Southern Gospel News SGNScoops Digital

Family Music Group Bluegrass Chart Successes

In both major publications, Singing News and SGNScoops magazines, Les Butler and Family Music Group have promoted this month’s No. 1 and No. 2 songs. “When He Speaks,” by the Britton Family was No. 1, and  “Which Thief are You,” by Bama Blu-Grace was No. 2. Heaven’s Mountain Band’s song, “For a Moment of Grace” is No. 3 in Singing News and No. 5 in SGNScoops.

Family Music Group also promoted these top charting songs in the SGNScoops Bluegrass Charts:
#9  “A Brighter Day” by the Primitive Quartet
#11 “Near My Lord” by Fields of Grace
#13 “If you Want To” by Journey Home

In total, we were blessed to have three of the Top 10 in the Singing News Bluegrass Gospel Charts.  In the SGNScoops Magazine, we have the top two songs, three of the top five songs, and six of the top 13!

Famiky Music Group is truly honored to work with such great artists and is thankful for the D.J.’s who work tirelessly to spread the good news through Bluegrass Gospel music!

Heaven’s Mountain Band Performs to Sold-Out Crowds at Shadow Valley Sing!

Heaven’s Mountain Band Performs to Sold-Out Crowds at Shadow Valley Sing!

Nashville, TN  Heaven’s Mountain Band had an exciting time at the 2019 Shadow Valley Sing in Fayetteville, TN.  It was a sold-out concert with no more parking or RV spots!  This event featured the Primitive QT, Bradley Walker and Heaven’s Mountain Band. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Butler Music Group provides professional management  services to Southern Gospel and Bluegrass artists including Heaven’s Mountain Band, Williamsons, Old Time Preachers Quartet, Barry Rowland & Deliverance, and Jason Davidson. 

They also provide consulting services for Bob Sellers, the Arenos, Barber Family, Birchfield Family, Cheri Taylor, Covenant, GloryWay Quartet and Sacred Harmony.

BMG subsidiary, Family Music Group, is the label and radio promotion division of BMG. Label artists include Williamsons, Old Time Preachers Qt and Jason Davidson.   Over the last 40 years, radio Promotion artists have included Canton Junction, David Phelps, Goodman Revival, Ivan Parker, Guy Penrod, Hagees, Jimmy Fortune, Oak Ridge Boys, Booth Brothers, Dunaways, Larry Gatlin, and many others.

Butler Music Group celebrates Top Five Diamond Award Nominees

Les Butler of Butler Music Group

Nashville, Tenn. (June 25, 2019) —The news is out!  The Top 5 Nominees in the Diamond Awards have been announced and Butler Music Group/Family Music Group is blessed to have artists in 12 categories!

We’re excited that our very own, Les Butler, has been nominated for the Living Legend Award.  Heaven’s Mountain Band leads our list with 4 nominations followed by the Williamsons and the Ferguson Family with 3 nominations each and the Barber Family with 1 nomination.

2019 Diamond Awards Top Five nominees

The Diamond Awards will be presented on Oct. 29, at the Smoky Mountain Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, TN, during the 2019 Creekside Gospel Music Convention.

To place your votes, click HERE

Heaven’s Mountain Band

About Butler Music Group

Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Butler Music Group provides professional management  services to Southern Gospel and Bluegrass artists including Heaven’s Mountain Band, Williamsons, Old Time Preachers Quartet, Barry Rowland & Deliverance, and Jason Davidson. 

They also provide consulting services for Bob Sellers, the Arenos, Barber Family, Birchfield Family, Cheri Taylor, Covenant, GloryWay Quartet and Sacred Harmony.

BMG subsidiary, Family Music Group, is the label and radio promotion division of BMG. Label artists include Williamsons, Old Time Preachers Qt and Jason Davidson.   Over the last 40 years, radio Promotion artists have included Canton Junction, David Phelps, Goodman Revival, Ivan Parker, Guy Penrod, Hagees, Jimmy Fortune, Oak Ridge Boys, Booth Brothers, Dunaways, Larry Gatlin, and many others.

Les Butler has been actively involved in Southern Gospel Music for 41 years as a musician, producer, manager, former publisher of the Singing News, and as a nationally syndicated radio host. Butler started Butler Music Group in 1978 and purchased Family Music Group in 2003.

He is a past March of Dimes AIR award, as well as winner of the Paul Heil Broadcasting Award in 2011. Butler’s syndicated radio show, Les Butler and Friends, is heard across America and abroad. Butler’s playing and production credits include Palmetto State Quartet, Darryl Worley, Richard Sterban, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Fairfield Four, Steeles, Dunaways, Crabb Family, Easter Brothers, Marksmen Quartet, Earl Scruggs, Bowling Family, Jimmy Fortune, Marty Raybon, Larry Gatlin and many more. Butler’s publishing companies are Hurry-Up Publishing/BMI and Hush Jean/ASCAP.

Read the June SGNScoops Magazine Online HERE

Download SGNScoops Magazine On PDF HERE

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Listen To Todays Gospel Music HERE

Les Butler and Friends: Roger Johnson of Heaven’s Mountain Band

Roger Johnson and Heaven’s Mountain Band

I first met Roger Johnson and Heaven’s Mountain Band in 2012. I’ll never forget that day. They were so nervous to meet me. You will see in this article that they hold me in high esteem. Might I say they hold me in too high esteem? Without this knowledge, some of this article would sound self-serving. I promise you, I’m not the big wig they think I am. To quote my friend Aaron Wilburn, “bless their hearts.”

I wanted to write about Roger Johnson and not the entire band for this article. We’ll write about the band at a later date I’m sure. Roger is such a  standout songwriter and driving force for old-time religion and old-time gospel music, that I really wanted to shine the spotlight on him alone this month. I am proud to introduce you to Roger Johnson.

Roger Johnson of Heaven’s Mountain Band

Les Butler: What is your earliest musical memory?
Roger Johnson: At 12 years old, I got my first guitar. It was a Western Auto Trutone acoustic guitar and they were on sale for $12.50. If you purchased the guitar, they gave you a free set of Black Diamond strings. My mother purchased that for me the Christmas of 1969.   

Butler: How many groups have you been with, from the earliest to the most current?
Johnson: The only group I’ve been a part of is Heaven’s Mountain Band. We started in 1986 as a Southern gospel group. We were part of the Eddie Crook Company. We changed from Southern gospel music to Bluegrass Gospel about the time we met you (Les Butler) in 2012. We had so much trouble keeping a live Southern gospel band and we could play our own acoustic instruments, so it was a natural move. We always loved the groups featured on Front Porch Fellowship, and we wanted to go more that direction.   

Butler: When did you start writing songs?
Johnson: Around 1985. The first song I wrote was, “Latter Rain.” This was the first song we took to the Eddie Crook Company and they liked it. The first month they released it, it made the Top 80.   

Butler: What is your favorite song that you’ve written and why?
Johnson: My song, “I’ll Ride This Ship to The Shore.” I’m glad all this new religion stuff got to me too late, I was already on board the old ship of Zion, worshipping in the old-time way.

Heaven’s Mountain Band

Butler: How many songs have you written?
Johnson: I’m guessing, around 200. I really don’t know. I’ve written a lot of songs years ago and have forgotten I even wrote them. I frequently stumble upon songs that I wrote years ago that I’ve forgotten.

March 2019 SGNScoops Magazine features the Old Paths

Butler: Is there a song that you’ve written that came to you in a very unusual way or during an unusual circumstance?
Johnson: “The Empty Altar.” We need a burden for the lost. God has really used this song. When I wrote the song, I was just sitting at the house. We had just gotten off a weekend where folks just didn’t seem to want to worship the Lord. We gave altar calls and saw no movement of any kind.  It just seemed liked folks didn’t care. I got to thinking about that and how much I missed seeing tears on the altar. The Lord just started to stir my soul, and he gave me the lyrics to this song.

Butler: Did you ever think you’d have a group that has had seven consecutive No. 1 songs that you have written, with parades and special days honoring you and Heaven’s Mountain Band?
Johnson: I never thought we would have one. We just want to give God the glory.  I still can’t get over how much radio has responded to our simple message and the simple way in which we sing that message.   

Butler: What other artists have recorded your songs?
Johnson: Rhonda Vincent recorded, “Momma and God,” Paul Williams recorded, “That Ole Church Bell,” Marvin Morrow recorded, “Somebody Prayed,” the Primitive Quartet recorded, “Covered in Grace,” Terry Terrell recorded, “Heroes of Prayer,” and “Graveyard of Sin,” the King James Boys recorded, “Super Water,” and the Old Time Preachers Quartet recorded, “I’ll Ride This Ship to The Shore,” and “Empty Altar.” You (Les Butler) recorded, “When His Blood Fell.”

Read more »

An Exciting Year for Heaven’s Mountain Band

An Exciting Year
for Heaven’s Mountain Band

Heaven’s Mountain Band is blessed and busy!  Real busy!

The 2019 Heaven’s Mountain Band Homecoming was a huge success with special guests, The Primitive Quartet.  It was a near-standing room only event with a great spirit and some great music!  The Primitive QT/Heaven’s Mountain Band combination is coming to a handful of towns near you this year.  Check out their schedule for details.

They are currently working on a brand-new project with Les Butler and have moved up to the Family Music Group Bluegrass label.  Les Butler stated, “FMG is our top label and they have earned the promotion.  Their success over the past 4 years has been astounding.  With multiple #1 songs and a full date book, they are simply one of the hottest groups in Bluegrass Gospel music.  I am proud to be one of their producers, their manager and more importantly, their friend!”

In addition to all of the great news for this acclaimed group, they also have been nominated for the following Diamond Awards:

• Bluegrass Song of the Year, “Since the Lord Came By”
• Bluegrass Male Artist of the Year, Roger Johnson & Rodney Johnson
• Bluegrass Female Artist of the Year, Deborah Johnson
• Bluegrass Group of the Year

To cast your vote, go to: http://www.sgnscoops.com/2019-diamond-awards/

The future is certainly bright for Heaven’s Mountain Band!
To learn more about them, visit them online at:  www.heavensmountainband.net

BIG NIGHT FOR BUTLER MUSIC GROUP ARTISTS AT 2017 DIAMOND AWARDS

Butler Music Group’s Winning Artists: Williamons, Old Time Preachers Quartet, Heaven’s Mountain Band, Sacred Harmony and Matt Felts.

Nashville, TN (November 1, 2017) Butler Music Group works with many of the top artists in Southern Gospel Music and the 2017 Diamond Awards honored many BMG artists last night. BMG entered the night with seven artists nominated in eleven categories and walked away winning six.

The Williamsons have built a reputation as the best mixed-quartet in Southern Gospel Music and last night they were awarded as Mixed Group of the Year. Sadie Williamson was also a special part of the night as she was the official “trophy girl.”

Heaven’s Mountain Band showed why they are mentioned along artists such as the Primitives and Issacs. They brought home multiple awards, Album of the Year, “This Old House of Mine,” and Song of the Year, “I’ll Ride This Ship to the Shore.” They were also nominated for Bluegrass Gospel Artist of the Year.

Sacred Harmony has been quickly catching the eyes

Matt Felts, Diamond Award winner

and ears of the Southern Gospel industry for their unique sound that blends traditional Gospel with more contemporary styles. They were honored with the Favorite New Trio award and was also a finalist in the Video of the Year category.

In only two years, the Old Time Preachers Quartet have established themselves as the hottest new group in Gospel Music. The quartet won Favorite New Quartet. They were also nominated for Album of the Year.

While not a new name to Southern Gospel fans, Matt Felts is charting new territories as a soloist. In his first year as a soloist, Matt was nominated for Favorite Male Vocalist and won the Sunrise Artist award. Butler Music Group was blessed to have the Coffmans and Jason Davidson also nominated in the Sunrise Artist Category.

“Wow, what a night! We are incredibly blessed and honored to work with the best of the best and the Southern Gospel fan spoke through the Diamond Awards. We want to thank Rob Patz and SGN Scoops for an incredible event,” stated Les Butler, Butler Music Group. For more pictures and a list of winners from BMG’s big night, go to the Butler Music Group Facebook page.

For the latest issue of SGNScoops magazine click here

For more Gospel music news click here.

For online Gospel music click here

Prayers for Heaven’s Mountain Band

Prayers for Heaven’s Mountain Band in the loss of their bus and several instruments.

We had a great time singing with the

McKameys  in Roanoke Al tonight. Got in about 2 am and parked the Bus, we were all tired so we left several instruments on the Bus. Then got a call from the Belmont police dept. that the bus was burning about 4 am. We are ok, lost a few instruments, sound system, the CDs and obviously the bus. Nothing will change other than using different equipment and traveling in something different. God is great and the message we carry will always be the same. Pray that all will go well as we sort this out and continue doing what we do. God Bless, Heavens Mountain Band. We love you all. Thank you for all the prayers!!

Heaven’s Mountain Band Honored At Dollywood

Heaven’s Mountain Band
Honored At Dollywood

Nashville, TN – Dollywood has become a destination for Gospel music fans, as it hosts many of Gospel music’s top artists throughout the year.  Recently, the hottest group in Bluegrass Gospel Music, Heaven’s Mountain Band, made a multi-day appearance at the Tennessee based theme park. Heaven’s Mountain Band performed six shows over two days.  Each show was filled to capacity with attendees overflowing onto the streets.

Heaven’s Mountain Band is currently riding a career making wave of success that has included 3 consecutive Singing News Bluegrass #1 songs. While at Dollywood, Les Butler of Butler Music Group presented the band a plaque honoring this accomplishment. “We are so proud of how the Gospel music fans have embraced Heaven’s Mountain Band. Radio loves them and so do fans all across the nation. Once you get to know them, you understand why people love them. They are the real deal,” stated Les Butler.  It was great to have Rick Francis on hand representing Singing News Magazine,” Butler concluded.

Heaven’s Mountain Band recently released a new project, “This Ole House Of Mine,” that is expected to continue this unprecedented wave of success.  Fans can keep up with Heaven’s Mountain Band and purchase their new album on their official website,
, www.heavensmountainband.net.

Butler Music Group and Heaven’s Mountain Band Announce Management Agreement

Heaven’s Mountain Band

Nashville, TN Butler Music Group’s Les Butler and Roger Johnson of Heaven’s Mountain Band recently announced an exclusive management agreement between Butler and the fast rising Bluegrass Gospel group.  Butler Music Group will be working extensively with Heaven’s Mountain Band in management and  every aspect of their professional careers.  

Regarding working with Les Butler and Butler Music Group, Heaven’s Mountain Band’s Roger Johnson said “We love to work with Brother Les. We have a really great relationship as friends as well as professionally”. Johnson added, “When it comes to traditional Bluegrass  Gospel we feel that Bro. Les has kept our kind of songs and music from going away’.

Les Butler added “Over the past couple of years, I have gotten to know Roger Johnson, his family and all the fine folks who make up Heaven’s Mountain Band.  Our business relationship quickly segued into a friendship”.  Butler continued “We’ve prayed, worshiped, preached, and sung together all across the country during the past few months.  If I had to explain Heaven’s Mountain Band in a word, that word would be ‘real’. The wonderful singing and great musicianship of the band is a given.  But what sets them apart is the songwriting of group member and leader, Roger Johnson, who just happens to be one of the best songwriters in gospel music.”

Heaven’s Mountain Band Holds CD Release Party

Signal Mountain, TN (May 22, 2014) Heaven’s Mountain Band, Red Bay Alabama, celebrated the release of their new CD, Old Fashioned Worship, playing to a capacity crowd at Jim Oliver’s Smokehouse in Monteagle, TN. The live listening party and concert was the conclusion to an action packed day for this in-demand Bluegrass Gospel Group.

The day started with radio interviews at the Solid Gospel Radio Network, Nashville, TN. Heaven’s Mountain Band will be the June Front Porch Fellowship Artist Spotlight heard in nearly 200 markets nationwide. Later that day they traveled to Monteagle, TN for a taping of the Harmony Road TV program. The evening concluded with a concert in front of a packed house. Attendees included pastors, fans and media from several states. Les Butler (Singing News Magazine and Solid Gospel Radio Network) hosted all of the events. Les states, “Wow, what a jam packed, great day! Radio, TV and a live concert! They sure love what they’re doing!”

For more information on Heaven’s Mountain Band please check out heavensmountainband.net or facebook.com (Heavens Mountain Band Mississippi), phone 256 460 1421 or email johnson1roger@gmail.com.

ABOUT HEAVEN’S MOUNTAIN BAND
Heaven’s Mountain Band, formed in November 1986, started out singing in church singings, revivals and performing Gospel Music at bluegrass festivals. They recorded their first major album with the Eddie Crook Company in 1989 and would go on to record three albums with that label.

The group has had several Singing News Magazine charting songs, all written by founding member, Roger Johnson. They perform primarily bluegrass gospel music, touring with an upright bass, acoustic guitars, mandolin and banjo. Periodically they include piano, steel and drums for a more Country Gospel sound on select tunes. Heaven’s Mountain Band has traveled and ministered throughout the Midwest, South and Southeast in some of the area’s top venues including Dollywood. They have been nominated for Singing News Fan Awards and have been featured on national radio programs including “Front Porch Fellowship”. Their concept video “I’ll Keep on Praying” has been featured on several national programs on networks including TNN/The Nashville Network, The Heartland Network, Daystar, WALKtv and the NRB Network.