Friday, March 19, 2010

Credit Card App for Iphone


Technology just keeps getting better and better and once again Apple has the upper hand. This app is an improvement over current smart phone software. A company called Payware Mobile has introduced an app (and cradle) that will allow Iphone users to place their phone in a cradle and swipe credit cards. Of course one of the break downs in the system is that the phone has to have service in order to connect to the verification company. No signal no connectivity. These transactions are still verified through VeriFone, so there wont be a whole lot of change there. Apps for other smart phones exist but credit card numbers have to be keyed in which also results in the “business” being charged higher verification limits, in most cases. This also takes the artists away from quality face to face time with fans and has security concerns. If you would like to know more information visit the Paywayre Mobile links up above.
Jeremy

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

New Project from Guy Penrod

 

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For those of you that have been around the Lynchburg area, it is no secret that Guy Penrod has ties to this area.  He went to Liberty University back in the early 80s where he earned a Bible degree.  Also, while at Liberty, he sang with probably the most prestigious Liberty group, The Sounds of Liberty.  Shortly after graduation, he moved to TN and started doing backup singing for the likes of Phillips Craig and Dean, Ray Boltz, James Ingrim, and Garth Brooks.  While doing that he got involved with the Crook and Chase show and from that started singing with the Gaither Vocal Band in 1993. 

All that was to say that Guy has changed ministry directions once again.  He left the famed Gaither Vocal Band a few months back and is now starting his own solo ministry.  It is no secret that Guy likes more country style music than anything else.  If you look at the Gaither Vocal Band projects that Guy had a hand in producing, they swing more country.  Also people in this area remember that the country driven Gaither Vocal Band release Jesus and John Wayne ended up being a more controversial one.

I have not heard the full project yet, but went to www.guypenrod.com where the samples are available and an order for the full project can be made.  If you order the CD you get a free mp3 while you are waiting on the full project.  The new project sounds like it features everything from potential releases for mainstream country radio to a cover of the Talley Trio’s The Broken Ones.  Keep checking back here as I will be posting a full review of the project once I receive it. 

Friday, August 14, 2009

Les Paul Dies at 94

Les Paul 

Guitar legend, Les Paul, passed away yesterday at the age of 94.  Even though not directly associated with southern gospel music, his contributions to the music world were great.  The famed Gibson Les Paul guitar bears his name.  He first started using the electric guitar because he wanted to be heard better over the other instruments.  Legend has it that he invinted the electric guitar but that is not totally true.  He is probably the man to popularize it.  He always worked to get rid of distortion in the guitar but became a mainstay in a lot of rock music.  He also was one of the first to experiment with layering instruments and vocals in the studio. 

 

If you would like to find out more about the life of Les Paul click HERE

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Heberts welcome new baby boy

darren

Darin and Callie Habert welcomed a new 7.2 lbs 20 inch baby boy last night, Patrick Habert.  Darrin sings bass for the Homesteaders Quartet out of OK.  To find out more information about the Homesteaders visit them here.

VA Artist Glen Shelton to be featured on Joy FM’s “Cross Country”

 

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Joy FM has started an interesting new podcast called “Cross Country.”  It features today's top country artist both in the Christian and secular arena of music.  This upcoming week will feature VA artist Glen Shelton.  Glen, from Elon VA, has been recognized by and shared the stage with some of the top talent in the music industry.  If you would like to read more about him you can visit his bio page here.

 

The new podcast will air July 30th at 7pm eastern on the Joy FM Network of 26 stations in 7 states.  You can also listen to the stream at JoyFM  The show will feature music from Glen’s latest project, including the title track “I Thought of You” along with recent interviews.  I hope you can tune in.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Eva Mae LeFevre Funeral Arrangements

 

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FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS:

Visitation:

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
H.M. Patterson & Son-Arlington Chapel
173 Allen Road Ne
Sandy Springs, GA 30328 USA
Phone No: (404) 851-9900

Service:

Thursday, May 21, 2009
12 p.m. (noon)
Mt. Paran Church of God Central
2055 Mt. Paran Rd
Atlanta, GA 30327 USA

Eva Mae LeFevre Homegoing

 

evamae2006p2

 

I just learned that Eva Mae LeFevre went home to be with the Lord today, Monday May 18th, 2009 at 7:25 am.  She was 92 years old.  Service details will follow as available. 

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Update on Aaron Swain

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Aaron is still in the hospital, but seems to be doing better.  He came out of surgery and doctors successfully removed the blockage.  He had a rough night last night with high temperatures.  It seems to have broken now so he is doing better.  His mom said that the next week will be a long one so keep Aaron and his family in your prayers. 

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Aaron Swain of Swain's Musings Hospitalized




Friday night Aaron went to the hospital with a ruptured appendix and is not doing well. The last report that I recived was today and was scheduled for surgery tonight. (Tuesday night) The surgery is to remove a blockage in his intestines. His mother didn’t know what they would find or what the blockage was. Please keep him in your prayers. I will send out new updates on this blog as I find out more information.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Steve Ladd to leave Gold City

 

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Gold City and Steve Ladd have recently announced future plans for the group and Steve.  Steve will be leaving Gold City to become a worship pastor in the Gadston, AL area.  Steve has been with the group for 5 years.  I will be sad to see him go because I believe he is one of the best tenors in the industry right now.  I remember the days when he and Aaron McCune were with The Anchormen.  One of their songs would come on and I would be reaching for the skip button.  Steve has improved leaps and bounds over the last few years.    I wish him the best on his new endeavors. 

 

Gold City will be looking for a new tenor.  If you are interested in trying out for the position click here and follow the instructions on the page. 

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Gaither Vocal Band only please

According to the www.gaither.com website, the Gaither Vocal Band will be doing some special tour dates. On most occasions, a Homecoming Tour date includes many other artist including Signature Sound, Lynda Randal, and Janet Paschal. These select dates will feature just the Gaither Vocal Band. Currently four dates have been scheduled including Springfield, MO, Lincoln, NE, Dobuque, IA, and Johnson City, TN. More dates are to come.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Jerry Kelso's Son Killed In A Tragic Accident


I just received word that Jerry Kelso’s 22 year old son Brandon was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. The accident happened in KY where he had recently moved after someone pulled out in front of him. Road conditions were wet which probably contributed to the accident.

The funeral services will be held Tuesday in Asheville, NC where Brandon was raised. Please keep the Kelso family in your prayers. Send correspondence to:

Jerry Kelso
P.O. Box 763
Bladenboro, NC 28320

Saturday, March 21, 2009

SGMA Hall of Fame 2009 Inductees Announced

 

On March 17th, the SGMA (Southern Gospel Music Association) proudly announced its inductees into the hall of fame for 2009. The inductees include Neil Enloe, Ed Hill, Harold Lane, Don Light, Bill Lyles, Billy Todd, Charlie Waller, and Elizabeth Mull.  Without talent, dedication, and hard work such as this, we wouldn’t be anywhere close to what we are today as an industry. The ceremony will take place October 7, 2003.  If you would like tickets or more information about the event you can call 865-908-4040

 

Neil Enloe Neil Enloe

 

ed hill Ed Hill

 

harold lane Harold Lane

 

billlyles Bill Lyles

 

Billy todd Billy Todd

 

charlie2 Charlie Waller

 

jbazzellmullandmrs Elizabeth “Lady” Mull

 

Don Light

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Statler Brothers Tribute

Here at Va Southern Gospel, we are always proud when one of our own makes it to the top of their industry.  The Statler Brothers did just that and stayed there for years upon years.  I recently ran across this video simply called “The Statler Brothers Song,” which is a tribute to the Statler Brothers.  The group is Grandstaff, which are the sons of Don and Harold Reid.  If you would like to find out more about the group you can go to http://grandstaff.net/


Diamond Rio A Christian Band?



Last weekend my girlfriend and I had the privilege to go to a Love 4 Life conference.  They are put on by AACS or American Association of Christian Counselors, which is headed up by Tim and Julie Clinton.  The night consisted of two speakers and two musicians.  The two speakers were John Trent and Kevin Lehman.  Both of these speakers are well respected in their line of work.  Kevin Lehman has a lot of the secular world’s attention, appearing on some good morning shows and Oprah.  

The night kicked off by Charles Billingsley doing worhip music with his keyboardist Adam Lancaster.  But the highlight of the night for me was Diamond Rio.  Diamond Rio have always had clean songs and you can’t beat that high soaring harmony that is found in just about every one of their songs.  Previous to this night, I have seen them in concert twice.  The last time I saw them they talked about their next CD being a gospel CD.  They had just done their Christmas CD which was through Word Records.  As many of you know, Word Records is a Christian label.  I thought it might be a onetime thing because most of your country acts will do a song here and there and pay homage to a “higher power.”  Lead singer, Marty Roe, took a moment and shared a testimony.  He said that they had felt like they had gotten off track as a band and he got to the point to where he wouldn’t sing unless there was a check tied to it.  He started having serious vocal problems and went to a series of vocal coaches and none of them could explain it.  He finally went to a Christian vocal coach and the first few sessions they just spent time talking and praying.  After that he said his voice started clearing up.  Although not back to 100% it was getting better.

So in light of the band taking a new direction, they have signed a record deal with Word Records.  It will be exciting to see what the future holds for them as they embark on this new direction.  Over the last few years they have been putting out songs like I Believe, In God We Still Trust, and God Only Cries.  The hook line to that song is “God only cries for the living because it is the living that are so far from home.”  Skeptics would say that this is only a marketing ploy and that they will go back after a little while.  I am hoping that they stay true and we can actually see the fruits of their labors, but that is something that only time will tell.  

You can go to http://www.vasoutherngospel.com and go to “Gallery” to see pictures from this night and may other concerts.  

Concert Review: Down East Boys & Rick Webb Family


Two weekends ago I attended a Central Va Angel Hearts Bennifit Concert to benifit the family of Christian Godin.  As I explained before on the Homesteaders review, this series is to help hurting people in the central VA area take care of medical bills through an offering given at the concert.  Preconcert music was done by the King’s Strings.  This is a group of young musicians with none of them being over the age of 21.  They played mostly bluegrass and hymn standards instrumental.  Following was the comedy and MC work of Gerilynn.  She was soon joined by Barbara Dalton and JoAnn Willis to make the rest of Garden of Grace.  Gerri Smoot was out taking care of family business so JoAnn was filling in for the night.

The first of the main groups of the night was the Rick Webb Family.  I had never heard them in concert before and was quite impressed.  To be honest, I had not heard much of their music either.  They had tight harmonies and a very good stage presentation.  If you have the chance to go out and see them it will definitely be worth the effort.  

Second up was the Down East Boys.  I think this is one of the most, if not the most underrated, quartets going today.  The Down East Boys / Quartet has been in existence in some form for several years.   They have had many hit songs yet the name Down East was not easily recognizable by your common southern gospel fan until a few years ago.  The songs that really put them back on the radar were The Mountains Will Be Shaken and Shouting on the Hills.  Those two are what Get Away Jordan are to Signature Sound and the Dove Brothers.

Overall the night was a night filled with good southern gospel music.  If you want to see pictures from the concert, visit http://www.vasoutherngospel.com and click on Gallery.  

New Gaither.com Online Community

Gone are the days of paying to be a member of Gaither.com. Well partly. Starting on March 2nd the Gaither site will be completely redone and will offer a lot of free stuff. One of the most exciting is the community features it will be offering. Singing News and Daniel Mount have tried to keep a successful discussion board but because of various issues neither have been able to keep it afloat. Gaither.com will include a free one and I am sure they will have the server space to take all the people they want. Included will be the possibilities of creating your own page, your own blog, post your favorite songs and photos, and the ability to keep in touch with fans from around the world.


Another exciting aspect is a blog from Bill Gaither himself. One would assume we will get a little more insight into how his mind works and the stories behind many of his historical songs and career moves. I am sure there will be some perks to being a paying member like special content. I have not heard exactly how the differentiation will be made but there probably will be.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Archie Watkins Resigns from the Inspirations

There have been many stories and opinions on what is happening with the lineup of the Inspirations, espeically tenor Archie Watkins.  After waiting, we finally have an answer.  Archie is set to go solo effective after the Inspirations concert Febuary 28th.  He will appear with the group one last time at New Hope Church in Sevierville, TN.

If you would be intersted in having Archie at your church you can contact him at 828-497-9798 or email him at info@archiewatkins.com  To keep up with his touring schedule and other things happening in his ministry visit www.archiewatkins.com  

Friday, January 30, 2009

Gaither Vocal Band Reunion Vol 1 & 2 Review


I recently had the opurtunity to see the brand new Gaither Vocal Band Reunion DVDs. They don’t release in stores till Tuesday but I have a friend who ordered them from gaither.com and he aleady has his.

I did not follow the GVB from the very beginning, partially because I was too young. The first GVB CD that I remember getting was Southern Classics 1 and 2. Southern Classics 1 had Terry Franklin, Mike English, Mark Lowry, Bill Gaither, and Guy Penrod. Southern Classics 2 had Guy Penrod, Mark Lowry, Bill Gaither, and Jonathan Pierce. I can say that wore those two out.

When you put in the first DVD and push play it starts out with a brief history of the group and has various pictures from different eras of the vocal band. Once the video actually starts the studio is the same as some of the first Homecoming videos. Different pictures of different vocal bands and albums line the walls. All the former members were in attendance with the exception of Jonathan Pierce and Terry Franklin. The long and short of it are the videos are very good and gives some little known history about the Vocal Band that you might not know otherwise. Classic vocal bands are reunited as well as new interesting ones. The new interesting ones are probably the highlight of the video as well as some of the stories and testimonies given by these guys. Some arrangements sound like they come straight from the 80s and some songs get a new coat of paint.

Just because I don’t want to give a blow by blow of the video and ruin things here is a song list that you can expect when you watch the video. I definitely encourage you go buy the videos and experience them first hand.

Volume 1:
  • He Came Down to My Level (old group)
  • Beginning of the Gaither Vocal Band told by Bill Gaither
  • First Day in Heaven
  • Interview with Jim Murray
  • New Wine (same song that Greater Vision did)
  • John Mohr Interview
  • Rumor Mill
  • Larnelle Harris interview
  • Can’t Stop Talking About Him (old arrangement)
  • Gary McSpadden interview
  • Tribute to the Imperials
  • A Few Good Men
  • Buddy Mullins interview
  • Born again
  • Mike English interview
  • Satisfied
  • More Mike English Interview
  • I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy
  • He Touched Me
  • David Phelps story about Russ Taff
  • Heatbreak Ridge and New Hope Road
  • Guy Penrod interview
  • Knowing You’ll Be There
  • Gary Mcspaden talking about his mom
  • Home Where I Belong
  • Steve Green talks about the naming of the Gaither Vocal Band
  • Steve Green interview
  • The Name of Jesus
  • There is a River
  • Gentle Shepherd
  • David Phelps Interview
  • Let Freedom Ring
  • Loving God Loving Each Other
  • Credits – A Few Good Men plays while LP covers scroll
  • Bonus Daystar

VOLUME 2:

  • Passin The Faith Along
  • Temporary Home
  • Lee Young Interview
  • Dream On (the same one Signature Sound just did)
  • I’ll Meet You in the Morning
  • The Really Big News
  • Interview with Michael English
  • Home
  • Interview with Guy Penrod
  • Build an Ark
  • Interview with David Phelps
  • O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
  • Interview with Steve Green
  • When the Rains Come
  • Interview with David
  • The Love of God
  • John Mohr Interview
  • A New Point of View
  • Give Up
  • Marshall Hall Interview
  • When I Cry
  • Gloria Gaither introduction of I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked
  • I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked
  • Introduction of Find us Faithful w Steve Green and John Mohr
  • Find us Faithful
  • I’m Free
  • Guy Penrod Interview
  • Make it Real
  • Mary Did You Know
  • Oh What a Time
  • Bonus material: I Believe Now Help Thou My Unbelief

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

SoGoCity.com


A friend of mine recently directed me to yet another social networking site, SoGospelCity.  One of the first ones that I was aware of was MySpace.  In the beginning, what was probably a good thing has become more and more raunchy.  Soon after that I was made aware of Facebook, a networking site formed only for college students.  When I first joined, it was required to have a .edu web address, which meant you were either a college student or professor.  Eventually that loosened up and anyone is allowed to join now. 

 

The same ideas have come into Christian circles.  In an effort to come up with clean wholesome networking, ShoutLife was formed by Paul McLellan.  The same is happening in the southern gospel world.  Recently, Charles Brady has started http://www.sogocity.com  It is a social networking site devoted to fans, singers, and promoters of southern gospel music.  I have just signed up under VaSouternGospel.com and already have several friends.  So join me and become a member of the site.  

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

George Beverly Shea to turn 100 years old


On February 1, 2009, gospel music legend of the Billy Grahm Crusades, will be turning 100 years old. After 70 albums and 10 Grammy nominations Shea is still singing. Many might remember two of his more popular signature songs, I'd Rather Have Jesus and The Wonder of it All.


In honr of Shea, Dr Paul Davis has writen a biography, George Beverly Shea: Tell Me the Story, that is being published by Ambassador International. The book is to release in the Spring of 2009. To find out more information on the book, pre-order the book, and leave Shea a birthday wish, go to http://www.georgebevshea.com/

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Southern Gospel for the Next Generation

The following article was written by my friend, co-founder of http://www.southerngospelva.com, and local representative for JOY FM Lynchburg, VA, Mike Cook

Southern Gospel for the Next Generation

By Mike Cook – Joy FM - Central VA

If you go to a typical Southern Gospel concert, you will notice that most of the audience is from a generation that was born in 1945 or earlier. It appears that some of the most recent marketing of Southern Gospel is targeted to the next generation called Baby Boomers (born 1946 – 1964) with artists like Russ Taff, The Gaither Vocal Band and The Booth Brothers performing songs from the 1970’s.

In order to preserve the heritage of Southern Gospel we must promote it to a new generation in new ways. Gone are the days when an artist can rely only on Radio, Television, and print to promote concerts and album releases. Generation X (born 1965 – 1976) and The Millennial Generation or Generation Y (born 1977 – 1998) will require a different approach when marketing to them. Here are some New Media outlets that artists and promoters can use to connect with X and Y.

A Web Site
Statistics are showing that most of generation Y and some of Generation X are spending more time each week surfing the web than watching television. It’s no wonder that most every ad you see on TV or in print includes a web address. It’s not enough to just put some information out there like a billboard, it must be done well and change often to keep users coming back. Some young artists like Crabb Revival, Valor, and The Lefevre Quartet have their music begin playing as soon as the web site opens up. The online store should also accept some form of credit card. Pay-Pal is a very secure way to accept payment and no credit card information is exchanged, just email addresses. A lot of the Talent Agency web sites provide high quality photos, biographies, and concert posters available for downloading to local promoters that are bringing the artists into their area.

Social network Web Sites
Social Network sites are very popular among X and Y. www.myspace.com and www.facebook.com offer users an opportunity to connect with each other through chats and message boards. Young artists like The Imperials and Driven Quartet have My Space pages that link to their web site.

Email Marketing
Email Marketing is a great way for Talent Agencies and artists to stay in touch with fans. I receive an Email once a month from Greater Vision that is created through a service called Constant Contact. It has templates that can be customized with photos and logos. The service also allows users to put a sign up box on their web site where fans can sign up for their monthly newsletter.

MP 3’s
Just when we were getting comfortable with the compact disc instead of cassettes, along comes the new format of MP 3’s. Apple brought us the iPod MP3 player and iTunes software for the computer that allows users to convert their CD’s to MP3 format and load them on the iPod for listening. The iTunes store provides an opportunity to preview the albums before buying. You can also choose to buy one song instead of the whole album. There is a universal database at www.gracenote.com that has artwork, album and track names for most every kind of music available. This is where we need some work in the Southern Gospel area. Not all Southern Gospel albums are recognized by this database. Artists and record companies should submit this information to the database and make the albums available on iTunes the same day that the CD is released in stores. This will increase album sales and provide more recognition for the artists among younger users.

Podcasting
A Podcast is an online radio show available on web sites and through iTunes. Daniel Britt of XM Radio and Joy FM in Winston Salem, North Carolina hosts a podcast with artist interviews. Mark Lowry and Mark Bishop also have podcasts available.

Video
Ever since the early 90’s when Bill Gaither released the Homecoming series, Video has played an important part in the spread of Southern Gospel. Now You Tube is available to allow users to search and view videos on the web. Artists can take clips of concerts and submit them to You Tube and then link them back to their web sites for viewing. Jason Crabb features several You Tube clips on his web site.

Great legends of Southern Gospel like The Statesmen and The Imperials were known for thinking outside the box for ways to promote their music. We have the torch now and must continue to look for new ways to promote the world’s greatest music to future generations.

Mike

Friday, January 23, 2009

New Gaither Vocal Band Pics

Here are some pics that were posted at gaither.net of the GVB practice w David Phelps, Michael English, Mark Lowry, Wes Hampton, and Bill Gaither.


Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Concert Review: Russ Taff to benefit God's Pit Crew


Sunday night I made the trip all the way down to Danville, VA.  For me that is about an hour and a half drive one way.  The concert was Russ Taff to benefit God’s Pit Crew.  God’s Pit Crew is a really neat ministry.  They deliver relief help all over the United States to people who have experienced a natural disaster.  They also help in the building of houses and churches that have been devastated from natural disasters.  The last project that they completed was building and totally furnishing a house in Mississippi in 10 days.  In a couple weeks, they will be headed to Texas to rebuild a church building.  This church was being really effective in the community and needs to get up and going again as soon as possible.

 

The night started out with music from the churches musicians.  It was very good quality.  They did everything from choir numbers to a quartet doing Gold City’s I Think I’ll Read It Again.  One of the highlights of the night was a group of 2 girls called The Church Sisters from Ringgold, VA.  They didn’t say how old they were but my guess would be 8 and 11.  They were very good and sang more bluegrass style.  I think they have a bright future ahead of them if they keep working.  Their harmony was practically perfect.  Be looking later because I will probably be reviewing their CD.

 

The feature of the night was Russ Taff.  He did mostly classics and standards from his long history of hits from his solo career as well as his time with the Imperials.  If you go to his website you can find a list of records and awards he has earned over the years.  His song list included: Heartbreak ridge, Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me, Trumpet of Jesus, Praise the Lord, Somebodys comin, and Bethlehem.  Another highlight of the evening came with the second to last song.  The quartet got back up and sang I Believe in a Hill Called Mt. Calvary w Russ.  Russ sang the first verse and the groups tenor took Guy Penrod’s normal part.  The night closed out Russ singing Aint No Grave.  You would have never been able to tell he wasn’t feeling well with all that movin that was going on, or as we Baptist like to call it … foot fellowship.

 

Go on over to the site http://www.vasoutherngospel.com and you can see a few pictures from the night.  

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Pre-runner to the New Gaither Vocal Band

A lot of people are wondering what the new Gaither Vocal Band's future will hold and what they will sound like.  Most groups are blessed enough to have maybe one or two super voices come through thier ministry but the Gaither Vocal Band has had one after another.  

I know the below clip wont sound exactly like the new vocal band, but this has got to be pretty close.  This has been one of my favorite Gaither clips for a long time and is nice to get a group similar to this one to materialize.  I believe this is truly going to be a supergroup.





Daniel Britt & JoyFM Gaither Exclusive

Daniel Britt, of the Morning Joy Ride, got an exclusive interview with Bill Gaither himself.  In the interview, he talks about the future of the Gaither Vocal Band as well as those who are taking other paths that will lead them away from the vocal band.  You can listen to the 18 minute clip here.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Gaither Vocal Band Anounces New Lineup


Gaither.com has announced effective immediately there will be a new Vocal Band Lineup. Guy Penrod will be leaving to pursue a solo career. Marshall Hall will also be leaving but no news on what future plans are. The new Vocal Band will be comprised of Bill Gaither, Wes Hampton, Mark Lowry, Mike English, and David Phelps. The word supergroup is used a lot to talk about many groups but I think this is truly a super group of GVB all stars. We will look for great things from this group of guys. For more information go here.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Gene McDonald to be on the new Ricky Atkinson & Compassion CD

According to southerngospelreporter.com, Gene McDonald just finished laying down two tracks that will appear on the new February CD release of Ricky Atkinson & Compassion.  The two songs will be “Get on Board” which is a song written by Ricky Atkinson and Jeff Steele.  The other song will be “Good News” written by Ricky Atkinson and Diane Wilkinson.  Other songs will include:  “We Will”, “Love, Mercy, and Grace”, “Waving On The Other Side”, “He’ll Never Forsake”, “Here For Now But Not For Long”, “He Went All The Way Home”, and more.  The first radio release will be “I Know He Can.”

 

To my knowledge there has been no word as to if this will be a permanent arrangement.  

Monday, December 29, 2008

John Jeffrey in automobile accident


According to a report on Singing News website, John Jeffrey who is pianist and bus driver for the Greenes ,was involved in an automobile accident on 11 p.m. Christmas day in Huntington, WV. Both vehicles were totalled but John only "suffered only moderate injuries."

Perfect Heart back on the road



According to reports on the Singing News website, Perfect Heart is traveling again under the direction of Mike Presnell. The group has seen such talent as Danny Funderburk, Gary Shepard, Dale Shipley, and Jeff Stice. If you would like to find out more about the group you can find out more about the group at thier website.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas


Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of things we loose sight of what this holiday is really about.  We have arguments over if we should say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.  Was Jesus really born on December 25th or was he really born in the summer?  There are probably many others in this long list of arguments that we can come up with that surround the Christmas holiday that are relatively unimportant.  The last few Christmas seasons I am reminded of the song Give the Gift by singing it in a group or solo.  The words still ring true and amidst all the other “stuff” lets not forget that the real reason that we are here, to show the love of Jesus to other people and win them to Christ.  


From all of us at vasoutherngospel.com and this blog have a Merry Christmas and don’t forget the true reason for the season is to give the gift.  


Give the Gift


Verse 1:

Seems Christmas starts earlier each season

The stores light up for all the wrong reasons

Displaying all the latest things to spend your money on

That only lasts a moment then their gone


Chorus:

Give the gift that keeps on giving

The one that makes this life worth living

The one that won’t wear out or ever fall apart

Give the reason for the season

Give them something to believe in

Give the gift that keeps on giving

Share the Jesus in your heart


Verse 2:

There’s lots of things we could buy each other

But to really show our love for one another

This year why not share the gift God sent to you and me

The One He left hanging on a tree Chorus


Chorus 2:

Give the gift that keeps on giving

The one that makes this life worth living

The one that won’t wear out or ever fall apart

Give the reason for the season

Give them something to believe in

Give the gift that keeps on giving

Share the Jesus in your heart


Give the reason for the season

Give them something to believe in

Give the gift that keeps on giving

Share the Jesus in your heart


Benny Goins Funeral Arrangements and Obituary

Visitation is Sunday from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Funeral is Monday at 1:00 p.m.

J. T. Morriss Funeral Home

103 S. Adams Street

Petersburg, VA

Obituary will be in Petersburg paper on Saturday or at Funeral Home website at www.jtmorriss.com.

 

Obituary

 

Goins, Benny L.

Benny Leon Goins, 49 of Ford, VA, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 at Medical College of Virginia. He was born on November 19, 1959 in Mount Airy, NC, to Alvin William and Iris Lawson Goins. He was preceded in death by his parents and his father-in-law, John D. Dabney. His greatest joy in life was serving the Lord by playing the bass guitar with The Harvesters Quartet and The Singing Americans. He was a member of Flat Rock Pentecostal Holiness Church in Mount Airy NC. He is survived by his devoted and beloved wife, Charlotte Dabney Goins; two sons, Andrew Leon Goins and Lewis James “LJ” Goins of North Carolina; brother, Carlton Eugene Goins and wife Darlene of North Carolina; his devoted mother-in-law Charlotte J. Dabney of Ford, numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, in laws and friends. Special thanks to his nurses, therapists, and doctors on MIOW, CCU and CSICU at MCV/VSU, and the staff of the Heart Transplant Clinic. The family will receive friends Sunday December 28, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Petersburg Chapel of J.T.Morriss & Son Funeral Home where a funeral service will be held Monday December 29, at 1:00 PM. Interment will be in Southlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the VCU Heart Transplant Program P.O. Box 980204 Richmond, Virginia 23298 or Hospital Hospitality House 612 E. Marshal St. Richmond, Virginia 23219. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com. 

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Benny Goins Goes Home

Benny Goins, formerly of the Harvesters Quartet went home to be with the Lord December 23rd at 4:15. Keep his wife, Charlotte, and the rest of the family in your prayers through this time. Funeral arrangements have not been finalized yet.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Blackwood Quartet to hit the road

According to SGWire, the Blackwood Quartet will be hitting the road in 2009. The group will consist of tenor John Rulapaugh, lead Josh Garner, baritone Tracy Trent, bass Trent Adams, and pianist Joe Cox. The article refers to these guys as a "super group." I will say that these guys are good and Josh Garner is one of my favorites, but time will tell as to thier staying power and thier "super group" status. You can follow the group at thier website.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

New Concert Dates

I just recently added brand new VA concert dates to the VA Southern Gospel website. Go check them out and go out to the program.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Concert Review: Triumphant Quartet, Booth Brothers, and Aaron Wilburn

It seems as of late, we have been getting a lot of good southern gospel music in the central VA area.  We can attribute this partly to a good radio station, JOY FM, part due to good promoters, and part due to the great fans that continue to support good southern gospel.  Last Friday night was no different story.  It was the next concert in a great lineup of concerts that Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Home has been putting on.  The line up included The Booth Brothers, Triumphant Quartet, and Aaron Wilburn.  You would be hard pressed to beat that lineup for any concert anywhere in the country.  And one of the things that I liked it was a 4 hour concert, which gave each artist enough time to do a good portion of music mixed in with a little bit of Christmas music.  The thing I hate about having a whole bunch of talent on one ticket is just having each one sing a couple songs.  I want to see a group get into their program.  I want to get a feel for what they are about and how good they really are and not just hear a couple really polished songs.  NQC or a Gaither Homecoming Concert is a prime example of having to much talent on one ticket.  Don’t get me wrong, I still go to see groups like the Vocal Band and Signature Sound, but I would rather see a couple like that and leave the rest off. 

 

I know that in the past my reviews have been going long because I have reviewed everything about the concert.  In the chance that I would bore you to death, I am going to just hit the highlights.  Also if you check out the pictures section of the website http://www.vasoutherngospel.com, I should have pics up of the concert so you can see them first hand. 

 

The artist really did a little bit of new and a little bit of old and being December we had some Christmas music in there as well.  Staff from JOY FM was there and they started the night out.  Our local joy representative, Mike Cook, was up first and introduced the morning Joy Ride Daniel, Candi, and Melody.  After talking about the station and the upcoming Gaither Homecoming Concert that was the next night, Aaron Wilburn was the first up.  He did some opening MC work and told a couple stories before introducing Triumphant Quartet.  I believe TQ is one of the best quartets going right now, taking into consideration presentation, vocal blend, and quality of guys and personalities.  They did Jesus Was Born Today, Don’t Let the Sandals Fool Ya, Delivered Again, Grace Has A Face, an acappella Christmas Medley, White Flag, Jeff Stice piano medley, and He Is.  The highlight of the set was Clayton Inman doing Ol’ White Flag.  If you have seen the guys in the past you know how much they ham this song up.  If not it is worth seeing.  The song ended up waving their “old white flags” aka handkerchiefs showing their support even though Jeff Stice hates this song. 

 

Next up was Aaron Wilburn.  He did a combination of stories and songs that included the Chinese Cat Song and If My Nose was Running Money.  The great thing about having Aaron Wilburn and Michael Booth together is they are both nuts and can play off each other well.  You never know what is going to come out of their mouth next.  The Booth Brothers came on while Aaron was still up.  Michael started talking about the great song writer that Aaron is.  One of his claims to fame is the song Home as well as Four Days Late and a whole list of others.  After talking about the song Aaron played it on just the acoustic while Ronnie sang the lead.  On the chorus the rest of the guys joined in on that Booth Brother harmony as only they can do it. 

 

The Booth Brothers set was a mixture of old stuff and newer stuff.  It included The Man I Used to Be, Feeling Mighty Fine, His Grace is Sufficient, Look For Me, It’ll All Start Happening Again, What Grace has Done (Ronnie) Welcome to the Family, and Crucified with Christ.  The highlight was Look For Me At Jesus Feet.  This is one of my favorite songs and I believe that Michael has the best version if not the best.  The thing that I love about hearing Michael sing or speak, is he is a communicator.  Singers are a dime a dozen but when you find someone that can convey the message, then you got something. 

 

The Booth Brothers concluded the first half of the program and was followed by Jason Watson.  Jason is the executive director of the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Home and the person who puts together the concerts.  He gave some information about their ministry and talked a little about the product that the groups had in the back of the church.  He turned it over to the groups so that they could go into more detail as to what they had on their tables. 

 

The second half of the concert kicked off with Triumphant Quartet once again.  They did a little more Christmas music in this half of their set.  They got started with a Christmas medley of songs followed by Long Black Train, Hallelujah Chorus, Christian Family, I’m Going Home, and another medley featuring Jeff Stice.  Jeff talked about the influences that he had down through the years on his piano playing and paid tribute to them. 

 

Instead of the Booth Brothers coming up and doing a normal set, they did a an acoustic jam session that included Michael on bass, Ronnie on acoustic guitar, Jim on acoustic guitar, Jeff Stice on piano, David Sutton on harmonica, and another acoustic guitar.  I didn’t catch his name but he had been traveling with the Booth Brothers the last few weeks.  They did Life’s Railway to Heaven and I’ll Fly Away. 

 

To end up the night, all the groups came up and did one finale song that was encored several times.  That was a great end to a great night.  You can’t go anywhere else and find a better lineup.  And to make it even better, they will be doing the same concert next year.  This will more than likely be a ticketed event so keep watch on our website http://www.vasoutherngospel.com and keep listening to JOY FM for more information.  You are sure to get another night of great gospel music from some of the best. 

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Concert Review: The Homesteaders


The Homesteaders are a unique group to say the least. That isn’t unique in a bad way they are just doing something different from the normal southern gospel group. In a southern gospel world where you have the same formula repeated, it is nice to see that the Homesteaders bring something new to the table. They call it a Christian Variety show. In a Christian Variety Show, you get a mixture of southern gospel and contemporary singing as well as some various characters through acting. And don’t let contemporary scare you because they also pay tribute to the late greats of the southern gospel industry.

This particular Saturday night was a benefit concert for Angel Hearts. Angel Hearts is an organization that helps hurting people in the central Virginia area that have large medical bills with little or no way to pay them. The southern gospel music is brought in by financial support provided by local businesses so that 100% of the offering taken at the concert can go to help the person that has been chosen.

Saturday night held a lot of music, some local and some national talent. The first group up was the Lynch Station Men’s Vocal Group. This is a group of 17 men from a local church, Lynch Station Baptist Church, that are accompanied by piano, guitar, drums, and bass. This group is dear to this concert series because of the churches former pastor, Pastor Kenny. He was a big supporter of this ministry because his family was a recipient of their good will several years ago. Pastor Kenny was killed in a motorcycle accident about a year ago.

Also at the concert was a starting comedian by the name of Geri Lynn. She did comedy from more from a woman’s prospective in a mostly male comedian world. She also did bits including playing her trumpet and wearing a sombrero. Gerri Lynn is also known as Dawn Doss and sings with the group Garden of Grace. Garden of Grace sang at the concert and did many old southern gospel favorites like Feeling Mighty Fine and Daystar. Dawn was joined by her mother, Gerri Smoot and singing partner Barbara Dalton. They also did a cover of Jesus is Mine, a Homesteaders song, and was joined by Homesteaders bass Darrin Habert.

After the opening groups, there was a “special moment” that included some of the families that have been beneficiaries of Angel Hearts in the past. Three ladies came up and shared their story and testimony of how they had been affected as a result of Angel Hearts. The outcome of these situations aren’t always what we would hope here on earth but hopefully the burden is lightened.

The next group was the feature of the night, the Homesteaders. Members of the Homesteaders are Donnie and Lisa Williamson who sing baritone and alto respectively. Also joining them are Mike Hellwig lead and Darrin Habert bass. Followers of the Stamps Quartet might remember Mike as their baritone. Mike was also chosen as favorite tenor of the Canadian Gospel Music Association before singing with the Stamps.

The Homesteaders don’t have your normal southern gospel quartet set up. First timers might wonder why they have a black curtain hanging up and some logs in the front of the auditorium. I will get to that later. The set started off with Lisa playing How Great Thou Art on an electric guitar. That was followed by the bass singer doing the first verse, lead singer doing a second verse, and the rest of the group joining on the chorus.

What A Happy Time in Heaven was the next song followed by I’m Ready to Go. I’m Ready to Go was penned by the groups own Lisa Williamson. That song was also sang by the Kingsmen Quartet and was number one on the monthly southern gospel charts and #6 for the year in Singing News Magazine.

Even though the group is from Oklahoma, they make stops frequently in Virginia, whenever possible. For those who had never seen the Homesteaders Donnie did group introductions. Next we got to see what the black curtain was all about. Like I mentioned earlier, The Homesteaders pay tribute to the late greats. Instead of just singing the songs or putting two old timey RCA mics up, they add visuals as well. While Donnie is talking about some of the old groups and how Vaughn and Stamps-Baxter used to do it, Lisa went back behind the curtain and put on a sports jacket and a stick on mustache. She came out and acted as the groups “male” tenor since women were not commonly in quartets in thee early days. They did the Statesmen classic I’m Climbing Higher and Higher. This was followed by Mike doing an impersonation of James Blackwood and Jake Hess. While doing his impersonations Lisa went back and put on a bee hive wig and got her hanky for her Vestal Goodman impersonation. The last impersonation was Darrin sitting on a stool with his leg crossed impersonating JD. He introduced I’ve Got To Walk That Lonesome Road just like JD would have and then sang the song.

The group came back in their original clothes and did a new song from their upcoming cd called Let it Rain. This is one of my favorite Homesteaders songs and just exudes energy. I think this should be the groups next radio release because it has great potential. The group followed that song by Casting Crown’s Voice of Truth. This is where the contemporary side of things came in. The Homesteaders are versatile enough that they can change programs depending on what kind of crowd they are singing to. Since this was a strongly southern gospel crowd, this is the only “contemporary” song they did. And not only do they do contemporary they do country as well. Darrin did Josh Turner’s Long Black Train. This was the break to the first set.

Leading into the next group of music was Chesterfield. This is a skit by Donnie portraying a janitor of a small church that just wants to help the pastor out. He feels underappreciated and is looking for somewhere else he can be “useful.” The group segued into a song from Darrin’s solo cd called Jesus Will Pick You Up. This is a up tempo black spiritual that shows Darrin’s range. This was followed by He’s Still On Board which was played heavily in our area a couple years ago. This is while Jerry Pilgrim was still bass singer of the group. You will know him from his Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet days as well as more recently Monument Quartet. The Homesteaders also have a Tribute to Oklahoma program where they pay tribute to many writers and artists from Oklahoma. Included in this was a good portion of patriotic stuff including the next song God Bless the USA. To really slow things down Mike did The Lord’s Prayer acappella.

The next part of the show is my personal favorite and the highlight of the evening for me. I have seen the Homesteaders several times and this song never seems to get old. I Built the Cross was penned by a former member of the Homesteaders. The song tells the story of a Roman cross builder who is commissioned to build the cross of Jesus. He doesn’t want to do it because he loves Jesus. Through the time of building the cross, he comes to the realization that he not only physically built the cross but also it was his sin that put Jesus there. Starting the song out, Donnie comes in with what someone might have worn back in that day and is not happy because he is commissioned to build another cross. He thinks he has already done his work for the day. He doesn’t want to build it and then notices that it is for Jesus of Nazareth. The song then compares that cross builder to the person singing the song, Mike, and the realization hits that he was just as guilty as the cross builder. The video that they did for this song is also a must see.

Overall the night was a good night of gospel music. The Homesteaders are a very versatile group and when they come to your area they are a must see. To keep up with their ministry and check out when they will be in your area you can check out their site at http://www.thehtq.com/.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Concert Review: The Whisnants @ Hyland Heights Baptist Church 11/1/2008


The crowd was small but that did not kill the enthusiasm of the few that gathered to see the Whisnants Saturday night. This concert was one of many put on by the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation based in Brookneal, VA. The Plantation has a great ministry to kids ages 6-17 that have been in dysfunctional families of all kinds, where those families are not able to meet the children’s needs any longer. The boys and girls come to learn skills that will teach them to survive in the real world and more importantly the gospel is shared with each one on a daily basis. If you would like more information on the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation you can go to http://www.patrickhenry.org to find out more information.

The concert was to benefit the home. A love offering was taken right before the intermission that went to Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation. For anyone being around southern gospel for any length of time will recognize some of their many #1 songs. I am not as familiar with the group as a whole so some of my song titles may be a little off. To start out the night, Jason Watson, executive director of the plantation introduced the group. The group hit the ground running with no looking back.

The group started off the night singing two songs right off the bat without talking. The first one I believe was called The Only One There Is referring to the empty tomb of Jesus followed by He’s Guiding Me. The running theme of the night seemed to be burdens and valleys. We all have valleys that we have to endure at some time in our lives. When we go through these times, we have songs that are there to uplift us and encourage us. Susan Whisnunt talked about troubles that we all go through at some time or another. She pointed out the only difference between them and the crowd was they were holding the microphones. She encouraged everyone to take their burdens and Nail It To The Cross. This was encored by Eric playing a slowed down version on the piano with the group singing the chorus and then going into Oh How I Love Jesus. The audience was encouraged to sing along with them.

Next the group turned a 180 and did the very upbeat Next Time You See Me which was encored as well after a great crowd response. They kept it going with the classic I’ll Live In Glory. That was followed by the group intros done by Jeff Whisnunt. He first introduced pianist Eric Ollis whom he compared to Otis on the Andy Griffith show. Eric stood up and stuck out his stomach to make the comparison even more real. Next in line was Aaron who is a natural born northerner. Jeff joked about trying to convert him into a redneck and teaching him to say his words correctly like “ain’t” “ustacould” and “Git-r-done!” I think it is finally starting to work for them. Next in line was Susan. She was introduced as a very awarded singer but liked to sing songs like Nail It To The Cross because of the message in the song. Susan then talked about their two kids Austin and Ethan. Austin sang a song which was a crowd pleaser but was hard on the musically sensitive ears.

Susan continued to talk after that number about being in Dollywood recently. Coming back they had already seen snow and that put them in the mood to sing some Christmas songs. After asking the crowd if it was OK, she said off the cuff she wanted to do a couple things. They did an off the cuff Acappella Acappella version of Angels We Have Heard On High and an orchestrated version of Come On Ring Those Bells.

Again the subject of trials came up and Susan talked about Jeff’s dad that had just been diagnosed with cancer. He will be going to be at Duke and staying for 5 weeks taking radiation treatments. Even though we know what we may want God knows better and we need to wait for A Greater Yes.

After A Greater Yes, Jeff talks about how the Whisnunts choose their songs. Sometimes you have those songs that are put off even though they have been written by great song writers. For one reason or another, they just don’t fit. Kyla Rowland’s The Past is a Promise was exactly that song. The group put it off for 9 years before recording it. Lastly before taking a short intermission the group sang A New Day Dawning.

After a short intermission Jason Watson came back up and talked about how the concert had already been a blessing to him, especially the song A Greater Yes. He has gone through some health issues and asked God to take them away but God has chosen not to so he is waiting on a greater yes. The Whisnunts were introduced again and they took the stage with The Other Side of Grace which was followed by He Knows My Name.

Part of many groups show today will include a request section. Someone in the crowd had requested that the group do Beulah Land. In another impromptu moment, Aaron and Eric did Beulah Land with the rest of the group joining on the chorus. This was followed by He Bled, He Died, He Rose. Next Susan asked who would lift up Jason and the boys from the Plantation in prayer as they go through their valleys. After a show of hands the group sang Even In The Valley which was followed by the congregation singing God Is So Good. An invitation was given right before singing I Believe He’s Coming Back Like He Said.

Overall the concert was good. A bunch of well known songs and an enthusiastic crowd, even though they were small, makes for a great night of southern gospel music.

Welcome to the VA Southern Gospel Blog

Welcome to the new VA Southern Gospel blog. This blog is an extension of the VA Southern Gospel website. If you aren’t already familiar with the site, we hope that you will go over and check it out. We keep fans updated on all things southern gospel in VA by way of podcasts (interviews) of artists that are coming through the VA area, VA concert dates, as well as many other resources. Also, many of the resources will be national and not just VA based such as a very popular blog by the name of Swain’s Musings. The author, Aaron, is a local VA resident that we are glad to have as a part of the team here at VA Southern Gospel.

This blog will be a plethora of concert reviews, VA artist CD reviews, and a whole host of other things that will be brought out in the future. Join us as the team at VA Southern Gospel keeps you informed of what is happening with the Southern Gospel music scene in Virginia.