SGN Scoops Digital

Karen Peck and New River’s Jeff Hawes Joins SGN Scoops Staff

Group’s  New Addition Will Chronicle Life on the Road

Nashville, Tn.  – Publisher Rob Patz has announced the addition of Jeff Hawes of  Karen Peck and New River to the writing staff of SGN Scoops Digital Magazine.

Jeff will write from the road over the next 12 issues of the digital magazine, beginning with the September “NQC’ edition, set for a September 13, 2010 publication.

“We’re so excited to have Jeff on board,” Patz says. “His perspective, his enthusiasm, and of course, his tenure with a wonderful group like KPNR will be a great fit and a welcome addition to our magazine.”

The first article by “the singing English teacher,” a self-coined nickname, will describe one of Jeff’s first trip with the group, specifically, a Gaither Homecoming Tour in Ontario, Canada.

SGN Scoops Digital Magazine is touted as the first all-digital magazine in southern gospel music. One year ago, it was purchased by Coastal Media Group and re-launched to include Christian country and bluegrass music and Christian lifestyle content. In 2010, the magazine has reached tens of thousands of readers with features on the Brian Free and Assurance, Oak Ridge Boys, Guy Penrod, Gold City, and many more.  The magazine’s content is free at. www.sgnscoops.com

More about Karen Peck and New River: www.karenpeckandnewriver.com

“Family” Unites For The Bowling Family

On-site report by Rhonda Frye

Family, Friends and Fans gathered August 3, 2010 at Trinity Music City Auditorium in Hendersonville TN for a benefit concert in support of The Bowling Family. More than 20 Gospel artists including Karen Peck and New River, The Isaac’s, The Perry’s, Gaither Vocal Band, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, performed for a sold out crowd. Honored guests in the crowd were 4 uniformed, North Carolina police officers who worked the crash scene a little more than a month ago. The purpose of the concert was to raise financial support for the Bowling Family as they recover from their accident. “Part of our family is hurting- they’re in trouble. When part of the body hurts, all of the body hurts.”- Bill Gaither

Throughout the night, the audience was brought to their feet by the music and it’s message. There were also “touching moments” as artists shared personal testimonies of the Bowling’s generosity and goodness. Legendary Ricky Skaggs said in regards to the Bowlings: ” They are salt of the earth people.” The Bowling Children were introduced on stage and later a video taped message of appreciation from Mike, Kelly and Terah was shown. The total amount of financial support is yet to be determined, however a large sum donation was presented, an announcement was made regarding the donation of new microphones and speakers and a love offering was received by participating artists.

When asked his feelings regarding “Family United”, Jason Crabb responded: “Overwhelmed! Tonight was overwhelming due to the caliber of what it took to pull off this event before it even took place. I’m thankful for the work so many people has put in- TBN and Les Butler, especially. Tonight was overwhelming also due to the caliber of artists who took their time to be with us tonight. Artists such as Ricky Skaggs, The Gaither Vocal Band. “Family United” lets us know this Christian Music Industry is who we say we are- It’s deeper than any other. Tonight is a testimony of us living the lyrics we sing.” During Crabb Revival’s performance, Adam Crabb expressed his appreciation and stated: “God has shown His love through you.” In regards to the Bowling’s future, Adam stated: “The best is yet to come. God knows how to make a way when there is no other way.”

There will be a re-broadcast of “Family United” on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 from 6-9 pm est. on solidgospel.com Donations are greatly appreciated and can be made at http://www.bowlingfamilyonline.com/

Pardon our dust… and read on!

We are working behind-the-scenes at SGNScoops.com as we prepare to celebrate one year since our relaunch!

News postings will resume next week, and our new issue for August, featuring Guy Penrod, Freedom, SGN Music Fest, and highlights from our 2010 Diamond Awards will be published Monday, August 2. Thanks for your patience!

Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out our very special July issue – this one is free to download AND available in print (details coming soon!)

SGN Scoops Writer Hosts Benefit Sale for Bowling Family

Yard Sale to Benefit Mike & Kelly Bowling.

Saturday 7/17
7:30 AM
215 Cherokee Dr
Simpsonville, SC

From Dee Ann Bailey:

Most of you receiving this know that in addition to my job and my church I am also a big fan of gospel music and have even done some writing for some national magazines and digital magazines.  On Thursday, July 1st a group that my daughter and I both love, the people and their music, the Bowling family were in a horrific bus accident.  Mike & Kelly each have some serious injuries and others on the bus were injured as well.  They are going to be off the road for some time to heal from this plus the cost of all the damages.  The Bowlings are well known in the Southern Gospel world but their influence has reached even farther as they have recently been guest performers on the Grand Ole Opry and Kelly & Terah were part of the Crabb Family and are sisters of Jason Crabb.

It’s often said that one person can’t do much, but also if every person does something a lot can be accomplished.  If this doesn’t interest you, stop reading now and delete with no hard feelings.  But I wanted to let folks I know what Alicia (my daughter) and I have decided to do.  When Alicia first mentioned having a yard sale with the proceeds going to Mike and Kelly, my first thought was – man I just gave a truck load of stuff to our church for a mission yard sale- I’m not sure I have anything left.  But as I began to think I realized yes we do have things we didn’t get together for the previous yard sales so maybe this would work.

Since then I’ve talked to a number of folks that say they have items to donate so it looks like we might have a decent size sale after all.  I’m passing this to you for a several reasons. 1) if donations continue to come in, we may need a large place than my home to have this yard sale so if you know of any spaces or lots with high traffic that would be available for a day, please let me know. 2) if you have anything sitting that you would like to donate, we will definitely take donations (please no junk, just items that can actually be sold) and lastly- 3) if you like yard sales please come out and see what we may have that you need and/or pass this on to others that might be interested.

At this moment the sale is scheduled for Saturday 7/17 at 7:30 215 Cherokee Dr Simpsonville, SC.  As I said above that could change but we would advise if that is the case.

More details on the accident can be found at http://www.southerngospel.com/Southern-Gospel-News/11634197/ or at their website http://www.themikebowlinggroup.com/

July 2010 issue now available!

The July 2010 issue of SGN Scoops is now available for download. Click on the cover to read your issue in user-friendly .PDF format.

This was our first annual print edition, which also served as the program book for the 2010 Branson Gospel Music Convention. We feature in-depth discussions with Beyond the Ashes, Johnathan Bond, Dino, Jay Stone Singers, & more!

Full color print copies of this edition will be available soon – watch this space!

Click here or on the cover preview to download.

Click here to subscribe – be notified when a new issue is published or news is announced.

Oak Ridge Boys Celebrate Honors With ‘Gospel Friends’

By Kelly Capriotti Burton

Many artists known as southern gospel royalty graced the stage of the Southern Gospel Music Guild Harmony Honors, held last week at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN, including The Perrys, Karen Peck and New River, Jeff and Sheri Easter, The Nelons, Jason Crabb, and Guy Penrod.It was a chance to showcase many of the steller songs and performers on top in SG right now, and for one group whose place in gospel music was further cemented by SGMG’s Presidential Honor, it was a time to celebrate and connect with gospel friends.

SGMG President Judy Nelon presented the long-standing quartet, Oak Ridge Boys, with the honor near the start of the evening. The group sang several songs, including their 1969Dove Song of the Year “Jesus is Coming Soon” and their most recent charting single, “Mama’s Table” (for which writer Jamey Johnson joined them on stage).

Soon after, to the delight of a decidedly traditional southern gospel crowd, Oak Ridge Boys returned to the stage to sing “Everyday” with Triumphant Quartet – the song has been a hit for both groups, years apart. The encore? A verse and chorus of the iconic “Elvira.”

The Oak Ridge Boys watched the rest of the concert from the front row, but after it ended, group member, spokesperson and popular Twitter-user Joe Bonsall organized a “tweet-up” with his gospel music/social-networking friends.

The reaction?

@chrisunthank : Cool meeting @joebonsall tonight! I’m officially starstruck!

@libbistuffle: @joebonsall gr8 seein u tonight! Y’all rocked the house!

@MaddyFatty (aka Madison Easter): Been hangin with @joebonsall all night. Had a blast! Loved seeing all our friends!

@rodburtonmusic: Cool to see you @joebonsall . Y’all rocked it tonight!

@joebonsall: Great to have had the chance to spend time with our friends in Southern Gospel tonight. So many fine folks. The award was a real honor!

Above Photo: April Hinson of Hinson Revival meets Joe Bonsall while Rod Burton looks on. Photo by Miranda Burton

Read more about Joe Bonsall, The Oak Ridge Boys, and their place in gospel music….coming Monday, May 3 in an all new SGN Scoops Magazine!

Review & Preview: Matthew Paul Turner’s Hear No Evil

The article below is a review for Matthew Paul Turner’s new book release Hear No Evil. Read our interview with Turner in the march issue of SGN Scoops, coming Monday, March 1.

One of the things I learned in one of the classes for that English Ed. degree I am currently “wasting” taught me a whole lot about something I’d always known but never verbalized: When we read stories, any kind of stories, we bring to them our own stories. Some theories even say that a book isn’t truly finished until it’s read, that the Reader’s own experiences and interpretations are what comprise the ultimate conclusion to any tale.

Oh forgive me. I in fact slipped into English Teacher mode for a moment. Let me move on to the example: When I was a kid, my conservative, quietly-Pentecostal parents were Gi-Normous fans of Sandi Patty. They were hesitant about Amy Grant. And for a long time, they flat out refused to entertain the very thought of Stryper being played in their house and piercing the ears of their naïve children (the children, my older brother and I, were already sneak-watching Twisted Sister and Michael Jackson videos, but that’s another, ahem, story).

It wasn’t until we scored some kind of Interview with Stryper cassette, conducted by some old guy my parents respected, that they compromised: We could listen to Stryper. We could not hang up pictures of them.

And so, to this day, I can sing every word of “To Hell With the Devil.” And I’m actually kind of surprised my 2 and 3 year old daughters don’t know it yet.

When I picked up Matthew Paul Turner’s new memoir, Hear No Evil, the Stryper campaign of my pre-teen years (the word ‘tween’ did not exist then) was my “contribution” to the story, as was the Matthew that I know from Twitter, where he snarks and enlightens and offends as “JesusNeedsNewPR.”

Turns out, as I hypothesize on my own Twitter bio, snark and spirituality do mix. Sweetness mixes in as well, as Turner looks back on the music-fan-formative years of an Independent Baptist child, one who risked grounding from parents and teasing from school mates to adore Sandy Patti. One of the most enlightening passages of Hear No Evil, for me, was discovering that Sandi Patty was not the adult-contemporary-gospel-darling my parents’ fandom led me to believe. In fact, Turne first saw her in concert when a small group from his church executed a covert operation to get to one. What happens is that a young man who had only to that point seen a segregated, straight-laced, “fundamentalist” version of church, sees for the first time people from diverse backgrounds and styles and denominations worshipping together. It is one of the book’s most touching moments.

Turner waxes that, “Music reminded us we could trust God, even when ‘His people’ fail us.” And so is the tone of this one-story-per-chapter collection, the thread tying each together being how they all shaped Turner’s musical tastes and spiritual convictions.

Particularly captivating is the tone with which the thirty-something Turner reminisces. Obviously seasoned in experiences and words, his voice remains one of an innocent and sometimes indignant teenager. It is sometimes difficult to tell how literally he’s portraying the moments, especially the dialogue. While this is par for the course of a memoir, I couldn’t help but wonder if those waters were purposefully muddied… so that we can finish the story.

Turner’s sharp witticisms for techniques and conditions many church and Christian-music people will recognize are clever, sure to elicit some reflection and some sting. “Faith-based bi-polar disorder” is one that jumps off the page as he describes his own potential Christian music star “wanna-be” period.  A favorite of mine is a description of a Christian rock band member, who was planning to chuck the whole faith thing, along with the music, but would stick it out for his expected month or two, as he was “contractually obligated to act like a Christian.” (And all God’s people say… ouch).

Turner’s musings about life at Belmont University (particularly his Calvinist rebellion and his first Bob Dylan listening experience) will bring chuckles to music-types. His memories of falling for Amy Grant (take a guess how many times he bought her secular project Lead Me On) and defending Joan Osborne’s Gen-X anthem “[What If God Was] One of Us” may bring hysterical tears.

His depiction of an interview with Amy Grant – during his time as Editor of CCM, the Billboard of contemporary Christian music – is already somewhat of a legendary tale amongst the social media-Christian-music-circle. Perhaps this is the way every journalist comes of age, defending the integrity of a story over a publisher’s personal agenda, but Turner’s admiration for his subject and earnestness in approaching her makes this particular tale stick.

Not all the recollections of funny, nor are they all cynical. Some of the people Turner lets us meet– through his pseudo-friendship with two pseudo-music-stars, a self-proclaimed rising talent desperate to play at a coffee house he managed, a small group leader ready to quit over “making God look like a slob,” and a gay man returning to church on Easter to find his song – show us the true heart of man who, like those who seeks to reach with his words, are believers who search, who fail, and who start over, clinging to the songs they know.

Hear No Evil carries the subtitle My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost. Even if you’ve only experienced two of the three, Turner’s subtle, sensitive, and yes – snarky, storytelling will offer you a few hours of relatable reflection and joy.

Visit Matthew Paul Turner’s blog.

- By Kelly Capriotti Burton

October’s SGN Scoops is now available

The October edition of SGN Scoops is now available!

We talked to HisSong about their trip to Norway & debut on the NQC mainstage.

We roamed NQC and spoke with Jason Crabb, Reba Rambo McGuire, The Quicks, and many more.

Read about industry happenings, like regional conventions and the recently held Elijah Conference.

Check out what Christian writers have to say about the author of The Da Vinci Code, bargain hunting, and depression.

We have packed Scoops this month with people we’d love for you to meet & stuff we’d like to share. Check it out now.. and tell your friends!

Click here or on the cover preview to download.

Click here to subscribe – be notified when a new issue is published or news is announced.

Reader tips: SGN Scoops is interactive. Most web links in the magazine are live – click on them to follow to the listed website. All ads are clickable as well. You can also use our Table of Contents – page 4 – interactively. Click on the article title you want to read and you will be taken there. We think you should read them all

Read the ALL NEW SGN SCOOPS – now!

We just published the September 2009 Edition of SGN Scoops – this groundbreaking magazine, the first all-digital Southern Gospel publication – has been given a refreshing… new content, a new look, and more ways to interact.

This issue features interviews with Chris Hester, the Stamps, Kenny Bishop, & more – plus a recap of the Diamond Awards, a look inside NQC, and an EXCLUSIVE video from the opening night of Branson Gospel Music Convention. We’re also proud to have several columnists offering fresh insights into southern gospel & Christian culture.

Download it now!

Legendary Stamps Packed the House at Princess Theatre Elvis Tribute

SGN Scoops Magzine’s September Issue follows writer Evie Hawkins as she covers the Stamps Quartet,celebrating 85 years in southern gospel and showing no signs of slowing down!

The house was full on Saturday night, August 22, as the Legendary Stamps Quartet opened the show as special guests in a sensational Elvis Tribute at the historical downtown Decatur, AL, Princess Theatre.

This year marks Ed Enoch’s 40th anniversary of singing Gospel Music. Enoch is the owner, manager, and lead vocalist, of this group that has made its mark in American music history. The Stamps have not only been trend-setters in the Gospel quartet arena, but they became a household name with their contributions to Elvis Presley projects and live performances.

As the Stamps Quartet celebrates 85 years singing Gospel music this year, they also hold the title for being the oldest professional quartet still traveling in America. Fans at the Princess Theatre fondly exchanged “Stamps” stories remembering their countless contributions and credits.

The Stamps trademark standard “Give the World a Smile,” made music history as it was a “first” for a professional Gospel quartet to be signed to a major record label as RCA Victor. From that point on, the group had been officially launched into the international spotlight becoming a household name.

The rest is music history, but thankfully history is not over, as Saturday’s show began to put smiles on faces inside the packed venue. As a quiet hush settled over the crowd of fans, and the Gospel music legends took the stage, it was almost a moment of silence. The standard that had been set in Gilmer, Texas, in 1924 from V.O. & Frank Stamp’s vision, was not simply alive and well, it was flourishing as much as it ever had been.. The Legendary Stamps Quartet with an 85th anniversary this year keeps making a tremendous impact on an industry they helped create and define Quality, integrity, and first-class image drives the current Enoch entourage. What lies ahead for the sensational and Legendary Stamps will be defined by Ed Enoch’s proven management skills incorporating his faith, wisdom, and historical track record of innovative business savvy.

Traditionally, with the Stamps, one could expect the unexpected with pleasant and entertaining surprises while experiencing the same trademark harmony bless the soul and ears, Saturday night was no exception to this rule!…

For the full story on the Legendary Stamps Quartet’s Celebration of their 85th anniversary, watch for my story in SGN Scoops digital magazine, coming to this site Monday, September 14.