Almost two years ago, in August 2011, Ray Dean Reese was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had surgery in October 2011 and has been undergoing treatment since. Reese has been informed that the cancer is in remission and that no further treatment is necessary at this time. He comments:

First of all, I would like to thank God for His healing touch. Also, I say a special thank you to friends all over the world for praying for me during this time. We always pray for God’s will to be done in our lives. I will continue to have scheduled check-ups, the next of which is scheduled for June 2013. I am fully trusting and believing that there will continue to be no signs of cancer.  Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I go forward.

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Worth Knowing

• The Akins have found a booking agent, joining the Dominion Agency.
• Noted songwriter Belinda Smith has signed with Daywind Music Publishing.
• Worth Reading: Don’t miss Danny Jones’ recounting of the one and only time the Booth Brothers and the Cathedrals appeared together in concert.
• Worth Reading: Fuson’s Findings’ in-depth review of a classic The Sound project.

Worth Watching

At a recent concert date in Texas, a ladies’ choreography group opening for the Perrys did a choreography routine to one of their songs. The Perrys hear their song being done, come out, and epic spontaneous choreography ensues. (Even a moonwalk.)

At a recent Kingsmen concert, former tenor Johnny Parrack—the original tenor on the 1973 Big & Live version—came up. Here’s what he sounds like today:

Worth Discussing

It’s open thread Saturday—you decide!

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Worth Knowing

• Recently departed Inspirations tenor Jodi Hosterman has joined the Holy City Quartet.
• Stow Town executive Ernie Haase tweeted that J. Mark McVey, a Broadway tenor who sings some inspirational material, will be doing a record with Stow Town.
• Rodney Birch, author of the #1 December 2012 Singing News hit “Battle Stand” (Old Paths), has signed with Crossroads’ Asheville Music Publishing. He is the son-in-law of legendary writer Sandy Knight, and performs with her in the Roy Knight Singers.

Worth Watching

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

Worth Discussing

It’s open thread Saturday—you decide!

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Yesterday, I found a gold mine of old Southern Gospel records at a Goodwill in this region. One of my finds yesterday was a Kingsmen box set that, until then, I hadn’t heard of. In fact, it’s not even listed in SGHistory.com’s Kingsmen discography, and it is unusual for an album by a Kingsmen-tier group to slip past all of the editors’ attention.

This box set contains four LPs:

• Ernie and the Men of Music
• Kingsmen singing Bluegrass Pickin’
• America’s Favorite Hymns Vol. II
• The Kingsmen sing songs by Squire Parsons

It appears that the set must have been recorded somewhere around 1978. The vocal lineup pictured is Ernie Phillips, Jim Hamill, Squire Parsons, and Ray Dean Reese. Anthony Burger, who joined in 1978, is pictured, while Mark Trammell, who also joined in or shortly after 1978, is not. Does anyone know for sure what year this came out?

On the Men of Music album, four band members are pictured. Burger, naturally, is one. Are the other three Greg Fox, Gary Dillard, and Jim McCauley?

(Part of the reason I ask is my own curiosity, but another part is that I contribute edits to SGHistory, and I’d like to enter this set correctly for future reference.)

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Past the Press Release is an interview series featuring a new member of a professional Southern Gospel group. It’s a chance to look past the standard “excited to be here” press release comment and learn a little more about them. Meet new Kingsmen tenor Chris Jenkins!

Daniel: Have you grown up around Southern Gospel your whole life, or did you discover it more recently?

Chris: Since a very young age I have loved Southern Gospel music. My family introduced me to this great music by taking me to concerts with such groups as; Gold City, Heaven Bound, Hoppers, and of course, The Kingsmen. My grandfather sang in a regional quartet in North Carolina and I longed to be able to do the same. I knew from this moment, this was what I wanted to do when as I grew older. Most people follow sports and it’s statistics through the years. I was very different I ate, slept, and breathed Southern Gospel Music. I studied many groups, their styles, and their history.

Daniel: Which group(s) most influenced you to want to be a singer yourself?

Chris: The very first group I remember seeing live was Gold City. By this time, the line-up included Free, Parker, Lefevre, Jones, and Riley. They always seemed to have a very structured sound and presentation. This was very different from that of the Kingsmen line-up I remember, which consisted of Garry Sheppard, Ray Dean Reese, Arthur Rice, and Ed Crawford, who seemed to always call their songs “off the cuff” with the guidance of Jim Hamill from the stage.

Daniel: I understand you trained under one of Southern Gospel’s most beloved tenors. Could you tell us about that, and any other musical training you’ve had?

Chris: I have always loved the tenor part, mainly because I could sing in that range as a young boy as the other parts were too low for me at that time. As I grew older I prayed for the Lord to allow me to maintain my tenor range. I feel blessed that the LORD gave me the desires of my heart. As a teenager, I had the great privilege of sitting in with Brian Free for a short time during his solo years in which I received feedback, guidance, and tips in the technique of my singing. I have to say that it was not an immediate understanding and gratification in my singing. At one point, I seemed to have had an epiphany in my singing. Everything just seemed to “click” in my head regarding my singing voice and technique. I practiced daily to get it right and after the years that have passed, I still revert back to a lot of these techniques. After high school I went on to study music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the Stamps-Baxter School of Music in Nashville, TN.

Daniel: You sang with several groups before joining the Kingsmen, most recently the Vintage Quartet. What other groups did you sing with? What are some highlights from your years on the road prior to this point?

Chris: From about the age of 18, I traveled with a group from my home church called, Redeemed Voices. In the summer of 2010, we were booked at an event with Karen Peck and New River with one other regional group. From that concert, a couple of members from the other regional group and I formed the Vintage Quartet. While traveling with the Vintage Quartet, we were awarded Grand Champion Group of the North Carolina Singing Convention in 2011 and signed a recording agreement with SkyLand Records, a division of Crossroads Entertainment, the same parent company that the Kingsmen recorded with. I am glad to still be a part of the Crossroads Family and the great people there.

(Click the “read more” button—or, if you’re reading via RSS or email, click through to the post—to see the rest of the interview.)

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The Kingsmen announced this morning that Chris Jenkins is their new tenor. Jenkins, 25, comes from Greensboro, North Carolina, and sang for two years with the Vintage Quartet. He commented:

I am so thankful that God has allowed me to do what I have always loved to do. I could not be more excited about joining a group with such a legacy and rich history as The Kingsmen. I have been a fan of The Kingsmen since I was very young. I look forward to seeing what the future holds with this great quartet, especially this line-up of individuals as they are top-notch vocalists. It is a real honor to follow in the footsteps of some of my heroes.

After Harold Reed left the group last December, Ernie Phillips filled in for several months. After he came back off the road about a month ago, Chris began filling in. After several weeks filling in, he has been officially hired.

The Kingsmen: Ray Dean Reese, Bob Sellers, Randy Crawford, Chris Jenkins, Brandon Reese

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Stand Up at Opryland USA is the classic Kingsmen album that introduced the classic songs “Meet Me at the Table” and “I Sing Because.” A little-known forgotten nugget of Southern Gospel history was that the album originally wasn’t supposed to be “at Opryland USA.” In fact, it was originally recorded in Jackson, Mississippi, a taping that had to be scrapped due to technical difficulties. But forgotten footage of the original taping has recently surfaced (hat tip, Musicscribe.) [EDIT, 3/16/13: Broken link removed.]

We’ve assembled it into a playlist so that you can watch the whole thing:

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Worth Knowing

• The Akins are looking for a new drummer.
• The Mark Trammell Quartet had an electrical fire on their bus. Though it was contained to one compartment, it did impact the generator and two air conditioning units. They posted a photo of a fireman and fire truck at the bus here. 
• StowTown records has arranged for their first end-cap in a major Christian retail chain; it features the new Collingsworth Family and Signature Sound records. (See photo on right.)
• They might not have a permanent tenor yet, but the Kingsmen do have a new bus driver. Daniel Branscum has been driving for the group since October, and was officially hired full-time last month.
• AbsolutelyGospel has announced the full list of performers and presenters for the 2012 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards. [EDIT, 2/21/13: Broken link removed.] The awards will be held and streamed online on Tuesday, April 10th.
• Jaidyn’s Call has changed their name to Debra Perry & Jaidyn’s Call. Debra, Libbi Perry Stuffle’s sister, sang with the Perrys for eighteen years.
• West Coast concert promoter Jim Arneson was killed in a tragic car accident. His son, Thory, was injured and remains in critical condition.
• The Dove Brothers have joined Twitter.

Worth Reading

• AbsolutelyGospel has an excellent interview with Bryan Hutson of Soul’d Out Quartet. [EDIT, 2/21/13: Broken link removed.]
• For several years, Legacy Five has made the story of the salvation of Hanna (a Muslim girl) and Patty (her mother) a centerpiece of their live concerts. Check out this testimony of another member of the family. [EDIT, 6/18/12: Broken link removed.]
• Off-topic but also worthwhile: When Should Christians Engage in Civil Disobedience? and Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?

Worth Watching

If you missed Thursday’s post, the final Statesmen performance, watch that video now!

Worth Discussing

It’s open thread Saturday—you decide!

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Past the Press Release is an interview series featuring a new member of a professional Southern Gospel group. It’s a chance to look past the standard “excited to be here” press release comment and learn a little more about them. Meet the Kingsmen’s new lead singer, Bob Sellers!

Daniel: How did you discover Southern Gospel? What groups first captured your interest?

Bob: I was pretty much born into gospel music. My mother (Helen’s) side of the family was very musical. They were raised in church and she sang duets with her sister, Brenda, on local radio. I have been hearing Mom sing and play at the piano all of my life. She has no musical education and plays by ear. She’s always been able to hear a song one time and sit down and play it by ear. Her sister Delois was in a really good regional quartet for many years. She wrote a lot of their material and had songs published in various hymnals.

My very first memory of quartet singing, however, came from my father Robert’s side of the family, and a group called The Challengers. My great-uncle Tiny Hickman played guitar and sang baritone. I remember going to Saturday night sings of theirs that were packed out. Earl and Linda Mashburn were in that quartet as well and would go on to form a full-time group called The Mashburns (now disbanded).

As for professional quartets, I’d heard several groups, including The Kingsmen as a young person, but didn’t fully appreciate it. It wasn’t until I was probably 16 or 17 years old at a small Methodist church in my hometown of Gordo, AL when I became totally addicted to the quartet sound. An older J.D. Sumner and The Stamps appeared that night and I thought I’d never heard singing that low or that high before.

From that point on I began to buy every Southern Gospel CD I could, and I still love it just as much today.

Daniel: Have you had any voice training, or other preparations for what you’re doing today?

Bob: I’ve never had any type of formal training. When I was a kid singing with my mom and sister, she typically sang the melody and put us where we needed to be. At the time, I didn’t even know it was harmony, but I know that those years, along with the ability God gave me, are what really enhanced my ear for harmony and blending. I’ve always tried to study some of the best, as well…not only how they sing, but how they connect to the audience.

Daniel: I understand you’ve been with Capstone Quartet since 2004, and are its manager and emcee. Did you sing with any other groups before Capstone?

Bob: Capstone is the first group I ever joined. Their lead singer was called to preach, and I knew the owner (Joe Brown) a little. He probably didn’t even know I sang then, but I’d created a rough demo using a CD burner and my church’s sound system, and had given him a copy sometime earlier. Long story short, he gave me an audition and I was there for most of 8 years.

We averaged 80 to 100+ dates a year, which in addition to working a 40-50 hour per week job helped prepare me for full-time ministry. I became the owner/manager mainly through attrition, but I took our group as seriously as anything I’d ever done.

Daniel: Have the remaining members of Capstone announced yet whether they will be carrying on the group?

Bob: Very recently, we all sat down to discuss Capstone’s future. I committed my support in whatever the other guys wanted to do. Our bass singer had already resigned just a few weeks earlier, and as we had learned from past experience and with no serious replacements in mind, it would have been a daunting task just to replace one key member, much less two. What we all agreed that we didn’t want to do was bring in singers just for the sake of keeping the group together who, whether from a talent or ministerial perspective, would cause the quality to drop off.

The more we talked, the more we all felt that it was God’s timing to disband the group after 19 years. It was a difficult decision for us, and our last appearances on December 18th were very emotional.

Daniel: When did you first become familiar with the Kingsmen? What are some of your favorite past Kingsmen albums and singers? What was the first Kingsmen lineup you saw live?

Bob: I don’t remember precisely when I first experienced The Kingsmen. There was a Sunday morning gospel show on radio when I grew up that played all the great quartets, and The Kingsmen were always among my top two favorites (along with The Cathedrals). I loved their style and energy most of all. My first vivid memory of seeing them live was at The University of Alabama at the “Firemans Singing” that was held there annually. The lineup during that time would have included a full band, but the member I remember most is Big Jim Hammil. I was amazed at how Big Jim could take the audience in the palm of his hand, say whatever he wanted and make them laugh, cry or shout seemingly at will. And I also remember how far his suit coat would fly when he threw it and how he’d sometimes “knock” the rest of the group off the front of the stage for their finale. Ha.

Daniel: The press release introducing you mentioned that the first song you recall singing in your church with your mother and sister was “A Place Where the Hungry are Fed.” Now that your voice has changed and matured, do you still have the range to sing it? Is there any chance the Kingsmen might bring it back? (It’s a long-time personal Kingsmen favorite!)

Bob: I still love the song, “A Place Where The Hungry Are Fed”. I can sing it, but I’d hate to try to hold that note out and walk back and forth across the stage for 5 or 10 minutes (seemed like it!) like Arthur Rice did.

As to whether The Kingsmen will pull that one back out, I have no idea, but that was Arthur’s signature song. No one else will ever be able to make it theirs, and shouldn’t attempt to, in my opinion. Good Lord willing, I’ll have a signature song of my own one of these days.

Daniel: Put that way, I’d have to agree with you! What are some of your other all-time favorite Kingsmen songs?

Bob: As to other favorite Kingsmen songs of mine, it’s really a mixed bag. I love ballads, but I love the “3 chords and a cloud of dust” sound, too. Some of my favs from the past are:

• Child, Child
• Inside The Gate
• That Lovely Name I Hear
• Wish You Were Here
• Healing Stream
• Beautiful Home
• Look For Me at Jesus’ Feet
• All of them!

Of the newer ones, I really love “That’s All I Need”, “God Knows”, “That’s When I Knew It Was Him” and “Loving Shepherd, Gracious God”. My favorite recordings would have to be the ones that were cut live such as Big ‘n’ Live, Chattanooga Live, et cetera.

Daniel: Could you tell us about your family?

Bob: God has blessed me with a wonderful family. I married my middle/high school sweetheart, Kansas, in 1998. Two years later our first girl, Corley, came along. We had another girl, Ellie, in 2003 and our son, Will, was born in 2005. My wife is absolutely my soul mate. I could have searched the world over and never found someone more Godly, sincere and supportive of me and my ministry, not to mention beautiful! She’s a 6th-grade teacher in Gordo and is heavily involved in our home church. My wife and kids are the joy of my life and I try to cherish every minute I have with them.

Daniel: I understand that you’re an Ordained Deacon, serving Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Carrolton, Alabama. Could you shed some light on why deacons are ordained in your church, and what ordained deacons do?

Bob: My home church, Faith Free Will Baptist in Carrollton, AL was founded in 1978 by my grandfather, Paul Sellers. He pastored there until succumbing to cancer in 2000.

Shortly thereafter, I was ordained as a deacon. At that time, I was not traveling and felt the need to take on more of a leadership role in the church. Our deacons oversee the day-to-day operations of the church, which at that time consisted mainly of helping to locate a new pastor and constructing a fellowship hall. A couple years ago, I asked to come off the active deacons list, simply because I was no longer able to devote the time necessary to do the role justice.

Daniel: Any non-musical hobbies? Have you had any careers outside of music?

Bob: Outside of music and my family, hobbies of mine include college football and basketball, photography, computing, camping and anything involving the great outdoors. I have a bachelor’s degree in Finance from The University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) and spent 17 years as a Commercial Lender before trading my loan calculator for a microphone. I was the first person in my immediate family to obtain a 4-year degree, so I’m very thankful for it. If I didn’t sing for a living, however, my next profession of choice would involve photography.

God bless.

Daniel: Thanks, and God Bless you, too!

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The LeFevre Quartet announced (very) early this morning that they are hiring current Kingsmen tenor Harold Reed as their new tenor. A brief, one-paragraph statement given to the Singing News quoted group manager Mike LeFevre as stating, “His experience, talent, love for Gospel music and his heart for God will be a great asset to our group. We are excited to have Harold joining us in ministry.”

Other than owner/manager Mike LeFevre, the LeFevre Quartet has had a completely new lineup since September; Jordan LeFevre (lead) and Brandon Barry (bass) were announced as new members in early October.

Harold Reed’s first job, directly out of high school, was working for Squire Parsons. He then sang for the Dixie Melody Boys for over a decade, from about 1993 through 2004. He sang with the Florida Boys from 2004 until shortly before they disbanded in 2007, and with the Kingsmen from 2007-2011. 

UPDATE: Here’s a press release from Brandon Reese:

The Kingsmen announce the departure of tenor Harold Reed.

“I have been blessed to sing with one of my favorite Quartets for the past 4 1/2 years and now I feel it is time for me to start the next chapter in my singing career and join The Lafever Quartet,” says Harold. “Sometimes the Lord tells you it is just time and I will truly miss Ray and the rest of the guys but I am comfortable knowing we will remain in contact.”

“The Kingsmen will be celebrating 55 years of music ministry in 2012. Through those years we have had the most talented and enjoyable team members but more importantly good Christians work with our organization,” says Brandon Reese. “Harold is no exception. I know God is in control and has a plan for The Kingsmen. We are more committed than ever to spread the gospel in song all throughout 2012 and beyond.”

For consideration of the tenor position please send all info and demos to: ray@kingsmenquartet.com or brandon@kingsmenquartet.com

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