NASHVILLE, TENN. (August 10, 2010) – Just one week after its long-awaited release, The Gaither Gospel Series: The Best of The Hoppers made an impressive debut, with the DVD soaring all the way to #2 on Billboard’s video chart while the CD entered the Billboard Heatseeker chart at #4. Additionally, the CD entered the Nielsen SoundScan Southern Gospel chart at #1 and the Contemporary Christian chart at #10.
One of the most awarded and respected groups in southern Gospel music, The Hoppers have spent more than 50 years recording Gospel music and traveling worldwide, performing fan favorites like “Jerusalem,†“Yes I Am,†“Shoutin’ Time†and “Yahweh,†to name a few of the 18 tracks found on this new collection.
The Best of the Hoppers, hosted by Bill Gaither, highlights many of the group’s unforgettable and heartwarming performances from the Homecoming Series over the past two decades. Claude, Connie, Dean, Kim and Mike Hopper crack open the family scrapbook with never-been-seen-before family insights as they re-trace their extraordinary musical journey.
“For 50 years, we’ve put our heart and soul into the messages of our songs,†recalls group member Connie Hopper, “and we’ve worked to make those lyrics translate onto our videos.” Dean Hopper, a second generation member added: “As I looked back over this list of songs and the memories they bring to mind, I experienced a ‘chills-up-your-spine moment’ as I considered all of the opportunities we have had. We couldn’t be more grateful.”
The Best of The Hoppers aired as a part of a television feature on Great American Country (GAC), the RFD Network, TBN, Daystar, FamilyNet, Gospel Music Television, Gospel Music Channel, Liberty, CTN, Total Living Network (TLN) and Crossroads & Vision Television in Canada among other outlets.
The Best of the Hoppers (Gaither Music Group), distributed by EMI CMG Distribution, is available online and everywhere Christian music is sold. For further information, visit www.thehoppers.com.