Southern Gospel News SGNScoops Digital

September 2015 SGNScoops Magazine

September 2015 SGNScoops Magazine

Welcome to the first issue of the seventh year of SGNScoops Magazine! We are happy that you have joined us along this journey and we hope you will keep reading our pages! This September edition brings us stories about the Gaither Vocal Band, the New Dove Brothers, Ken and Jean Grady, Sharron Kay King, Maria Kramer, Exodus, Joshua Horrell, Chris Hester, and Sunday Drive.

SGN Scoops Wacky Wednesday Poll: What Album Should Every Gospel Fan Own?

Thanks for joining us for another SGN Scoops Wacky Wednesday! Today’s question for our fearless panel of artists: “What is the one album every Gospel fan should have in their collection?” As you might expect, some of the answers are a little less than scientifically proven.

Nevertheless, SGN Scoops polled about 18 or so artists about various things and tabulated their answers. We have used this (not so great) scientific process to create today’s Wacky Wednesday Top Ten. Our panel of expert artists gave us the following answers.

The artists whose albums should be owned by every Southern Gospel aficionado are the incomparable Cathedrals.

All of the Booth Brothers were united in their response, giving three votes to Live in Atlanta by the Cathedrals. Donna King says, “Anything by the Hinsons or Cathedrals (can’t pick one!)” And no, Donna you didn’t fail that one! Michaela Brown also voted for any of the Cathedral albums.

The Singing Americans, a quartet ahead of its time, and the 24-karat Gold City were tied for second place. Gary Casto, Scotty Inman and Greg Bentley chose Black and White by the Singing Americans. Chris Jenkins and Joseph Habedank put their votes in for Pillars of Faith by Gold City. David Sutton’s choice is Gold City’s Double Take.

In third place was Bill Gaither, with two of his groups each earning a vote. Phil Collingsworth Sr. said, “HYMN CLASSICS – THE BILL GAITHER TRIO (1990 – only Gaither Trio Album produced by Lari Goss – last Trio Album released.)”
Karen Peck’s choice was, “Anything from Gaither Vocal Band!”

Other top picks included:
Speer Family: Heritage Series. “Little is much when God is in it! The best!” – Hannah Webb
“A Triumphant one!” – Clayton Inman
Blackwood Brothers Quartet latest project. “Our new one, Forever.” – Billy Blackwood
The Talleys latest project. “This would probably be a bad time to admit that I don’t listen to much music, so I’ll say whatever the Talleys’ newest is!” – Lauren Talley Alvey
The Three Bridges’ newest album. “The latest Three Bridges album, of course!” – Shannon Smith

So now you know! There may be more than one answer that is a little suspect, but that is how we roll on the SGN Scoops Wacky Wednesday!

Thanks again to all of our participants. Be watching SGN Scoops mainpage for more Wacky Wednesdays in the weeks to come. Do you want to suggest a subject or an artist? Email us at sgnscoops@gmail.com

SGN Scoops Wacky Wednesday Top Ten

For more on the artists who have subjected themselves to our poll questions, visit them at their group websites:

Chris Jenkins http://kingsmenquartet.musiccitynetworks.com/
Joseph Habedank http://www.josephhabedank.com/
Clayton Inman http://www.triumphantquartet.com/
Lauren Talley Alvey http://thetalleys.com/
Phil Collingsworth Sr. http://www.thecollingsworthfamily.com/
David Sutton http://www.triumphantquartet.com/
Greg Bentley http://crossroadslabelgroup.com/
Gary Casto http://tributequartet.com/
Billy Blackwood http://www.blackwoodbrothers.com/
Shannon Smith http://threebridgesgospel.com/
Michaela Brown http://thebrownsmusic.com/
Booth Brothers http://boothbrothers.com/
Scott Inman http://www.triumphantquartet.com/
Karen Peck http://www.karenpeckandnewriver.com/
Donna King http://www.zaneanddonnaking.com/
Hannah Webb http://rickwebbfamilymusic.com/

Gaither Vocal Band Lands Top 2 Spots on This Week’s Music Video Sales Chart

Gaither Vocal Band

Legendary Group Celebrates Big Week for Sometimes It Takes a Mountain and Happy Rhythm Releases

The GAITHER VOCAL BAND Showcases Happy Rhythms on Two All-New DVDs

GAITHER VOCAL BAND

GRAMMY® Award-winning Group Introduces Companion DVD to Recent Chart-topping Sometimes It Takes a Mountain CD Release

Read more »

Gospel Music ICONS the Gaither Vocal Band Score GRAMMY® Awards Nomination

Gaither Vocal Band

NASHVILLE, Tenn. —GRAMMY® Award-winning quintet the Gaither Vocal Band was honored on Friday with a nomination for Hymns (Gaither Music Group) for Best Roots Gospel Album, which will be awarded at the 57th GRAMMY® Awards, to be held on Sunday, February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA.

“I am extremely blessed to have sung with so many great artists throughout the Gaither Vocal Band’s history,” stated the group’s founder and bass singer Bill Gaither.  “Now I’m doubly blessed to receive a GRAMMY® nomination for our Hymns album.  For this recording to merit a nomination alongside the outstanding talent sharing the category with us is quite a privilege.”

Produced by Gaither, Ben Isaacs (The Oak Ridge Boys, The Isaacs) and David Phelps (The Martins), Hymns sheds new light on some of the most popular, timeless hymns of the church, combining the comfort of the familiar with new, moving vocal arrangements that are uniquely the Gaither Vocal Band.

The intimate collection features a signature rendition of the camp-meetin’-styled “I’ll Fly Away,” a triumphant arrangement of “Amazing Grace,” an easy-on-the-ear rendering of “Redeemed” and a vulnerable arrangement of “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” that showcases the harmonies that have made the group a favorite among fans and industry representatives for decades.

The recording has been featured regularly on a TV campaign airing on PBS, Dish TV, DirecTV, AT&T Uverse, GaitherTV, TBN, RFD, FamilyNet, CTN, GMTN, Guardian, Liberty, TCT and TLN.  It has been airing in Canada on Vision TV, CTS, The Miracle Channel and Hope TV.

One of the most lauded and award-winning groups in gospel music garnering five GRAMMY® nominations, two GRAMMY® Awards and 17 Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards, these Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame-honorees continue to headline one of the largest tours in the field of Christian music annually.  They are currently performing on the annual Gaither Homecoming Christmas Tour. A list of tour dates can be found at www.gaither.com.

Hymns, exclusively distributed by Capitol Christian Distribution, is available throughout general market stores and the Christian marketplace in addition to online retailers including iTunes, Amazon and www.gaither.com.

For further information regarding the Gaither Vocal Band, visit www.gaither.com or connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gaithermusic or on Twitter: @gaithermusic.

GAITHER VOCAL BAND Release All-new Recording

Gaither Vocal Band

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—October 10th, 2014—GRAMMY® Award-winning, Gospel Music Association (GMA) Hall of Fame-honored quintet the Gaither Vocal Band is scheduled to release an all-new recording, available everywhere on October 14th.  Sometimes It Takes a Mountain (Gaither Music Group), produced by award-winning group members Bill Gaither and David Phelps along with Ben Isaacs (Oak Ridge Boys, The Isaacs), is the debut release from the quintet’s recently updated line-up which features Bill Gaither, David Phelps, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb and Todd Suttles. According to Gaither, Adam Crabb and Todd Suttles, the group’s newest members, are not only fitting right into this classic group but adding their own vocal styles, giving the Gaither Vocal Band a fresh sound unlike any it has previously offered. “This recording is very special to me for a number of reasons,” describes Gaither.  “There is a mixture of vocal textures in this current group that the Vocal Band has never known before:  the classical sound David Phelps brings to the group; the rich, new bass/baritone tones in Todd Suttles’ voice; those smooth, golden tones Wes Hampton brings to the mix; and the passionate, soulful sounds of Adam Crabb…then throw me in there, whatever that is!  What can I say? I’m blessed. I feel fortunate to be on the same bus as these great singers.” These great singers are showcased on a recording written by some of gospel music’s most respected songwriters including Bill and Gloria Gaither, Mosie Lister, Michael W. Smith, Gerald Crabb, Thomas A. Dorsey and Reba Rambo-McGuire and Dony McGuire, among others. “There have been a lot of treatments of Mosie Lister’s great old tune ‘Happy Rhythm,’ but I am very partial to our 1950s ‘Jerry Lee Lewis-style’ treatment,” explains Gaither. That arrangement finds these vocal powerhouses combining traditional quartet harmonies with hints of “doo-wop.” Gordon Mote, one of Music Row’s award-winning musicians, added some catchy, ivory-tickling to round out this “sing-along” number. As Gaither Vocal Band listeners have come to expect, Sometimes It Takes a Mountain contains epic tunes including the bellowing “Resurrection,” “The Night Before Easter,” “Written in Red” and “We Are Coming Home at Last,” which contains a Civil War-styled treatment that “make it the new ‘I Surrender All,’” according to Gaither. Crabb’s acclaimed vocals are highlighted on the recording’s first radio single, “Sometimes It Takes a Mountain.” “[This song] shakes the very foundation of all of us controlling types who think we have everything under control,” explains Gaither.  “I believe this song has an important message to which many folks out there can relate.” The guys have some fun with songs like “Jesus Gave Me Water,” “That’s When the Angels Rejoice” and “When Fear Comes Knocking,” all of which offer that signature blend and approach that has for years given this legendary group a “sound all their own.” That sound will be featured on a TV campaign which will air on PBS, Dish TV, DirecTV, AT&T Uverse, GaitherTV, TBN, RFD, FamilyNet, CTN, GMTN, Guardian, Liberty, TCT and TLN.  It will air in Canada on Vision TV, CTS, The Miracle Channel and Hope TV. Sometimes It Takes a Mountain, exclusively distributed by Capitol Christian Distribution, will be available throughout general market stores and the Christian marketplace in addition to online retailers including iTunes, Amazon and www.gaither.com, where it is available now. The Gaither Vocal Band will be on tour from now through the end of the year and will be a highlight of the Gaither Homecoming Christmas Tour.  A list of tour dates can be found at www.gaither.com. For further information regarding the Gaither Vocal Band and/or Sometimes It Takes a Mountain, including a video preview with a sampling of music from the CD, visit www.gaither.com or connect on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gaithermusic or on Twitter: @gaithermusic. To hear some of the music from Sometimes It Takes a Mountain, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6D5tuQNLQk

Quartet of the Year Nominees for the 2014 Diamond Awards

Diamond Awards 2014

This year’s Diamond Awards will be held at Creekside Gospel Music Convention at Pigeon Forge on November 3rd through 6th. The Diamond Awards recognize the best in Southern, Country and Bluegrass Christian music and are hosted by SGNScoops digital magazine and Coastal Media Group.

Tim Lovelace and Rob Patz

Tim Lovelace returns as the lively host for the Awards show, so you know it will be blast!Be sure to get your free tickets to the 2014 Creekside Gospel Music Convention HERE

SGN Scoops would like you to meet our top-five finalists for each category of the 2014 Diamond Awards.

Today’s category is the 2014 Quartet Of The Year, defined as a traditional group with four-part harmony.

Last year, we were happy to award Ernie Haase and Signature Sound as winners of this title.

Ernie Haase and Signature Sound at NQC 2014 courtesy Candace Combs

The 2014 Nominees for Quartet Of The Year are:

Gaither Vocal Band

Brian Free And Assurance

Ernie Haase and Signature Sound

The LeFevre Quartet

Gold City

The Diamond Awards are swiftly approaching. Reserve your free tickets today!

The Many Faces of Phelps

Gaither Vocal Band tenor continues to broaden his musical horizons

By Craig Harris

Mark Lowry doesn’t know what David Phelps sounded like as a freshman in high school.He’d guess that Phelps was already a vocal heavyweight even then. “I think he was good from the start,” Lowry said of his tenure with the Gaither Vocal Band. “I don’t really see that he’s grown in that sense musically. He had his (music) degrees way before he met us.”

However, it was at that time when Phelps had a breakthrough of sorts. “When I became a teenager, I realized I was kind of rising above other people who were doing music,” Phelps said. “There was actually a moment for me in ninth grade. I sang for our town talent show (singing Sandi Patty’s ‘Bethlehem Morning’). They gave me a standing ovation. I remember getting in the car that night and saying ‘This is what I want to do with my life.’ It grew from there. I was invited to different churches and did concerts. My parents were driving me everywhere. My dad is a CPA (certified public accountant), and my mom is a professor. From those practical professions, they began to believe and encourage me. I just had this passion and drive to do it all of the time.”

     He’s still doing it all of the time, currently in his second stint as a member of the Gaither Vocal Band.“It’s been just fantastic,” Phelps said. “When I joined the Vocal Band at first, Mark was there. That was always a high point with me, singing on stage with Mark Lowry. He’s fantastic and a comedic genius. It was a learning experience. I remember sitting in Waco, Texas, and watching Michael English winning Dove Awards and saying to Lori (Phelps’ wife), ‘Boy, I would love to be up there singing with him some day.’ I was thrilled to be singing with Michael English. What an incredible, iconic talent. He has helped so many vocalists in and out of the church. People have mimicked his style for a decade. Wes (Hampton) took my place when I left the Vocal Band. What a generous guy. He’s literally like a little brother to me. He’s become a really good friend of mine. It’s been great to see his talent really grow. Then, of course, Bill (Gaither) is just a songwriter of the century. It doesn’t get a whole lot bigger than that to stand on stage and see how he communicates with people. In all, it’s a pretty amazing experience.”

Lowry was introduced to Phelps back in 1997, which led to Phelps’ eventual hire.“A guy named David Estes at Word Records called me and heard that we were looking for a tenor,” Lowry said. “David had come in to Word and sang for them and thought he might be a good fit. I was going to be passing by Word at that time. I told him to tell him to be there in 20 minutes. I thought he was good. Bill said, ‘Well, have him make a cassette tape of some of our stuff,’ like ‘The King Is Coming.’ He did. Guy (Penrod, the group’s lead singer at the time) and I went over and met David at his house and sang with him to see how that would go.”

    Phelps was leaning more toward a contemporary career at the time. “I grew up in a family where our musical style was pretty eclectic, everything from ‘80’s rock to classic country and definitely gospel,” Phelps said. “I fell in love with Contemporary Christian- It was Amy Grant, Russ Taff. I had recorded an independent project that was contemporary. In all of my growing-up years, people were telling me, ‘You need to get hooked up with the Gaithers.’ I never knew how to make that happen. I just keep singing. I had moved to Nashville. We were here about six months. I was still traveling (for concerts). It was difficult as a relatively unknown artist. I was in the middle of talks with a record label to do my first national release. One of the gentlemen there said, ‘Hey, did you know that the Vocal Band is looking for a new tenor?’ Jonathan Pierce had left. I said, ‘If you could make an audition happen, I would love to have a chance at that.’ Mark Lowry was on that label too. It was Word. He came up and listened.”

Gaither added, “Mark Lowry had brought me a CD, and we were going on a cruise. We were looking for a tenor at the time. I asked Mark to tell him to go into the studio with just him and his voice. He did. We were overwhelmed.”

Phelps was not overly familiar with Southern Gospel Music at the time.“I didn’t really know what Southern Gospel was,” Phelps said. “My family used to sing four-part harmony. I knew those things. I just didn’t know the industry as a whole. I was just doing my own thing. I was just kind of who I was. I am so grateful that Southern Gospel Music has embraced me. I have fallen in love with the icons of Southern Gospel Music. It was fantastic to get to know Vestal Goodman and Jake Hess. This music has people like no other genre. I had heard of Michael English and the Vocal Band, but I had lost track of the Vocal Band a little after Michael left. I had heard the songs that had come out of Southern Gospel. Stylistically, it really is such a wide range. Southern Gospel has embraced the Gaither stuff, which has a country flair to more of a Contemporary style at times.”

Phelps joined the Vocal Band in July of 1997. “It’s truly affirming,” Phelps said. “That’s an important element to any artist’s journey. People ask me all of the time, “How do I get started in this? What is the magic pill?’ There is no magic pill. John Bisagno, who was a minister of music in Houston, gave me the best advice I ever got. I’m 6-foot-1, and my face was at his chest. He said, ‘Sing everywhere you can.’ That’s still the best advice I’ve ever been given. The people that end up doing this persevere.

   Phelps continued, “You learn from it. You learn what works and what doesn’t work, how far to push your voice, what to say on stage, what not to say on stage. The most important element of that is you learn to love what you do no matter whether the crowd is there or not. It’s about creating the art of what we do in the moment and creating the joy for people. What I’ve learned over the course of my career is it’s not always about the lyric. In Southern Gospel, we have lyric that is not only theologically and doctrinally sound, but it’s also in music itself. God created music. Beauty is in and of itself something that glorifies the Lord.”

Gaither added, “Everything is timing. A lot of people ask me what it takes. You have to have talent. You have to have training. You have to have a great deal of perseverance … but sometimes, it’s just timing.”

Phelps left the Gaither Vocal Band in 2005 to pursue a solo ministry.“Before I left the Vocal Band, my goal was to define myself as an artist individually,” Phelps said. “I had actually gone to Bill and Barry (Jennings, the president of the Gaither Music Group) and said, ‘While I love being known as the tenor for the Vocal Band, I want your help in helping me define myself as an artist.’ They said, ‘Well, it’s about time you asked.’ Bill is a big part of my solo stuff. I had begun that road before I left. There were some difficult years in my solo work. To go from the first one (his self-titled project released in 2001) with ‘No More Night’ and ‘End of the Beginning,’ then, to go to Revelation, I don’t know whether it is Contemporary or whether it is Southern Gospel or if it’s just artistic. People would come to my concerts thinking they were going to get Vocal Band songs. That’s just not what I was as a solo artist. I still choose songs that fit me in both places.” Read more »

MATTHEW HAGEE’S A NEW SEASON IS TOP SOUTHERN GOSPEL DEBUT

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—A New Season, the latest solo offering from leading pastor, author and recording artist Matthew Hagee, debuted at #2 on Nielsen SoundScan’s Top Southern Gospel Albums chart for the week ending March 23. The chart’s only Top 30 debut, A New Season was produced by Michael Sykes (Oak Ridge Boys, Gaither Vocal Band) and features 11 Inspirationally-focused country selections.

Released March 18 from Difference Media/Capitol Christian Distribution, A New Season features the debut single, “I Don’t Want To Get Adjusted”; the Hagee co-penned songs “This Ain’t Nothin’” and “My Nomination”; “The Day He Wore My Crown,” featuring guest contributions from Larry Stewart and David Innis of legendary country group Restless Heart; and “That’s Jesus,” which was co-written by Hagee’s father, internationally-renowned evangelist Pastor John Hagee.

Executive pastor of the 20,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he preaches alongside his father, Matthew Hagee is the author of Shaken, Not Shattered (Charisma House). A husband and father of four, Hagee is a member of the Dove Award-winning Southern Gospel quartet Canton Junction and also records and tours with his family’s vocal group, The Hagees.

Difference Media is a division of Cornerstone Church, founded and pastored by John Hagee. The label features some of the leading names in Gospel music, including Aaron & Amanda Crabb, Canton Junction, Matthew Hagee, Tim Duncan, The Cornerstone Sanctuary Choir, John Hagee and The Hagees. A non-denominational evangelical church, Cornerstone Church is home to John Hagee Ministries, which telecasts Pastor Hagee’s radio and television teachings throughout America and in more than 190 countries around the globe. The ministry also operates GETV, a 24/7 online television and video on-demand broadcast of sermons and original programming, as well as music videos and performances by Difference Media artists.

For further information, visit differencemedia.org, matthewhagee.com or turningpointpr.com.

A New Era Begins For The Gaither Vocal Band

When two Gaither Vocal Band vacancies came open in late 2013, Bill began a meticulous search and considered every possibility.  A few weeks ago, Gaither Music announced Adam Crabb as the new lead singer, joining Bill Gaither, David Phelps and Wes Hampton.  Now, at last, the search is over for our fifth member and a new era begins in the Gaither Vocal Band’s legacy!

Gaither Music is pleased to welcome our new baritone, Todd Suttles, to the Gaither Vocal Band.  Todd’s deep resonant baritone voice is matched only by his wonderful character, quick sense of humor and infectious energy. He comes to us from Vanderbilt University, where he has served for 20 years as a Sports Fitness Director as well as Vanderbilt’s CampVandy Youth Programs Director, where he will continue when he is not traveling with the Gaither Vocal Band.  Todd has sung with the Settles Connection and can be heard in the background vocals on numerous recordings with artists whom you know and love.  He comes highly recommended by fellow artists, university faculty, and many others who have had the privilege of working with him.

“First of all, I want to thank Mark Lowry and Michael English for giving us some really wonderful years and incredible recordings that will live on in gospel music history,” Bill states. “We knew when they left, we had big shoes to fill and, as I have said before, you never truly replace anyone. You have to create something new and unique. I have been putting voices together for a long, long time and never before have we considered more possibilities or auditioned so many incredible singers than we have during the past few months. This decision came down to finding a vocal range and texture that would offer just the right balance to the current mix of voices in the group. I could not be happier with this decision. Not only do we love the rich tones in Todd’s voice, he also happens to be a wonderful human being to be around. So not only have we gained a talented individual, we have gained a new friend.  And very soon, I believe you will agree. Trust me. This is going to be good!”

This energetic new line-up will set sail on the Gaither Homecoming Caribbean Cruise this coming Saturday and will be headed off to a full schedule of concert weekends throughout the spring.  And we will soon announce fall tour dates as well! So stay tuned!