SouthernGospelBlog.com

In the world of Southern Gospel, in the last six months or so, Facebook has replaced MySpace as the place for fans and artists alike to network and stay in touch.

Unlike MySpace, where the structure was artist and group profiles, Facebook is structured so that all profiles are supposed to be real people, and artists are represented by fan club pages. These have taken off within the last several months, with some now showing hundreds or thousands of members.

• Gaither Vocal Band Fans – 2,792 members
• Ernie Haase & Signature Sound – 2,658 members
• Ann Downing – 1,669 members
• Gaither Vocal Band Appreciation Group – 1,141 members
• Greater Vision Friends – 919 members
• Gold City Fans – 860 members
• The Quicks – 791 members
• Legacy Five: A Southern Gospel Group – 637 members
• Joseph Habedank Fan Club – 624 members
• The Perrys – 501 members
• Talley Trio Fans – 402 members
• Kenny Hinson – 375 members
• Sisters – 348 members
• Brothers Forever Fanatics – 333 members
• Chuck Wagon Gang – 324 members
• The Cathedral Quartet – 264 members
• Triumphant Quartet – 262 members
• Inspirations Fan Club – 253 members
• Roy Webb – 250 members
• David Hill Trio – 201 members
• The Speer Family – 169 members
• The Crist Family – 166 members
• Legacy Five Alive – 164 members
• Kingdom Heirs – 156 members
• Nick Trammell Fan Club – 141 members
• Tribute Quartet – 137 members

What’s interesting—and what illustrates the year or so these Facebook group pages have had to build a fan base—is how many of the groups’ fan bases are proportionate to their real-life fan bases.

One of the artists on the Eddie Crook Company roster recently bought out the company; Reverend Gary Gabbard of the Gabbards, his brother Reverend Keith Gabbard, and Garnie Yeager, have purchased the company and renamed it Cross & Crown Music.

The company will include the labels Cross & Crown Records, 4 Square, Morning Star, and Cedar Hill. In addition to maintaining current groups and finding new groups, the company plans to re-release classic Morning Star recordings.

If anyone has a chance of actually capturing what it feels like to win one of the highest honors in Christian music, someone who won it for their writing skills probably has a head start. Check out Sue C. Smith’s post; it’s a worthwhile read—especially the last paragraph.

Yesterday, Gold City announced that Steve Ladd, who has sung tenor with the group for five years, will be leaving to become a music minister at a church near Gadsden, Alabama.

Ladd said the decision to leave was “especially difficult” since “being with Gold City has been a dream come true for me.”

All of Gold City’s tenors to date have had certain defining characteristics to their voice—a very high range and a fairly straight tones with few contemporary affectations. Ladd was an especially able contributor to Gold City’s sound since he was able to sing both the traditional Southern Gospel tenor, and then, once Tim and Doug Riley had left the group and the group started experimenting with more progressive sounds, adapt his vocal stylings to sing a more contemporary tenor part.

At this juncture, I would be surprised if Gold City hired another tenor like their last three (Free, Parrack, and Ladd)—I expect a tenor with a more contemporary edge to his voice. (Unless, of course, Jay Parrack wants to get back on the road, which is an outside possibility that would delight many fans of that era of the group, me included.) Outside of that possibility, I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see the job given to someone like Hissong’s Adam Elrod.

Information on how tenors can apply is here.

…and then there are classics.

One level of classic is a specific group or vocalist classic. “We Shall See Jesus” is a Glen Payne / Cathedrals classic. “My Name is Lazarus” is a Greater Vision classic. “These are They” is a Gaither Vocal Band / David Phelps classic (though the Happy Goodmans recorded a stellar version back in the ’70s that hardly anyone remembers).

But there are classics, and then there are classics. The other level classic is a song that just about everyone has recorded at some point or another. Just for fun, when these songs are mentioned, which artist comes to mind first?

• Amazing Grace
• How Great Thou Art
• Give the World a Smile Each Day
• In the Garden
• Just a Little Talk With Jesus
• Looking for a City
• First Day in Heaven
• Sweet By and By
• If We Never Meet Again
• I’ll Fly Away

I’ll put my responses in the comments, so as to not unduly influence yours.

In the news:

• A more complete list of Dove Awards in categories of interest to Southern Gospel fans:
  • Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year: “Reason Enough” by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
  • Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year: “They’re Holding Up The Ladder” by Jeff & Sheri Easter
  • Southern Gospel Album of the Year: Lovin’ Life, Gaither Vocal Band
  • Bluegrass Album of the Year: We Are Family, Jeff & Sheri Easter
  • Musical of the Year: God Bless the USA by Sue C. Smith, Brentwood/Benson
• The Dills have a funny post and video up about how they were helped out by a spontaneous audience member during a recent rendition of “Tired of Running.”

Video of the Week:

The Video of the Week definitely comes from Wes Hampton, who gives us an inside peek inside the studio during the recording of the next Gaither Vocal Band album:

If the songs we hear samples from—”He Touched Me,” “I  Believe in a Hill Called Mt. Calvary,” “These are They,” and a tune featuring Michael English discussing the universal (catholic with a small c) church—are representative, it looks as though the recording might focus on five-part renditions of familiar GVB songs. It does make sense in a way, since having tracks available for their most popular songs, newly customized for five-part harmony, is probably more urgently needed for their stage presentation than new material. But hopefully new material will also be forthcoming.

Also worthy of mention: Matt Paasch caught a recent video of King’s Gold in action, joined by Nick Trammell (in the red coat) on baritone and Gold City pianist Josh Simpson on bass!

Upcoming Album Reviews:

• May 1 – Classic CD – Love’s Sweet Story (Poet Voices)
• May 8 – Worth It (Brian Free & Assurance)
• May 22 – Classic CD – Pilgrim Song (Poet Voices)

(This list may be updated later in the day if I have time to write reviews for a couple of CDs sitting on my desk…or, as is more often the case these days, mp3s without liner notes. Those can prove to be an interesting challenge to review!)

Rating: 4 stars (of 5)

Average Song Rating: 3.92 stars (of 5)

Song List: Don’t You Want to Go to Heaven?; The Lowest Valley; Remind Me Dear Lord; Cast the First Stone; Master’s Bouquet; Carry Me; Father’s Blacksmith; Hold Fast to the Right; God Sent an Angel; I’m Gonna Move; Look What God Gave Me; How Great Thou Art.

Available From: Label.

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Over the last year or so, Crossroads has reissued digital versions of a large chunk of the Isaacs’ back catalog. One of the best ways to become familiar with a group’s back catalog is to listen to a live concert, to find out how they staged some of their best songs from that era. So Mountain Praise is an excellent way to introduce yourself to the Isaacs’ sound nearly a decade and a half ago.

In 1995, the group’s lineup consisted of siblings Sonya, Becky, and Ben Isaacs, their parents Joe and Lily, and a live band. Joe emceed the programs.

The group’s harmonies were just as tight then as they are now; the project starts off with a stellar acapella track, “Don’t You Wanna Go to Heaven.” Other highlights from the project include a guest appearance by Porter Waggoner on “Master’s Bouquet,” and renditions of “Carry Me” and “How Great Thou Art.”

Fans of the Isaacs’ sound will find that it has changed little over the last fifteen years. If you like them now, you will love this live recording. And if you aren’t familiar with their sound now, this project is as good as any other to introduce yourself to one of Southern Gospel’s most popular family groups.

At the 2009 Dove Awards, the Gaither Vocal Band took home a Dove for Lovin’ Life, the final project with Guy Penrod and Marsh Hall, and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound took home a Dove for “Reason Enough.”

In other news, Steven Curtis Chapman won several of the main awards, including Songwriter and Artist of the Year, marking a high point in what has been a challenging twelve months for his family after the sudden death of his youngest daughter last year.

More details tomorrow…or, as of the time the publish button is clicked, later today.

In a post on the Gaither Community site yesterday, Marshall Hall announced his future plans (hat tip, JT): http://gaither.ning.com/profiles/blogs/life-as-of-april-22. Since you have to be a logged-in member of the Gaither Community to read the post, here are some of the highlights:

• He has accepted a worship pastor position at a church in Phoenix, Arizona called Mountain Park Community Church.
• He has also agreed to record a new project with Daywind, and will be spending the next few months writing and finding some songs for the project.
• He will be doing solo dates: “My new church home is being very gracious in allowing me to travel and do concerts as well as serve as worship pastor there.”

For everyone who thought Hall’s future would surely be in CCM or in modern Praise & Worship, it’s interesting to see he’s releasing a title on Daywind. Though Daywind has some artists they are taking to CCM radio, this move makes it quite likely that Hall’s project will have some strong Southern Gospel ties.

David Bruce Murray at Musicscribe has an excellent post up today about how, as he puts it, Showmanship trumps Musicianship every time. Agree or disagree—either way, it’s interesting food for thought.