, I would have left this as a follow-up comment on that specific thread. I thought this was of more general interest, though, as it indicates how Daywind explains to a non-Singing News audience the general directions they see their artists going.

Rating: 4 (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.9 (of 5)

Producer: Gus Gaches.

Song List: Must I Go Empty Handed; I Love Him So; Cloud He’s Coming Back On; When I Get Carried Away; Gulty; I Bless Your Name; It Takes Faith; Glory Road; First Day in Heaven; Without Him; How Great Thou Art; Total Praise; In His Will; To Get to Jesus; Days of Elijah.

Available from: Artist.

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Groups like Greater Vision, the Perrys, and Gold City have years of mega-hits to draw on to win over an audience and warm them to receiving their new material favorably. Newer groups like the Mike LeFevre Quartet, even though they have several albums under their belt, have to work with lesser-known songs and, when singing classics, songs introduced by other groups.

This video is the LeFevre Quartet’s first DVD. Even though only four or five songs on the project are original to the group, the program is a good mixture of classics, all-but-forgotten Southern Gospel songs, and Southern Gospel renditions of current praise songs that provides a solid introduction to the group.

The video quality is top-notch. The roving cameraman and the boom camera operator were both at the top of their game on the night of the taping, and the editing is also superb.

The LeFevre Quartet is remarkably agile at shifting stylistic gears seamlessly. Mike LeFevre’s voice is a solidly Southern Gospel baritone; David Staton’s lead vocals have a contemporary edge. A segment of Southern Gospel classics transitions into a segment of fully orchestrated praise songs so smoothy that one has to be following closely to even notice that the group has shifted gears.

The group starts the program establishing its Southern Gospel bona fides with two LeFevre songs, a Happy Goodmans classic, and Mike Lefevre’s signature song, “When I Get Carried Away” (after a witty comedic introduction by tenor Gus Gaches). After several newer songs with soundtracks, the group sings several Southern Gospel classics with a live band. The band—pianist Trey Ivey, drummer Jordan LeFevre (Mike’s son), and bass guitarist Gary Coursey (former Singing Americans bass guitarist who plays select MLQ dates), brought a boost of energy to the program.

The program closed with several original and praise songs, ending on a strong note with “Days of Elijah.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I write this, I’m particularly thankful for you. Artist don’t make it far without fans, and blogs don’t make it far without readers. Thank you for making this site a success!

Last night, Crossroads recording artist Cross 4 Crowns sent out a press release that Matt Felts is replacing Dallas Rogers at the tenor slot in Cross 4 Crowns. Dallas Rogers’ doctor had put him on complete vocal rest, forcing him to leave the group. Matt Felts, who till now sang tenor for the possibly disbanding Monument Quartet, will be stepping into the tenor slot. Owner Allen Leath calls Matt a “once in a lifetime find,” citing his heart for ministry.

Speaking of Monument, Felts’ statement left room for them to announce their own disbanding:

“I am excited to be a part of this incredibly talented group. It is wonderful to see the hand of God working in these men and it’s an honor to be a part of that. I want to thank Monument, most especially Marshall,  for the last two years. It was truly a blessing to go and spread God’s love to countless thousands at fairs across America. Thank you to all the friends and fans who supported us night after night. I will miss Marshall, Jerry, Daryl and the band greatly but I am excited to begin this new chapter in my ministry.”

This will be a huge change for the group’s vocal direction. Dallas Rogers is an Appalachian tenor in the style of Archie Watkins, while Matt Felts is a power tenor in the style of Ernie Haase. While I hate to see Rogers go—he gave the group a distinctive sound and, with bass singer Justin Terry, was one of its two strongest links vocally—Felts’ vocal abilities are unquestioned and he will be able to carry the torch without missing a beat.

For an introduction to Matt Felts, check out our interview with him here: http://www.southerngospelblog.com/archives/432.

The staff of the Gospel Music Channel named Greater Vision’s CD Not Alone as being one of the year’s top 10 Christian releases. This enters the CD in a contest for the fan favorite. The contest is open for anyone to vote; let’s put a Southern Gospel album at the top of the list!

Voting enters you in a drawing to win all ten CDs. I honestly have no idea what I’d do with the rest of the CDs if I won, but I can easily think of a person or two I know who would like the Greater Vision CD.

When I interviewed Weatherfords baritone Cody Boyer a few weeks ago, he mentioned that Lily Fern Weatherford would be having her 80th birthday on the 25th. (I confirmed the date in the Singing News Sourcebook). That’s today.

While I’m hesitant to post her email address here, it is on the Weatherfords’ website’s contact page.

Why don’t we do a little more than just paying lip service to appreciating our legends while they’re still with us? Let’s send her emails today thanking her for her years of faithfulness to spreading the Gospel.

Rating: 4.5 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Song List: The Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn; He’s Sending Miracles; Visions of Heaven; They Shall Walk With Me in White; Wherever the Wind Blows; God Still Answers Prayers; Daddy’s Home; Over in the Gloryland; In the Name of Jesus; Rain & Shine; Bend in the River; When Jesus Passes By; God’s Amazing Grace.

Available from: Crossroads.

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Live From the Alabama Theatre was originally released in 1994 and has been out of print for several years. Crossroads recently re-issued it digitally.

The album kicks off with a 49-second acapella chorus, “The Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn.” Two mid-tempo ballads follow; “He’s Sending Miracles” features Karen Peck Gooch and “Visions of Heaven” features Karen’s sister Susan on the solo with some nice harmonies on the chorus. It builds to a power ending before a quick transition to the project’s first uptempo song, “They Shall Walk With Me in White.”

After singing the solo on “Wherever the Wind Blows,” Karen Peck introduced “God Still Answers Prayers” by telling how her father had passed away the previous year. After talking further about her father’s passing, she started “Daddy’s Home” by singing the chorus acapella. The band and the rest of the group came in for the rest of the song.

The recording seems to have been originally mastered for tape release, as the applause between tracks fades out between “Daddy’s Home” and back in before the next track, “Over in the Gloryland.” That uptempo song gets the second half off to a strong start.

The next song, “In the Name of Jesus,” is tenor/lead singer Eric Morris’s first feature on the project. “Rain & Shine” was a fun, uptempo Cajun-style number that had been a recent radio hit for the group. The group followed it with one of their earliest big songs, “Bend in the River.”

Eric Morris introduced and was featured on the album’s final song, “God’s Amazing Grace.”

This project was recorded in the days when Karen Peck and New River toured with a live band. It is used to full advantage on songs like “Visions of Heaven” and “They Shall Walk with Me in White”—they have an energy that soundtracks can’t quite capture.

Fans of the current group lineup will enjoy this trip back in time. Southern Gospel fans who prefer less orchestration than the current lineup uses will also like this live project. Sound clips are available here.

In Saturday’s Roundup post, I mentioned a free sampler Canaan Records is offering. After noting the confusion over people who went to the page and only got one song, I emailed Emily Higinbotham for a clarification.

She replied that the link I gave earlier was somewhat confusing. What you would need to do is go to the main page and click on this image:

Since I already have most of the current Canaan releases, my plan had been to skip the sampler and just pass the information along. Due to the confusion, several minutes before posting this, I tried filling out the form myself to see what happens. I’ve yet to receive my email confirmation with download instructions, but will edit this post here when I get that.

EDIT (7:41 AM): I received the link and it worked. Oddly, I got two emails: One with the Mike Lefevre “Didn’t it Rain” link—seems to be the standard email signup confirmation—and one with the link to the sampler. I won’t list the tracks here (go over and download it if you want to find out!), but let’s just say it’s worth the trouble. There’s a song each from all of Canaan’s releases to date. Worth the effort alone is the Hoppers’ “Grace Will Always Be Greater Than Sin.”