Credit where it’s due

As "March madness"(soon possibly to be renamed "April madness" for accuracy purposes)is winding down to a close for another year, I suppose it would be appropriate to recognize some history made there by the oft-maligned NCAA.

For the first time since the institution of a postseason tournament to determine its' NCAA men's basketball champion, each of the top-seeded teams in the four regional sections made it all the way to the semifinal round, or to put it in the now standard vernacular, the "Final Four".

The NCAA has gotten its' share of criticism, deserved or otherwise, over the years for its' selections to the tournament, and in many years, the seemingly inevitable upsets demonstrate that maybe their basketball selection committee is not the most well-informed collection of "experts".

Occasionally, I have been one of those critics, so in all fairness, I've got to congratulate the NCAA on "getting it right" this year.

Maybe the positive encouragement can motivate them to do such a prescient job every year.

Or it's worth a try in any case...so here's a pat on the back to one of the favorite whipping boys of sports fans across this country...the NCAA. Keep up the good work, and maybe American sports fans might take you off their "list".

After a “fashion”

Frequent readers to message boards are very familiar with the phenomenon of a topic wandering far from the point of the original post to begin the discussion.

While reading a popular gospel music blog, I had that same experience once more.

The original topic was the legal wrangling between a current gospel group and one of its' former members, but it didn't take long for the discussion to switch from the story to one of the most annoying side issues I encounter when reading gospel music discussions.

Namely, how gospel singers should dress for personal appearances.

It started when someone posted that the group in question appeared unkempt, with "...shirttails hanging out.." and "Salvation Army" styled apparel in an attempt to look "trendy".

I can't tell you how tired I am of this endless debate.

Once it starts, the adherents of the respective sides immediately take the most extreme positions on either side.

"Does it really make any difference if they wear matching suits?", one side asks. "As long as they sing well, who cares...after all, Jesus didn't wear Armani suits with ties.", they continue mindlessly. "People ought to care about how they present themselves in public", says the other side reflexively. "It shows class and professionalism to dress alike..that sort of thing is increasingly missing from too many singers today." Puh-leez.

I'm not trying to make fun of either side of this debate. There ARE good points raised by both sides. But do these points need to be raised every time there is a comment about the appearance of a gospel singer?

Some arguments cannot be resolved through endless discussion, particularly those where empirical evidence cannot be used by either side to settle the issue in question. Even Scripture cannot be used to settle questions of opinion(such as this)...because, let's face it, people can use Scripture to justify almost any opinion.

And I'm not going to solve that debate in this post, either.

All I can tell you is what I think.

Sure, one's singing ability doesn't depend on apparel whatsoever. Anyone who's ever sung a good tune in the shower can testify that you don't necessarily have to wear ANYTHING to sing a song well.

But realistically, when appearing in public, you've got to wear something! So what should the guidelines be?

Without meaning to sound as though I'm "copping out", much depends on the venue and the intent and context of one's singing appearance.

Many younger people who are accustomed to seeing their favorite artists dress relatively casually don't understand how or why the tradition of matching suits developed among gospel quartets.

That tradition began when quartets started to travel to different venues to sing(and sell their song books).

The idea behind matching suits developed naturally from the singers' intent to glorify God as best they could by looking their best when singing songs that tesified to His reality and His saving grace.

OK, John, why the matching suits, then? Wouldn't any nice suit do?

No, because(as evidenced by the hyper-awareness of what singers wear)if one member of the quartet had apparel that stood out from the rest, his appearance could distract the audience from listening as intently as possible to the message of the songs they were singing. Therefore, individuality was discouraged for those attempting to communicate through a song.

If all the singers dressed alike, reasoned those early pioneers, nothing would stand out except the songs...and the message.

OK, John, you say. I'll give you that. But do you really think people don't listen that closely now that a lot of singers dress differently on stage than they did back then?

No, I can't say they do. But when you sing to people you've never met, why take the chance that they might not?

It's possible that people who advocate uniform dress among group members are choosing to "err on the side of caution", if you will. And really, what's so wrong with that? Some who disagree with that position act as though a person's individual rights are violated when they're asked to essentially wear a uniform to perform their job, which is EXACTLY what professional gospel singing is.

I hate to remind you all of this, but the tradition of wearing a uniform for one's job is a long standing tradition that has been ably defended over the years.

So if you're singing pop music, or rap, or some other genre, perhaps those standards would be different.

But take it easy on the people who've sung gospel music for years, and done it well and honorably wearing suits(not necessarily Armanis)and ties...they mean well, and they have good reasons for doing so.

And maybe someday, if you feel differently, they may come around and agree with you.

But do me one favor. PLEASE stop arguing endlessly over the same things on gospel music discussion forums!:-)

Heart and soul therapy

It's just about bedtime as I post this latest missive.

And tonight, as I have for every night during the past six years, I will close my day with good gospel music.

I can't begin or end any day of my life anymore without a song.

And because of my nightly gospel song therapy, I can sleep well at night...and also have a song to sing in the new day.

I sometimes wonder if the artists who sing me to sleep each night ever wonder whether the music they made so long ago would be used to soothe a weary soul to sleep, or to plant the greatest message in the world into his brain to ruminate and dream upon, or even to start his day with a smile.

I'm sure that thought may have crossed their minds...sometimes more than once.

And I wonder if those same artists ever wonder whether their labors have made that kind of appreciative difference in a life, or do they get frustrated because it's hard sometimes to see the fruits of their work manifest amidst the long bus rides, and if they eventually abandon that calling because the monetary and personal benefits aren't sufficient for them

Well, I'm one person here to say...keep it up, guys and gals, because it's made a huge difference in the real quality of my life.

And if it's done that for me, imagine how many others have had similar or even greater benefits in their lives as a result of them making those little records of songs that tell the greatest story in the world.

Gospel music is one of the best therapies I can recommend to any person.

And if there are any singers reading this, hang in there...because you're all truly making a difference in people's lives...whether it's eternally, or just for a few moments in time.

It's worth it. I know.

All’s Well In The Blogosphere

When I began this little corner of the internet, I was sort of riding the wave of a boom in southern gospel oriented blogs.

Besides Doug Harrison's well-known blog(the one responsible for the above-mentioned boom), there was already the blogs of David Bruce Murray(who has brought a great deal of credibility to gospel blogging and writing via his Musicscribe site), my colleagues Chris Unthank, his sister Amy, James Hales, and of course, Susan and Deon Unthank here.

There were also several others(whatever happened, for example, to Miss Elaineous?)who jumped aboard at the outset of the gospel blog boom that for one reason or other, are no longer blogging regularly. I miss those blogs...even the worst of those were always fun to read.

And in addition to those blogs, there has always been the fine reporting of fellow radio pro Chuck Peters(we radio guys gotta stick together!), who is a must-read on the web if you want the best and latest in gospel music news reporting.

And since I began my blog, our ranks have been blessed by the likes of Daniel Mount(who combines interesting commentary with fine news reporting and other features), Kyle Boreing(a gospel singer and musician with keen insights on the gospel scene), Wes Burke(another fine mind with a creative approach to blogging), Brandon Coomer(whose fine blog, Coomer's Cove, is becoming a must read for me), and the writer of Southern Gospel Perspective, whose name escapes me, but I know he's read this blog, and said nice things about it.

Another person to read is my friend Keith Waggoner, who not only sings a fine tenor for the Liberty Quartet(one of the finest up and coming quartets going), but has written some very perceptive commentary on gospel music as well. And I can't forget relative newcomers Adam Wallace and Aaron Swain, whose blogs I always enjoy perusing.

I hesitate to stop here, but my main point has been made. All of these blogs together make for interesting reading, and there is something in at least one of them for any fan of gospel music who wants to read about it online. (I only hesitate because of time limitations, and I don't want to leave anyone out[although I undoubtedly have].)

Who do I recommend? All of them...it would be unfair to pick any of these blogs as the "best"...it all depends on you, and what you want to read. As I said, there's something for any taste among all these blogs.

A lot has been said about the quality of gospel music today, but there can be no doubt that now is a great time to be a gospel fan if you like to read about it...and you have access to a computer.

A bit too far

The term "silly season" is used these days to denote more and more things.

I have heard it used on the NASCAR circuit to describe the rather long Sprint Cup season, the highest-ranking driver series on that circuit.

And I've also heard it used of late to describe the road to the Presidency of the United States, particularly the overly long and needlessly costly primary process used to select candidates from each of the major parties for the general election.

It's accounts like the following, perhaps, that has earned the election process that rather dubious distinction.

Both parties have had a difficult time coming up with an outstanding nominee to carry their flag this fall. It appears now that the Republicans have settled on Sen. John McCain as their standard-bearer, where on the Democrat side, the initial favorite, Sen. Hillary Clinton, has encountered surprsingly strong opposition from Sen. Barack Obama.

In fact, Obama, a relative unknown to most American voters, has seized upon recent successes in the primaries to take the advantage of late on the Democratic side.

Now, Hillary Clinton is not used to being on the losing side in a popularity contest. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was a two-time winner in his Presidential campaigns, and his wife won fairly easy election to her current Senatorial post in New York state.

Still, it would appear the Clintons might be a little nervous at this point. With convention time drawing closer, it would appear at this point that neither Democrat nominee will be able to secure a sufficient delegate advantage to earn a first-ballot nomination at the convention.

And in these waning days, a recent endorsement for Obama has caused the Clintons further consternation.

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, himself an early candidate on the Democrat side before dropping out, has endorsed Obama for the Presidency. This has disturbed many in the Clinton camp, because Richardson has been seen as one of the staunchest Clinton supporters there is...some even contend that Richardson owes his political life to Bill Clinton.

One of the leading spokespeople over the years for the Clintons, James Carville(a prominent figure in the Clinton Presidential administration)has actually come out and called Richardson a "Judas" for switching his allegiance from Hillary Clinton to Sen. Obama.

For his part, Richardson just contends that there has been enough contentiousness in his party's nominating process thus far, and so he's siding with Obama as a sort of "unifying" move. He reaffirms his admiration of and for the Clintons.

But Hillary Clinton, as best I can tell, feels a sense of betrayal by Richardson's endorsement.

But what really alarmed me about this latest event in the campaign is Carville's incredible analogy.

If Richardson is a "Judas", what does that make Clinton in this analogy?

Look, whatever your feeling might be about either Bill or Hillary Clinton, it's an incredible stretch to liken either of them to Jesus. To say it's a curious choice of words on Carville's part is an understatement, to say the least.

As I type this, Carville continues to defend his analogy, arguing that he wanted to use something "strong" to adequately describe his shock at what he obviously feels is Richardson's ingratitude.

Well, he used something "strong", all right.

And these people wonder why many Americans tend to view their elected officials as arrogant and condescending toward their constituents.

There is no word on whether Sen. Obama has sent Richardson 30 pieces of silver(or its' modern equivalent)in the mail as yet.-:-)

Easter reflections

I hope that all of you had a very pleasant and fulfilling Easter. I did.

I was actually able to attend an Easter church service. OK, it was last night, and technically, NOT on Easter Sunday. But many churches have extra services on Good Friday all the way up to Easter Sunday.

And the one I attended was at the church I call home, Fresno's Northwest Church. Like me, the church has had it's share of challenges in recent years...but also like me, it's doing quite well, all things considered.

The theme of the service was "Hope:Beyond The Cross". That very theme triggered a whole series of thoughts in my mind, some of which I'm ruminating on even as I type here.

The idea apparently was that the very act of Jesus dying on the cross and subsequently being resurrected is not only the basis of eternal hope for every man, but the acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior is the foundation for hope to come in our lives is normative for fulfillment in our lives here on earth as well.

The theme was brought home by a lot of good music(a tradition at Northwest Church)and a fine sermon by the church's latest interim pastor.

That and seeing some dear people to me that I had not seen in years made the service a wonderful Easter gift to me.

Particularly so when one considers the very chaotic and "fluid"(as my boss would call it)set of situations going on in my life right now. I was reinforced in my basic belief that my identity and fate are not based on my job or my "image" or my circumstances but solely on my relationship to Jesus Christ.

Which is what all the gospel songs I love so much remind me, too...isn't it funny how those of us who spend so much time listening to gospel music or reading our Bibles forget that basic fact so often?

So even though I sometimes appear to be so different from everyone else, I'm really not.

Here's hoping at you...and thanking you all for indulging me this time out.

Real life steps in again

You might have noticed I've been rather slow in posting a new entry here.

This is not the first time that I have taken several days to post something. Observant readers to this little corner of the Web have correctly noticed that such things happen when my personal life away from this blog gets particularly busy.

Such is the case once more in this instance. Our program director at the radio station at which I work has determined that all of us who work behind the scenes for a large portion of our work week will have our work schedules altered on occasion to give us more exposure to other parts of our operation. That is happening to me at this time, so I've not been able to just sit down at my computer and just rattle off my thoughts to you.

This situation will be occurring randomly over the next several weeks...so don't be surprised if you see more periods of silence like this on occasion for a while.

But when I get the chance to post something, I will...please be patient with me for the time being.

A “magnificent” evening

Back as promised...with my impressions of the concert in Clovis, CA featuring the "magnificent" Melody Boys Quartet(as they are billed)and Revised Standard Version(RSV)at the Faith Community Church of the Nazarene there.

I would have posted this right after I got home, but by the time I did, it was already 10:30PM...and since I have a "real world" job that I have to get up early for on Sundays(which is from where I'm writing this), I opted to wait until this morning and get my much-needed "beauty" sleep last night.

I had been looking forward to this concert for some time. The Melody Boys had not been here in a couple of years, and they were clearly missed by the audience that attended last night.

It was one of those weird weather days, much like the last time they were here. We had had three straight days of warm, springlike weather, and then a weak thunderstorm system swept in and out yesterday, bringing scattered showers and brisk wind with it. The pollen that was clearly in the air along with the moisture threatened to cause problems for all the singers.

I joked to people when I came that I intended to sit on the front row to help Gerald Williams with his bass notes......but my own voice was affected by the weather, so Gerald would have to survive on his own. Fortunately, Gerald didn't need my help.

The evening opened with a P&W group from a local Baptist church, the Harmony band. Now, they had a very nice sound...but when you have a group of six singers(three male, three female)and as is often the case with these kind of groups, no one is singing harmony, the name might be a bit of a misnomer.

In fairness, though, they didn't sing any of the "7-11" types of songs that P&W detractors so loathe, and they even sang group harmony on a couple of songs. That and the fact that the accompanying musicians played in tune and didn't make any mistakes made this friendly group of singers an enjoyable concert opener.

The audience was clearly there to see traditional quartet singing and the Melody Boys(which go hand in hand, IMHO). They came out and did a wonderful opening set of quartet favorites, and not only was it great to see tenor Mike Franklin with the group that night, but the younger quartet members(lead Terry Robertson and baritone/pianist Caleb Metheny)were fully in command of their material. I might add that I enjoy watching Franklin on stage...he sings every song with a big, wide, sincere smile(the way ALL gospel singers should approach their work).

RSV followed, and in the 11 or so years that I have been familiar with them, they NEVER sang better. Their tenor, Jerry Unfried, was not there, but he was "there" because of the accompaniment tracks the group used. There was a lot of good humor made onstage by the group over and at his absence...RSV has come a LONG way in terms of stage presence. We in the audience were having such fun with what they were doing that I almost forgot that the Melody Boys were coming back to wrap up the evening. Among the singers, lead Eric Maine stood out the most to me...but the entire group was really "on" last night.

After a short intermission, RSV led off the second half with more solid stage work and good singing of good songs. For some reason, they didn't get to sing on the main stage of the GWSGFF last year...but if this concert is any indicator of such things, that WON'T happen this year. RSV did us Central California quartet fans proud by the job they did.

The Melody Boys returned to wrap up the evening. Much like two years ago, they did the first set with piano accompaniment, and the second set with a combination of backing tracks and a cappella singing. The a cappella numbers were especially good, especially "Faith In My Savior", the old Joe Roper song.

Robertson's lead was reminiscent of Jonathan Sawrie, who I STILL miss in the quartet. But Terry has enough of Jonathan's vocal style while retaining a winning style of his own tto satisfy any longtime Melody Boys fan. And the second set featured a brilliant piano solo by Metheny, who was by far the youngest(and youngest-looking)singer on the stage that evening. His versatility on vocals and piano is a tremendous asset to the longterm future of the quartet. Gerald, DON'T let these young'uns get away!:-)

Gerald himself was in his usual solid form last night. He anchored the quartet's chords with absolutely NO help needed from me.

And yes Gayla, he DID give me the CD(that was the first thing he did when I came up to him!)!

Gerald Williams is a legend...and always brings dignity and class, as well as good singing, to every personal appearance he makes. In fact, everyone on the night's program did exactly that for the nearly-full church in attendance.

I'm glad people came out to enjoy a good evening of excellent gospel singing and fun. I can hardly wait until May for the Great Western Southern Gospel Fan Festival...good gospel singing doesn't come to the Fresno area as often as I'd like, and when it does, you can bet I'll be there to see it. I'm glad I was there to see just that last night.

Real gospel music in town

It isn't often I can say this, but I'm going to a gospel concert tonight.

Not because I wouldn't go, but because real top drawer gospel quartets seldom make their way to Fresno, California that much...so when one does, well, you KNOW I have to be there.

One of the very best will be singing tonight...the Melody Boys Quartet from Little Rock. They will be joined by a quartet from Bakersfield(just down the road)...the Revised Standard Version(RSV for short), whose members include ex-Stamps Quartet pianist C.J. Almgren.

I'm looking forward to seeing Gerald Williams again, along with the latest set of youngsters carrying on the tradition of one of the oldest quartets still on the road today.

I'll be back tomorrow night with my impressions of the concert.

Addressing a pet peeve

What I'm about to address has been on my mind for some time, and I can't hold it back any longer.

Before I get started, let me state categorically that the following has nothing to do with the fact that the Unthank family allows me to write for Southern Gospel News or hosts my blog here.

Not that I'm not grateful for the above...I am proud to write for the world's most read southern gospel e-zine, and I'm also proud to call this little corner of the web my home base for my humble but well-meaning blog.

But in the southern gospel internet world, the Unthanks are quite the lightning rod.

And I'm still not quite certain why. I suppose when you're first with something, and you've earned a position of prominence and respect, a consequence of that can be that those envious of that position can become resentful.

And certainly the Unthanks have been trailblazers with the Southern Gospel News site. If I'm not mistaken, they have operated SGN for the past 15 years or so, well before the internet became as much of a fixture around the house as Dad's favorite chair or the TV set.

In that time, it has grown from a mere e-mail discussion list to the largest message board community devoted to gospel music, as well as arguably the most reliable daily source for gospel music news online.

Sure, SGN is not perfect. As I posted on another blog, I could do without the preponderance of publicity releases thinly disguised as news stories. And don't all of the site's readers know by heart what Southern Spin is all about by now?:-)

But I challenge any of you to find me a larger variety of articles and features devoted to gospel music news and information. And its' message board community still has the largest variety of topics and areas of discussion related to gospel music in cyberspace.

But over the past few years, resentment toward the Unthanks has grown in pockets around the online gospel music community. I imagine that most of it centers around the way the Unthanks have chosen to administer their message boards and article discussion.

In fact, most of the larger competing gospel sites were directly or indirectly spawned from issues related to the way the Unthanks run SGN.

Which is all well and good. If people think they can do a better job, or feel the need to establish other communities devoted to gospel music, go for it. I know the Unthanks have no problem with that...it's a big world out there, and there's room for everyone.

What I get annoyed at, though, is the amount of personal, vindictive, ad homnem attacks on the Unthank family, their character, and their reputation. Fine if you don't like what they do, but what purpose does going on another gospel music blog or message board to simply attack SGN or the Unthanks serve? No constructive or positive one that I see.

If you don't like what they do, just go to another site and do what you want to do there(if you can). But don't go to another site attacking the Unthanks and what they do or ask why they do what they do elsewhere.

For what does Doug Harrison or Daniel Mount(for example) know about what the Unthanks intend to do with a certain feature of SGN? And what makes you think if they even did, that they or their readers would be best able to answer your question?

As you might have guessed by now, what inspired this posting was seeing a discussion thread on another blog that Susan Unthank had posted to, and noticing another poster "softly" asking Susan a rather sensitive question THERE about SGN's message boards.

My response is also a question...why ask her on someone else's blog? Contrary to a lot of the invective spewed online about the Unthanks, they are easily accessible through their site or by direct e-mail. If someone is seriously interested in finding out about SGN or why they run it the way they do, wouldn't it be better form to simply take it up with them privately? Unless of course you want to make a point at their expense.

(In fairness to the poster I'm referring to, at least he asked Susan directly there(and politely to boot)...and Susan graciously answered his question to his apparent satisfaction.)

I have had occasional disputes with them and questions for them as well...in four years of association with them, that is not too surprising(knowing both me and them). But I have always been able to communicate directly with them, and they have always responded promptly and politely to my correspondence. Was I always satisfied with the result? No...but then again, I'm not always right, either(I hear the "AMENS"!).

But there is no reason to try to embarrass or defame the Unthanks on blogs or message boards. If any of you have a question for them, ASK THEM DIRECTLY(a novel concept, I know).

And give them credit...they run a good site...and are nice people. And like all of us, they have feelings, too.

Page 1 of 2 pages  1 2 >