Another one for the "Wow" file

This is a video that I found that could be (possibly) incriminating. This is from The Oak Ridge Boys' 1997 Fan Club Open House at Smiley Hollow in Goodletsville, TN. Joining the Oaks on stage are Michael O'Neal and David Denton from Goodletsville, and a skinny little 14 year old with a full head of hair.....

....yes, that's me!!!!! Eat your heart out, Steve Ladd!!!

One more for the road....

Here's one more version, albeit not by Gold City, of "Midnight Cry".....

Another one down....

According to a press release on the Singing News, Everyday Driven is coming off the road while each member goes in "different directions," which means that Paul Lancaster took the Greenes job, Buddy and Kerri Mullins are now worship leaders at a church in Gadsden, AL, and Channing Eleton is going solo. From the beginning, ED never seemed to quite get the momentum they needed to really get off the ground; they evolved from Second Mile, which was essentially Everyday Driven with Donny Henderson instead of Paul Lancaster, but somewhere along the line, Donny and the rest of the group split (within months, actually), and Donny kept the name, while the rest of the group hired Paul and and named themselves.....

It almost feels like ED was more of a Christian "garage band," so to speak - a bunch of friends who loved to sing and play together, but never made it out of the lower-tier, date wise (although they had a pretty decent amount of publicity). They way they speak, it seems that they all basically said, "Look, we've got better gig offers, we'd be dumb not to take them," as thus, they head in "different directions." At least there didn't seem to be a huge blow up as is so often the case.

Three Generations of "Midnight Cry"

For your viewing pleasure.....

1987 (uploaded by me)


1997 (uploaded by user mgw1988)


2008 (uploaded by user Hawkeye315)

Southern Gospel and the English Language

A fairly-heated debate at Doug's site seems to be escalating as to whether or not southern gospel singers should practice proper diction when singing. I touched on this on a previous post here, and my view points have not changed. I agree with Doug in that he makes a valid point on putting consonants on the end of words as opposed to letting the note die off on the vowel.

There ARE some production techniques that say NOT to use the consonants to avoid a "stuttered cutoff." This is done when the lead singer uses all of the consonants, but the background vocalists only sing the vowel sounds, which fills in the vocal parts, but leaves the cutoffs as the responsibility of the one singing the lead line. I am not a big fan of this way of singing, as I feel it is just laziness - why not just take the time to practice the cutoffs??

There IS a difference between not knowing any better and doing it regardless. Some people have never had any formal training and sing based upon whatever habits they have picked up. Others have had extensive training and choose to let certain habits slide. This, to me, is the epitome of laziness. Don't slack off just because you can.

There have been plenty of people in the comments at Doug's site saying that SG shouldn't be held to the same standard as Opera. I STRONGLY disagree. By not holding SG to a higher standard, we are essentially saying that our genre is designed for the mediocre. No wonder it's so hard to get people to take SG seriously. There is NO reason that southern gospel music shouldn't be held to a higher standard than what it currently is.

Think back to the groups that have made a lasting impact on the industry. The Statemen, The original Blackwoods, the Oaks, the Imperials, the Rambos, the Cathedrals, Gold City....they ALL held themselves to a higher standard musically, and as a result, their names continue to be listed among the "elite" in SG. It's not a coincidence....

Gaither Vocal Band - "Lovin' Live"

After listening to Lovin’ Live, I got the impression that Bill, Guy, Marsh, and Wes truly have a ball singing together. Lead vocals are traded off to each member throughout most of the songs, and it truly feels like a “group project,” as opposed to previous GVB releases from the last 10 years that sounded more like the “Guy Penrod Overdub Vocal Band.”

The most noticeable difference about this project compared to past projects is that the album was produced entirely by the Gaither Vocal Band (each member gets a producers credit). As a result, Lovin’ Live takes on a more relaxed, “let’s get together and sing” feel rather than, “let’s go make a commercial, radio-ready album.” The uptempo songs are much more peppy and energetic, and the ballads seem to be full of emotion and feeling. While this makes for an overall pleasant listening experience, it also seems like they were less objective when selecting songs and creating arrangements. Some of the song selections left me scratching my head, but I guess if you’re picking your own material, you can do whatever you feel like doing!! A keen eye will also notice the absence of long-time GVB co-producer Michael Sykes. While Bill and Guy have been working as producers for years, Sykes' hand has always been noticeable in their arrangements, and I can hear a difference in their sound without him in the studio.

Several of the tracks also feature Gordon Mote’s piano playing. Ever since Bill brought him in to take over stage piano duties following the death of Anthony Burger, Gordon seems to have become the unofficial “fifth member” of the GVB, both on stage and in the studio (Gordon is credited as being the “session leader” on this project). It seems that "Lonely Mile" was chosen specifically to give Gordon his own feature, as it is predominately piano instrumentation (which also makes it kinda pointless for a GVB album, as there is very little singing on it). Maybe the Vocal Band will evolve further to make Gordon an official member??

There are several Gaither covers here, preventing this from being a completely new project. The two most noticeable covers are "Build An Ark" and "Search Me, Lord." "Build An Ark" sounds like they took the previous version recorded in 1994 (with Jonathan Pierce, Buddy Mullins, and Mark Lowry) and added a Caribbean horn line (and someone doing a party scream). The last version was a mellow, laid back track that worked well; the new version sounds like the old one on steroids. Why then would they go to all that work to re-cut one song, only to recycle the track from another song?? "Search Me, Lord" is just new vocals recorded over a 13 year old track. This is not the first time this has happened in Gaitherworld; tracks have been recycled between artists (such as "Old Friends"), but the Vocal Band itself just did the same thing on their previous album with "I'll Tell It Wherever I Go," and then SINGLED it!! I hope they don't do the same thing here....again.

As for the new material, "Jesus and John Wayne" sounds like a pseudo-spiritual country song that maybe Montgomery Gentry would record. The references are weak at best, although the music is well-done. The intro left me thinking, "How much do I owe you, to the mother said the son...." "The Difference Is In Me" gets a peppy treatment here, which is irresistibly catchy. I haven't heard the original version enough to tell if it's similar in style, but this version sticks out to me. Wes Hampton seems to have a lot of fun with this one. "Home Of Your Dreams" is musically repetitive, and while the idea behind the song is good, the hook just quite set well with me for some reason. It's like I'm left wondering, "What exactly IS the home of my dreams? It's described, but never identified." Yes, I know that they're talking about Heaven, but still....it's left somewhat ambiguous. It almost reminds me of the early 70's Oaks material that talked about "spiritual" material without being overtly evangelical.

I really like Wes' feature on "There's Always A Place At The Table." It's not a power ballad, but it's a very strong message for those who are lost. No matter what you may have done in the past, there is someone who will always love you. "Go Ask," another cover of an older Gaither tune, sounds musically similar to "I Heard It First On The Radio," very smooth and tight - typical GVB fare by now. "When I Cry," written by Marshall Hall and Benjy Gaither, shows just how deep the father's love runs for us. Marsh has so much emotion in his voice that comes through beautifully. "Prisoner of Hope" is a nice change of pace; an uptempo 3/4 tune that gives Guy Penrod a chance to shine without pushing too much.

I probably could've done without "Lonely Mile" and "Then He Bowed His Head And Died." The former, as stated above, barely registers as a vocalist feature, and the latter seems to be included to account for the customary "power ballad" for the album; in the end, it is probably one track too many....

I have noticed a couple things about the GVB on this album. First of all, as stated before, they seem to be having a ball singing together, which is apparent both in the studio and on stage. Secondly, they seem to be abandoning the "Let Freedom Ring," rafter-screaming anthems. Perhaps this is partly due to the lack of David Phelps, who was just a freak of nature. It also seems that Guy's voice seems to be weakening just a bit from 13 years of tenor-range singing and vocal strain. I don't doubt that Wes could sing some of those songs, but when the Vocal Band and Signature Sound did their joint version of "These Are They," rather than have Wes sing the last verse, as David had been doing, Guy sang the last verse (and seemed to be stretching to hit those notes, too). Maybe it's not just the departure of Phelps as much as it is Guy trying to save his voice for a while longer.

Overall, this album has its moments, but as some have stated before, it's a different direction for the Gaither Vocal Band. Their loyal fans will enjoy it regardless, but if you're used to the huge anthems and unique arrangements, you may be somewhat surprised.

And so it begins....

It has been going on, at least in part, for the last year or so, but this is the first time I've seen a headline that places full blame for coming off the road on finances.

Gospel Sounds Duet, a full time christian touring group, has cancelled their tour due to gas prices, and low attendance at churches and events. The group has been touring full time on the east coast for 6 years in Delaware, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, West VA, and Virginia doing about 150 church concerts a year.

- Source: SoGospelNews.com

Granted, I'm not familiar with the Gospel Sounds Duet, but from the sounds of their press release, it seems that they stayed relatively busy, just as any other mid-range regional group. Unfortunately, I can't say that they are the only ones being affected by such problems as low attendance and rising gas prices.

If you notice, however, it does NOT say that the duet is completely ending their involvement in gospel music. I can't see them having the money to afford more album projects, but maybe they'll come back later to continue touring. There is no finality in their words, only that their current tour is canceled. Many artists do this when sales are down (cough cough, Kelly Clarkson....)

I have a feeling that they will not be the last group, however, to have to make a change to their touring habits....

Define "baritone"....

A while back, Brandon Coomer posted an oddity about an award Glen Payne won in 1982: that of the Singing News Fan Awards for Favorite Baritone. Since that posting, I've listened quite a bit to the Cathedrals' projects from the time that Kirk Talley, Mark Trammell, then Danny Funderburk joined. If you listen closely, their vocal arrangements changed noticeably when Mark joined in that both his "baritone" part and the tenor part were typically stacked ABOVE Glen's voice. More often than not, Mark was singing in the lead (and often in the tenor) range, while Glen stayed comfortably in the lower lead/baritone range.

The first really noticable example of this would be "Step Into The Water." The last choruses had Glen Payne singing the lead line, but Mark and Kirk were both stacked above Glen. The result is that Mark is now singing what would traditionally be a tenor line, and Kirk is singing the baritone line an octave higher. While this does happen from time to time with inverted harmonies, it is not necessarily something that a group does on a regular basis.

When Danny joined the group, their sound relied heavily on his power tenor. Also, you can hear a similar vocal quality between Danny and Mark, which makes their close harmonies sound even tighter. The more that Danny's voice became essential to their sound, the more Mark and Danny were repeatedly stacked above Glen, regardless of who sang lead on a certain song.

If you listen to, for example, "Somebody Touched Me," Danny obviously has the lead on the song. Typical SG harmony rules state that the LEAD singer's vocal part would be just below the tenor, and the BARITONE's vocal would be below the lead. In this case (and many others from this time frame), the harmony went Danny, Mark, Glen, George (the same way they stood on stage). It is therefore quite understandable to consider Glen to be, technically speaking, a baritone.

Up until 1979 (when Kirk and Mark joined), Glen WAS the traditional lead singer, with Roy Tremble singing tenor above him and George Amon Webster singing baritone below him. Their arrangements weren't quite as high back then, but they arranged the songs to their abilities (much like The Oak Ridge Boys do today). There is no doubt that Mark and Kirk (and later, Danny) had the upper range to sing higher arrangements, but the question remains: did this change come as a result of their abilities, or was it more to save Glen's voice (who, by this time, had been singing with the group for nearly 20 years)?

ISO a scan

Anyone who has the Cathedrals' Distinctively LP and a flatbed scanner, could you possibly forward a hi-res photo of the BACK of the LP jacket, and if possible, a photo of the record label itself to kyle@acclaimqt.com? MUCH APPRECIATED!!!!

"How Great Is Our God" vs "How Great Thou Art"

....and other P&W vs Hymns arguments!!! I was going to reply to David Bruce Murray's post, but had so many different ideas running at once, I decided to bring it here and address them.

DBM's comments are actually a response to Jerry Kirksey's own blog on the use of the classic hymns in church services over modern praise and worship songs. Jerry comments that the current lineup of P&W music simply doesn't hold a candle to the traditional, classic, Red Book hymns. He gives an example of "Standing On The Promises" to state his case. I cannot argue with his point that such a song DOES present a song of praise and worship. I also cannot argue with his point that the song is OLD. If you were to play a standard hymnal arrangement of this song alongside, say, "Trading My Sorrows," and asked a group of college kids to pick their favorite....I'm willing to bet I could guess which one they'd pick.

This argument is much like the King James/NIV argument. This past weekend, Acclaim sang at Baptist church that brought in a guest preacher for the day (Brother Doyle....the most charismatic Baptist preacher I think I've ever witnessed!!). He asked Dave (our tenor) to read a line from the book of Romans. Dave read it from his pocket Bible that he travels with, and got a strange look from Brother Doyle. He started laughing and said, "Boy, get yourself a REAL Bible!!" Dave was reading from the New International Version, and Brother Doyle (and the majority of the church) was using the traditional King James Version (I didn't have the guts to admit that I was actually using a New Living Translation; I just kept hoping Brother Doyle didn't ask me to read!!).

Some people will say that the King James Version of the Bible is the ONLY version of the Bible, while others will say that new translations such as the NIV, NLT, the Message, and such, are easier to read and understand. If I were ministering to someone who had a hard time understanding the KJV, I'd offer them an easier translation to assist them because it's exactly that....A TRANSLATION!!!

In the same way, the old hymns, the new praise and worship, southern gospel, Christian rock, what have you, are essentially musical translations of one's own worship experience with God. Think about it....

VERSE(1):
The splendor of a King,
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
All the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at his voice,
And trembles at his voice

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all who sing
How great, How great
Is our God

("How Great Is Our God," by Chris Tomlin)

Compare that to.....

VERSE(1):
Oh Lord, My God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

CHORUS:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

("How Great Thou Art," by Stuart K. Hine)**

**I originally listed "Stuart Hamblen" as the author....got my Stuarts mixed up. Thanks!!!!

Catching up with Shane Dunlap

After hitting the ground running with N'Harmony, then shooting to the top with Signature Sound, Shane Dunlap shifted gears in 2003 and began a solo ministry, while also finding time to fill in with The Trio along with Kirk Talley and the late Anthony Burger. His much-praised (including by me) solo project, Paradise, proved that not only was he a great vocalist, but a very able producer in his own right.

It's been a little while since we've seen or heard Shane on a large scope, but thanks to a few e-mail exchanges, I am happy to post an interview that should bring everyone up to date with what Shane Dunlap is up to nowadays, as well as a little background on his gospel career.

So, without further ado....

Let's start at the beginning.... What was your first exposure to gospel music?

I had gotten a cassette copy of Gold City live. I never even saw a picture of them because it was a copy made by someone. I fell in love with them right away. I had sung in church all my life, but I never heard anything like that before.

What was your first real experience as a gospel singer?

Like I said before, I had always sung in my home church growing up. i was mostly in children's choir and a few small groups.

Can you give me a little more history on N'Harmony? I've seen footage of the group as both a trio and a quartet. How long was the group together, and when was it formed?

N' Harmony was formed back in 1992 in by my late father Steve Dunlap and myself. We moved to Nashville TN in late 1995 and then signed a deal with Homeland Records who at the time had one of the top artist rosters in gospel music including The Cathedrals, The Hoppers, The Nelons, The Dove Brothers, The Bishops, Ivan Parker and The Florida Boys. Todd Payne the VP of Homeland at the time thought that we would be better suited as a quartet, so we hired a bass singer and became one. I retired the group at the end of 2002.

What was it like singing in a group with your father?

It was a great time in my life. Looking back on it now, I wish that I would have cherished the moments a little more than I did, but I was just a kid. My dad was an awesome soul, and I am glad that I had the time that I did with him.

Being the owner and manager of a gospel group, what was it like leaving that behind to join an up-and-coming quartet?

Well at the time, a lot of things were happening in my life that led to that decision. I was recently married and my wife and I were living in different states for our first year and a half. She was in Grad school at The University of NC and i was running N'Harmony in Nashville TN. We got together when we could, but it was pretty tough at times.

In the summer of 2002 we found out that we were expecting our son Carson. Wow!!! I did not expect that, but a change had to be made somewhere. We were praying hard about the situation when I received the call asking me if I wanted to join Signature Sound. I took the job of course and decided to retire the N' Harmony name.

After I took the position with Signature Sound, I moved to NC to be with my wife and our soon to be born son. I went on the road in Jan. and he was born in Feb. Lets just say that life changed!!! It was extremely difficult for me to leave my wife (a full time student) with a new baby. On top of that, I was flying from Raleigh to Columbus OH (out of my own pocket) every single week to meet the bus. I was literally home for about 1 and a half days a week not including long tours. Whenever I was home, I was always so exhausted from the weekend that it was
insane.

As I look back today, I now know why things eventually happened the way that they did. The one thing that I learned through the entire experience is, God always has a plan. It all worked out great for me. I have a wonderful wife, and two beautiful children. I get to see them grow up, and don't have to get on a bus every Wed night or ever go on a twenty day trip. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I think there is a place for people to do it, but its just not a healthy life for a husband or father. Just my opinion! Some of these groups today are on the road away from there families for more than 250 days a year. My ministry starts at home......I have the best of both worlds for sure. I can fly to a date and be back home in time go to my son's T- Ball game or my daughters program at school.

Since entering into a solo ministry, you said you were much happier to be able to spend time with your family (and this was touched upon on your "Paradise" CD with the song "Better Than This"), but this also leaves someone who is rather experienced in a group atmosphere suddenly thrust into the spotlight all alone. Has it taken some getting used to singing as a soloist?

It was not a difficult transition for me in some ways, because I was so used to doing a lot of the day to day stuff that goes along with running a group. However, it was lonely on the road without someone to travel with. After the first year, I had a guy that traveled with me and helped me out a lot, but that first year was pretty tough. I did miss singing harmony!

Your "Paradise" project has been consistently praised, with particular mention of your production work. Have you been working with any other artists as a producer? Is that something you'd like to get into on a regular basis?

I love the studio!!! As a matter of fact, you could call me a studio rat.... I just love creating music and trying different things out. I have been producing quite a bit over the past couple of years. I have done about 5 in the last year. I just finished doing a project for a guy from Northern Ireland named Rev. William McCrea. He has a huge following over in Europe and was fantastic to work with. I am also planning on starting to do a lot more producing in the future. I have two more projects this month.

I want to thank Shane for taking the time to do this interview. If you would like to get in contact with Shane, you can reach him at shanedunlapsings@yahoo.com. You can also visit his website and order product at http://www.shanedunlap.com/.