48-474: The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither . On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton , Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles, and Bill Gaither. Although the group started out recording contemporary Christian music in the 1980s, it became known for southern gospel after
96-462: A Mountain . Five months later, that album was followed by a two-DVD live performance release and the release of their second album (a live performance album), Happy Rhythm . Upon release, the DVDs debuted at the top of Billboard ' s Music Video chart ( Sometimes it Takes a Mountain at #1 and Happy Rhythm at #2). In August 2016, the group's album Better Together was released. In March 2017, it
144-665: A couple of years. Marshall Hall was his replacement. Wes Hampton succeeded Phelps in 2005. The group has had three number one songs on the Singing News chart. "Yes, I Know" held the top position from July to October 1997, as did "I Will Go On" in November 2006. "Greatly Blessed" was their third number one single. The group has routinely performed classic Southern Gospel songs including many written by Bill and Gloria Gaither like "He Touched Me", "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary", and "Sinner Saved By Grace". In July 2008,
192-418: A devout love for God or an earthly love for a man or woman. Becoming popular through songbooks, such as those published by R. E. Winsett of Dayton, Tennessee , southern gospel was and is one of the few genres to use recordings, radio, and television technologies from the very beginning for the advancements of promoting the genre. One of the longest-running print magazines for southern gospel music has been
240-660: A piano" set up, southern gospel has evolved over the years into a popular form of music across the United States and overseas, especially among baby boomers and those living in the Southern United States . Like other forms of music, the creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of southern gospel varies according to the cultural and social context. It is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for
288-403: A sound with an edge to it. The traditional style southern gospel singers employ a more classical singing style. Lyrically, most progressive southern gospel songs are patterned after traditional southern gospel in that they maintain a clear evangelistic and/or testimonial slant. Southern gospel purists view lyrical content and the underlying musical style as the key determining factors for applying
336-504: Is a graduate of Liberty University . Starting in the 1980s, he worked as a studio singer, backing up voices such as Carman , Steve Green , Amy Grant , Michael W. Smith , Garth Brooks , Shania Twain, James Ingram , and Phillips, Craig & Dean . He was also a member of the Christ Church Choir (as was another future Gaither Vocal Band member, Jonathan Pierce ). During his years in the studio, he met Bill Gaither for
384-484: Is named after gospel leader Bill Gaither . It was the successor-group of the Bill Gaither Trio . By the 1980s, Bill Gaither, along with wife Gloria Gaither , were both very successful songwriters . For example, their song, "He Touched Me" was covered by Elvis Presley , after which he named his album He Touched Me . Presley won a Grammy for the album. Bill Gaither felt that his trio had reached its peak in
432-430: Is sometimes called "quartet music" by fans because of the originally all-male, tenor-lead-baritone-bass quartet makeup. Early quartets were typically either a cappella or accompanied only by piano or guitar, and in some cases a piano and banjo in areas that were influenced by bluegrass music such as Appalachia . Over time, full bands were added and even later, pre-recorded accompaniments (soundtracks) were introduced. In
480-694: The Billboard 200 on August 6, 2005. The DVD release was certified platinum by the RIAA. The Gaither Vocal Band's 2006 release was entitled Give It Away , followed by Lovin' Life in 2008. Penrod won a Grammy Award for his work on the "Lovin Life" project. In a press release on January 13, 2009, Bill Gaither announced that Penrod would be leaving the Gaither Vocal Band and starting a solo career. In August 2009, Penrod released his debut solo album, Breathe Deep , on
528-492: The Singing News . They started in the early 1970s supplying radio airplay charts and conducting annual fan based awards. They also supply popular topic forums for southern gospel fans to meet and discuss the genre. The move to internet services has brought along companies such as SoGospelNews.com which has become a noted e-zine forum for southern gospel and has remained a supporter for the past twelve years. It too contains
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#1732775664114576-473: The Southeast and Southwest , it has a nationwide and even international audience. The music remains "more country than city, more down-home than pretentious". In 2005, The Radio Book , a broadcast yearbook published by M Street Publications, reported 285 radio stations in the U.S. with a primary format designation as "southern gospel," including 175 AM stations and 110 FM stations. In fact, southern gospel
624-679: The "Billboard" chart for contemporary Christian music. Penrod was a featured performer at the Faith Freedom & Future Inaugural Ball hosted by the Family Research Council , following the January 2017 inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, DC. In March 2017, Penrod returned with an album entitled Classics . The album was a new solo recording of popular songs he performed during his tenure with
672-559: The 1990s thanks to the efforts of Bill and Gloria Gaither and their Gaither Homecoming tours and videos, which began as a reunion of many of the best known and loved SGM individuals in 1991. Thanks in part to the Homecoming series, southern gospel music now has fans across the United States and in a number of foreign countries like Ireland and Australia. By the 1990s, the "old-timey" quartet-style music began to develop to include more soloists and duos. Although still mostly popular in
720-731: The Gaither Vocal Band in 1994, Penrod became internationally known for his powerful vocals and broad singing range. He has performed in Gaither Homecoming concerts all over the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Europe, Australia, and Africa. In 1999, he performed a duet with the Cathedral Quartet 's lead singer Glen Payne on their Farewell Celebration video. Penrod performed for the grand opening of Jerry Falwell 's new Thomas Road Baptist Church new 6,000 seat sanctuary. His album, The Best of Guy Penrod , reached No. 92 on
768-470: The Gaither Vocal Band. Penrod has often appeared on the stage of the "Grand Ole Opry" as a guest artist. Penrod reached back into the well of beloved hymns with his 7th solo release. Blessed Assurance was released in February 2018. The album includes Penrod singing twelve newly recorded hymns featuring his signature country sound. Penrod and his wife, Angie (Clark), have eight children—seven boys and
816-704: The No. 2 album in Cracker Barrel stores with 30,000 units sold, second only to Blake Shelton. Also in 2014, Penrod was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame alongside the Gaither Vocal Band. Penrod released his first solo DVD entitled Live: Hymns & Worship in January 2016. The Project was filmed at Thomas Road Baptist Church . The release debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart for music videos sold upon its release. The album debuted at #2 on
864-670: The Quartet's theme song. The Stamps Quartet was heard on the radio throughout Texas and the South. A handful of groups were considered pioneers in southern gospel music for a series of "firsts." The Blackwood Brothers, with James Blackwood and J.D. Sumner became the first group to travel in a bus, which is on display at the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee . Sumner also
912-705: The Servant Records label. Produced by veteran country music producer and studio musician Brent Rowan, the album consists of positive country music with Christian undertones. Penrod was inducted into the Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2011. Penrod's sophomore solo album Hymns debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen SoundScan Southern Gospel retail chart and became the top-selling southern gospel album of 2012. Hymns sold over 100,000 units. In 2012, Penrod became
960-556: The United States for the purpose of getting together regularly and singing songs in this style. Convention songs were employed by training centers like the Stamps-Baxter School Of Music as a way to teach quartet members how to concentrate on singing their own part. Examples of convention songs include "Heavenly Parade", "I'm Living In Canaan Now", " Give the World a Smile ", and "Heaven's Jubilee". Southern gospel
1008-504: The air, Southern Gospel USA, a weekly half-hour countdown show hosted by Gary Wilson, Classic radio programs such as The Old Gospel Ship and Heaven's Jubilee with Jim Loudermilk. Another online station is "The Gospel Station." Guy Penrod Guy Penrod (born July 2, 1963) is an American gospel singer. He is known for his work as the lead singer of the Gaither Vocal Band , a position he held from 1995 to 2009. Penrod
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#17327756641141056-431: The all-male quartets that would develop years later. The Statesmen were known for their showmanship and introduction of jazz, ragtime, and even some early rock and roll. Elements into their music and their stage appearance with trendy suits and wide audience appeal and were known for their signature song, "Happy Rhythm" (Rockin and a'Rollin). Traditional southern gospel music underwent a tremendous surge in popularity during
1104-503: The first decades of the twentieth century, southern gospel drew much of its creative energy from the holiness movement churches that arose throughout the south. Early gospel artists such as The Speer Family , The Stamps Quartet, The Blackwood Family, and The Lefevre Trio achieved wide popularity through their recordings and radio performances in the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. On October 20, 1927, The Stamps Quartet recorded its early hit "Give The World A Smile" for RCA Victor, which become
1152-501: The first reunion performed. Southern gospel See also: Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music . Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States . Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as (in terms of the varying music styles) to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music . Sometimes known as " quartet music" for its traditional "four men and
1200-466: The first time. He also made regular appearances on TNN 's Music City Tonight as a background singer in the mid-1990s. In 1989 Penrod contributed a couple of tracks as lead vocal on a Brentwood cassette (C-5103N) titled "Following The Sun – Island Music For Believers". Penrod also performed briefly with the Stamps Quartet in 1987, while employed at Opryland. After accepting the position with
1248-501: The group dropped the "new" part of their name. Although the previous album ( New Point of View ) had been more contemporary than its predecessors, the album with this version of the group ( One X 1 ) took it even further. After this album, Harris left and was replaced by Lemuel Miller. The group did not record an album with Miller before he too left. He was replaced by Imperials alumnus Jim Murray. This line up cut one album ( Wings ) before McSpadden left to start his solo career. Mark Lowry
1296-537: The marketplace. The date of southern gospel's establishment, as a distinct genre, is generally considered to be 1910. The year the first professional quartet was formed for the purpose of selling songbooks for the James D. Vaughan Music Publishing Company in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee . Nonetheless, the style of the music itself had existed for at least 35 years prior—although the traditional wisdom that southern gospel
1344-552: The mid-1980s, but his desire to make another gospel hit kept the trio going. The original Vocal Band (called the New Gaither Vocal Band) was formed spontaneously, backstage of a Gaither Trio concert. It consisted of Bill Gaither and Gary McSpadden of the trio, along with two of the trio's backup singers, Steve Green and Lee Young. The quartet sang "Your First Day in Heaven" on stage that night. Their debut album,
1392-416: The music charts with forums and chat rooms available to the fans. Internet Radio has broadened the southern gospel music fan base by using computer technologies and continual streaming. Some of these media outlets are: Sunlite Radio which features many of the southern gospel programs likewise heard on traditional radio. This list includes The Gospel Greats with Paul Heil, which recently celebrated 30 years on
1440-552: The musical traditions of white musicians from the American South, the name Southern gospel was used to differentiate it from the black gospel tradition. Convention songs typically have contrasting homophonic and contrapuntal sections. In the homophonic sections, the four parts sing the same words and rhythms. In the contrapuntal sections, each group member has a unique lyric and rhythm. These songs are called "convention songs" because various conventions were organized across
1488-630: The new host of Gospel Music Showcase , a popular Daystar Television Network program that focuses on southern gospel music. It can be seen every Saturday. The show has been awarded an Emmy. Penrod won "Soloist of the Year" from the National Quartet Convention in 2013. Penrod released his third solo project titled Worship in May 2014. In September 2014, Penrod released his first solo Christmas project entitled "Christmas." It became
Gaither Vocal Band - Misplaced Pages Continue
1536-790: The popularity of the Gaither Homecoming videos. The lineup of the band has changed many times, with artists leaving to work on solo careers, and new and old ones coming to replace them. Besides Gaither, singers with the longest tenure in the band include Guy Penrod (1995–2009), Mark Lowry (1988–2001, 2009–14), Michael English (1985–94, 2009–14), David Phelps (1997–2005, 2009–17) and Wes Hampton (2005–present). The band has released 29 albums (not including compilations), at least 19 of which have charted. The band has also released 10 DVDs, which feature many other Christian artists as well. The Gaither Vocal Band has been honored with two Grammys and 17 Dove Awards . The Gaither Vocal Band
1584-574: The same feed entitled, " enLighten on SiriusXm". Enlighten plays southern gospel and has several featured programs which air weekly including Paul Heil's Gospel Greats and Bill Gaither 's Homecoming Radio . Over the last decades, a newer version of southern gospel has grown in popularity. This style is called progressive southern gospel and is characterized by a blend of traditional southern gospel, bluegrass, modern country, contemporary Christian and pop music elements. Progressive southern gospel generally features artists who push their voices to produce
1632-531: The same title debuted in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on the Music Video charts as well. It also garnered a Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country, Bluegrass Gospel Album. In January 2009, Hall and Penrod left. Gaither brought back some former members: English as lead vocal, Lowry as baritone and Phelps as tenor. The first album by this five-member version was Reunited , released in September 2009. It
1680-578: The self-titled The New Gaither Vocal Band , debuted in 1981. According to the liner notes of the CD compilation The Best of the GVB , the term "vocal band" was used instead of "quartet" because it did not limit Gaither in terms of sound or number of group members. According to Green on the Gaither Vocal Band Reunion video, he came up with the name and convinced Gaither to use it because he, at
1728-447: The southern gospel label to a song. Although there are some exceptions, most southern gospel songs would not be classified as Praise and Worship . Few southern gospel songs are sung "to" God as opposed to "about" God. On the other hand, southern gospel lyrics are typically overt in their Christian message unlike Contemporary Christian music (CCM) which sometimes has had "double entendre" lyrics, which could be interpreted as being about
1776-581: The time, did not want to be associated with "quartet music". Young left the group in 1982, and Jon Mohr was hired as the new bass singer. They then recorded the album Passin' the Faith Along . Later, tenor Green left and Larnelle Harris was hired. This group cut the New Point Of View album before Mohr left. Michael English was hired as the new lead singer, so McSpadden was moved down to baritone, and Gaither dropped to bass. At this point
1824-530: The vocal band recorded a reunion DVD at the Gaither Studios — The Gaither Vocal Band Reunion, Volumes 1 and 2 . Except for Pierce, Franklin, and Miller, the former and present members appeared and performed. The two CDs debuted in the top two positions on Billboard ' s Contemporary Christian Album chart, marking the Gaither Vocal Band's first No. 1 on the Christian Album chart. The DVDs of
1872-453: Was "invented" in the 1870s by circuit preacher Everett Beverly is spurious. The existence of the genre prior to 1910 is evident in the work of Charles Davis Tillman (1861–1943), who popularized "The Old Time Religion", wrote "Life's Railway to Heaven" and published 22 songbooks. Some of the genre's roots can be found in the publishing work and "normal schools" or singing schools of Aldine S. Kieffer and Ephraim Ruebush . Southern gospel
1920-474: Was also the first album of the vocal band ever to feature only songs written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. A live album called Better Day was released in January 2010. In August 2010, they released the long-awaited album called Greatly Blessed , followed by I Am A Promise , a children's album, released in August 2011. Their most recent album was Pure & Simple , released in September 2012. In October 2013, it
1968-443: Was announced that Adam Crabb (of The Crabb Family ) would join the group as the fourth member and lead singer. Todd Suttles joined the group as the baritone singer one month later. Following their formation, the new quintet would go on to release a limited edition album, The New Edition , which could only be purchased at concert performances. In October 2014, the group released their first album together, entitled Sometimes it Takes
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2016-505: Was announced that Lowry and English would be leaving the group to devote more time to their solo careers. English's departure was immediate whereas Lowry stayed on until they could find another baritone to replace him. Their last album as members, Hymns , was released in March 2014 and was nominated for a Grammy Award the following December. After their departure, several guests filled-in until two new members could be found. In January 2014, it
2064-414: Was announced that Phelps would be leaving the group on April 1, and Reggie Smith would join the group as tenor. In October 2017, this line-up released their first studio album, entitled We Have This Moment . In October 2018, there was another Gaither Vocal Band Reunion. It was a two-day concert, recorded live. Except for Green, Franklin, Miller & Pierce, all of the past and present members who were at
2112-431: Was convinced to replace him. Their Gospel roots project Homecoming was released in 1991. Murray left and was replaced by Terry Franklin . The album Southern Classics was released in 1993 with the hit "I Bowed on My Knees" (This song was co-written by Jeremy Ward). Later English left. He was replaced by Buddy Mullins. Mullins was only a temporary fill-in, but he was included on the album Testify . Franklin soon left and
2160-548: Was instrumental in creating the National Quartet Convention , an annual music festival where many groups, both known and well known perform for a week. The Speer Family was known for bringing blended groups to mainstream popularity where both male and female performers toured together. The best known group of the 1950s and 1960s was the Statesmen Quartet , which set the trend for broad appeal of
2208-514: Was promoted by traveling singing school teachers, quartets, and shape note music publishing companies such as the A. J. Showalter Company (1879) and the Stamps-Baxter Music and Printing Company . Over time, southern gospel came to be an eclectic musical form with groups singing traditional hymns, a capella (jazz-style singing with no instruments) songs, country, bluegrass, spirituals, and "convention songs". Because it grew out of
2256-534: Was replaced by yet another Imperials alumnus, Jonathan Pierce (formerly known as Jonathan Hildreth, his first and last name, then changed to his first and middle name). Strengthened by the popularity of the Homecoming video series, the Vocal Band added Guy Penrod at lead. After Pierce's departure, Gaither hired David Phelps at tenor. After Lowry's departure, Imperials alumnus Russ Taff sang baritone for
2304-497: Was the 9th most popular format for AM stations and the 21st most popular for FM. Southern gospel radio promoters routinely service more than a thousand radio stations which play at least some southern gospel music each week. Recent years have also seen the advent of a number of internet-only southern gospel "radio" stations. Two popular satellite stations that feature southern gospel are channel 34 on XM Satellite Radio and Channel 65 (changed from 67). On Sirius Satellite Radio. Both play
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