The first nine songs on Greatest Hits Live were recorded in front of a live audience on December 30, 2011 in Morristown, Tennessee. The group’s must-have signature songs are included (“He Saw it All,” “Look for Me at Jesus’ Feet,” “Still Feelin’ Fine,” “What Salvation’s Done for Me”), but they also mix in the variety you would expect to see in a live concert with current songs and a hymn. Unlike a compilation, the track list isn’t determined by a mechanical calculation of which songs charted the highest; it has the more natural feel of a live program.

Just a few seconds into “Stuff of Life,” Michael Booth forgot the words. His recovery, with a spectacularly funny spin on the maxim that you get what you pay for, is a textbook example of how to recover from blooper that’s as embarrassing as it is funny.

If you ever study public speaking, you’ll be taught that the mark of a professional is not that you never make a mistake. Everyone will make mistakes; the professionals are the ones who can recover smoothly. Michael Booth is a true professional; he immediately got the audience laughing with him instead of at him.

The songs recorded live were recorded solely with soundtracks. But thanks in large part to Michael Booth’s emcee work, there is not a single tracks-only group in our genre better than the Booth Brothers at creating a live experience that approaches the excitement levels of a group with a live band. Besides Booth’s spectacular blooper recovery, highlighted above, one other highlight that deserves special mention was his heart-wrenching setup to “She Still Remembers Jesus’ Name.”

The album closes with two bonus studio cuts of new songs. These songs are so strong that long-time fans who already have the other nine songs ought to purchase the project for these two songs alone. Far too many fast Southern Gospel songs are light on thought-provoking theological statements; “Right in the Middle,” the current radio single, is a welcome exception. If you would think that an exploration of what it means to be in God’s will wouldn’t lend itself naturally to a Southern Gospel toe-tapper, think again!

Meanwhile, “What the World Needs to Hear” is a collection of vignettes of people from all walks of life who need the Gospel. It’s strong enough to be a second single if they need a second before their next album comes out.

The Booth Brothers’ rise was so connected to their early appearances on the Gaither videos that this Homecoming compilation DVD is, for all intents and purposes, a greatest-hits collection.

The format of a best-of-Homecoming video is now familiar to most Southern Gospel fans: The video is structured around a narration where Bill Gaither interviews the group members, prompting comments to introduce the songs. The songs aren’t always the complete songs; the intros and encores are often dropped.

Though the conversation is biographical, it’s not exactly chronological. The focus is on the current lineup. Jim Brady has been with the group a decade now—he joined in 2002—so they’re hardly short on strong material. It is, however, slightly odd to see the group’s breakout moment, their Homecoming Appearance of “Still Feelin’ Fine,” not appear until halfway into the program. That song and “Castles in the Sand” are the only two featuring previous baritone singer Joseph Smith.

With footage pulled from over a decade of archives, there is naturally some inconsistency with more recent footage at a higher quality than the two older songs from the Joseph Smith era. Of course, the camera work is consistently strong from beginning to end.

Longtime Homecoming aficionados will already have most of these songs. (“Above the Moon” was filmed around a piano, with Bill Gaither playing piano and adding a bass part. There are also a cappella choruses of “Through it All” and “He Saw it All.”) But this video is an excellent introduction to the group for newcomers, while long-time fans will enjoy the narration and conversations.

Worth Knowing

• Brian Free & Assurance announced on Facebook that “I Want to Be That Man” will be the #1 radio single on the Singing News charts in February 2012.
• The Booth Brothers are requesting prayer for Jim Brady’s older sister Debbie, who is in the advanced stages of ovarian cancer.
• The Collingsworth Family’s Feel Like Christmas DVD will be featured as a Christmas special on TBN next week. The special will air three times: Tuesday 12/18 at 12:30 P.M. Eastern, an airing for the early birds on Thursday 12/20 at 3:30 A.M. Eastern, and an airing for the night owls on Saturday 12/22 at 12:30 A.M. Eastern.
• Some time back, Spring Hill launched an official Gaither Vevo Channel on YouTube. Though they have had some content for the last eight months, they have posted hundreds of complete songs from Homecoming videos over the last few weeks. This is particularly notable because, due to the label’s backing, these are officially sanctioned videos. (With the possible exception of a number of songs posted to official artist channels, most Homecoming songs previously posted were posted illegally, in violation of copyright law.)

Worth Watching

It looks like Gerald Wolfe’s son Avery might just end up a bass singer (hat tip, Josh). Might a quartet configuration yet lie within Greater Vision’s future?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T66djf7TAU?rel=0]

Worth Discussing

It’s open thread Saturday—you decide!

3:1 Reviews offer three highlights of an album and one area that could have been improved.

1: Song and group lineup: The lineup of groups appearing at this live tribute to legendary producer Lari Goss is basically a who’s who of Gospel Music: The Booth Brothers, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Babbie Mason, The Hoppers, The Mark Trammell Quartet, Greater Vision, Legacy Five, TaRanda Greene, The Martins, The Nelons, Karen Peck, Charlotte Ritchie, Reggie & Ladye Love Smith, Melissa Brady, Geron Davis, and the Christ Church Choir. 

Imagine each of these groups performing their greatest songs, with a…

2: Live orchestra: Lari Goss’s orchestrations are magnificent, but that magnificence just isn’t fully appreciated when they are delivered by three or four singers on stage with a soundtrack machine. The orchestra here wasn’t just any orchestra—it was the Nashville String Machine, the studio performers who are on so many of the original versions of these songs.

It doesn’t hurt that the house band includes Kevin Williams on guitar, Wesley Pritchard on bass guitar, Mike Hopper on drums, and, on many songs, the man himself, Lari Goss, on piano!

3: Video image quality: Thanks to the filming taking place at TBN’s studios, the cinematography—image quality, lighting, and resolution—is magnificent.  

:1: Nothing: This DVD doesn’t have a single flaw.

Here’s a case in point: Narrations. For those of you who enjoy them, they’re often pleasant, subdued moments. But many of you, on the other hand, skip the narrations. When was the last time you heard a narration get a standing ovation? That’s exactly what happens with Gerald Wolfe’s narration on “Statement of Faith.”

You can give this DVD to someone new to the genre, and comment “This is what Southern Gospel is all about.” If this doesn’t get someone hooked on Southern Gospel, there’s a fairly strong chance nothing will.

Singing News announced the 2012 winners to the Fan Awards this afternoon. As usual, the Booth Brothers and Triumphant Quartet had the strongest showings. The Booth Brothers picked up seven of the twenty-one awards, while Triumphant won four.

The Collingsworth Family won Mixed Group of the Year for the first time; they also continued their streak at the Young Artist position. Two years ago, oldest sister Brooklyn took home the trophy; Courtney took it home last year, and Phil Collingsworth Jr. won it this year. This is the first time a group has had a streak of this nature; incidentally, the only comparable situation in the history of the award happened the preceding two years, with Perrys members Nick Trammell (2008) and Joseph Habedank (2009).

Wilburn & Wilburn took home awards for Horizon Group of the Year and Horizon Individual of the Year (Jordan), proving that the online buzz about their group is shared within the Singing News fan base.

Here’s the full list of awards handed out in the awards ceremony:

• Mixed Group: The Collingsworth Family
• Soloist: Ivan Parker
• Horizon Group Of The Year: Wilburn & Wilburn
• Horizon Individual Of The Year: Jordan Wilburn
• Tenor: Michael Booth
• Alto: Libbi Perry Stuffle
• Lead Singer: Ronnie Booth
• Baritone: Jim Brady
• Soprano: Kim Hopper
• Bass Singer: Eric Bennett
• Band: Kingdom Heirs
• Musician: Jeff Stice
• Trio: Booth Brothers
• Young Artist: Phillip Collingsworth
• Male Singer: Ronnie Booth
• Female Singer: Kim Hopper
• Traditional Quartet: Triumphant Quartet
• Songwriter Of The Year: Rodney Griffin
• Album Of The Year: Songs From The Heart- Triumphant Quartet
• Song Of The Year: She Still Remembers Jesus’s Name- Booth Brothers
• Artist Of The Year: Booth Brothers
• Norcross-Templeton Award: Mike Holcomb

Song Snapshots is a column featuring new and classic Southern Gospel songs.

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to interview legendary songwriter Neil Enloe about his songs. We discussed songs like “Statue of Liberty,” “The Joy of Knowing Jesus,” and “Give Me Jesus”—all of which you will read about in coming weeks.

But the conversation took an unexpected turn when I mentioned the song “I’m the Lamb (That the Shepherd Left the Flock For).”

“Now here’s where the story really turns unique,” he said.

He paused for effect.

“I did not write that song.”

He proceeded to explain that they recorded the song on their 1975 Kinda Country album. The album was released by Tempo Records in Kansas City, Missouri. The album cover designers, he said, “knew I had written some songs.” Though they didn’t know who wrote “I’m the Lamb,” he said, “they assumed I did, and they put my name on it. Ever since then, it’s been my song!”

The song was actually written by Phil Armenia, a producer and engineer who lived in Staten Island, New York—as Neil Enloe likes to joke, “it was written by a guy who’s never seen a sheep in his life!”

Armenia relates that the song was inspired by a picture: “The inspiration came from a picture I received for perfect attendance in Sunday School when I was in third grade. I always loved that picture and as a young boy I hung it over my bed.”

“Some years later,” he continues, “I was in Macy’s Department Store on 34th Street in New York City buying my wife a gift… I saw the very same picture in the Home Furnishings Department and something happened to my heart. It seemed like it was my face on the lamb that Jesus was holding.

“It began to inspire me on my commute home to Staten Island. On the Staten Island Ferry, all the words and all the music came in the 30 minutes it took to get from Manhattan to Staten Island. I wrote the words down on the paper bag that my wife’s gift was in.”

The irony of the contrast between the setting of the song and its origins is not lost on either Enloe or Armenia. Enloe notes, “I often say it was written by a guy who’s never seen a sheep in his life!”

Armenia adds: “It’s ironic that a New York City boy would write a song on the Staten Island Ferry in the middle of New York City that would have such a country music flavor. But I always loved and sang Southern Gospel flavor.”

Armenia moved from New York to Pennsylvania in 1974; that is when the Couriers heard the song and decided to record it. He has nothing but the highest praise for the Couriers: “I have known and loved Dave, Duane and Neil since I was a teenager. Their music and their testimony have been a great example of three Godly men.” He says it was “the highest honor” that they would be the ones to introduce his song.

Enloe notes that there is another side to the story. Phil and Marie Armenia perform as a duet, and recorded a song that Enloe actually did write,”I Will Live For Jesus.” He comments: “Brooklyn Tabernacle had them back time and time again, would not let them come without singing that song, and so everyone thinks they wrote that one. So we kind have a joking deal that we traded songs!”

Though the song never became one of the most frequently recorded Southern Gospel songs, it has maintained a steady presence in the genre, with renditions in every decade since its release. Willie Wynn and the Tennesseans recorded it the same year it came out, in 1975, on Presenting. The Hoppers did it two years later, on their 1977 album Collectors Edition. In the 1980s, Ken Turner recorded it with his family, on their 1985 album Ken Turner of the Blackwood Brothers Presents the Multi-Talented Turner Family. The Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet included it on their 2005 Restoration album.

The most notable renditions, though, since the original Couriers rendition were the two Booth Brothers renditions. The original Booth Brothers lineup—Ron Booth, Ronnie Booth, and Michael Booth—cut the song on their 1996 album Praise God Anyhow. Today’s lineup—Michael Booth, Ronnie Booth, and Jim Brady—recently revisited the song on their 2009 album 09.

Videos

The Couriers (Dave, Duane, and Neil):

The Booth Brothers:

The Memphis Quartet Show announced that their debut 2013 show will include the Booth Brothers performing a “one-time-only full concert as a quartet,” with guest bass vocalist Gene McDonald.

Michael Booth commented: “For those of you who have wondered what we’d sound like as a quartet, we’re about to find out at the same time! This is gonna be fun!”

The showcase will be on Thursday, June 20, 2013. Tickets are available at www.quartetshow.com.

On March 17th, 2012, the Booth Brothers, with the Declaration Trio, returned to Maplewood, MN for their annual concert at Lakewood Worship Center.  Below is a pictorial review of the blessed night with captions created by Sam, Jayme, and Caleb (with help from older siblings!).  Also, scroll down for details about a chance to win the Booth Brothers’ latest CD: “Let It Be Known”!

Give This Picture a Caption and Win!

We need a caption for this picture!  The person with the winning caption will receive a brand new copy of “Let It Be Known”, the Booth Brothers’ latest CD.   Leave your caption in the comments by 9:00 a.m. EST, Friday, March 30th!

UPDATE: We have a winner! Daniel’s Siblings, also known as the Once Quaking Judges Who Are Now Powerful and Loving and Of A Sound Mind, selected this comment from Joy (March 29, 2012 at 10:36 pm):

Ronnie: “Wow, you have a lot of flies buzzing round your horses and cows. Do you ever shoo them?”
Michael: “No we just let them go barefoot.”

Worth Knowing

• Gold City: I don’t discuss upcoming charts unless someone else has made them public, but Gold City tweeted yesterday evening that Peter James & John is going to #1 on the Singing News radio charts. This is incredibly welcome news for the group; they haven’t had a #1 in well over a decade; their last one, “He Said” in 2000, was also written by Dianne Wilkinson. This is also their tenth #1 hit.
• Ryan Seaton Quartet: On February 17th, the Ryan Seaton Quartet will appear at a concert in Evansville, Indiana. A poster on baritone Andrew Goldman’s Facebook page indicates that they’ll announce their official name there. Pianist Roy Webb will appear at the concert, but he’s being billed as a special guest, not a member. It’s not known if he will be announced as a new member there.
• Karen Peck & New River: Joyful Noise, a musical starring Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah, and others, opened yesterday. It includes this performance from Karen Peck Gooch.

Worth Watching

Here’s a first look at the Booth Brothers singing the Gaither song “Tell Me,” from an upcoming project:

Also worth watching: This gem from the mid-1980s Cathedrals, “Into His Presence,” is all too forgotten today:

Worth Discussing

It’s open thread Saturday—you decide!

Worth Knowing

• Michael Booth will be hosting an online webinar on December 12, “Keeping the Gospel in Gospel Music.” [EDIT, 6/18/12: Broken link removed.]

Worth Reading

• Lynn’s Chronicles offers the most detailed and comprehensive Wilburn & Wilburn concert review to date.
• Friday Night Revival offers a necessary and well-worded counterpoint to grumblings over Compassion commercials.

Worth Watching

Several clips of the Ryan Seaton Quartet (with Roy Webb) have surfaced recently; here are two standouts. [EDIT, 6/18/12: Broken link removed.]

Also, it’s been months—and perhaps even a member change or two—since we featured anything from the Inspirations. Here’s an acapella rendition of a song from their latest project:

Worth Discussing

It’s Open Thread Saturday – you decide!